Bad Credit Can Affect More Than Your Chances of Getting Loans

Credit facilities have made the world so much easier now. There are fewer things to worry about, and you’re never really in a financial situation a quick loan can’t fix. However, if you have bad credit, your access to loans will be significantly reduced. But then, did you know that bad credit can affect other parts of your life as well?

When most people think of credit scores, it never occurs to them that it can have an indirect effect on their housing, interest rates, and even stress levels. Let’s look at some of the other ways your credit score can affect your life besides loans.

Interest rates

The way a credit score works is that it lets lenders know how reliable you are as a borrower. When you pay all or most of your bills on time like you’re supposed to, it sends the signal that you’re in a good financial place, and are capable of meeting your financial obligations.

However, when you default, your credit score drops and lenders take that to mean you’re not able to pay your debts. The effect of this is that they accommodate your credit score by giving you higher interest rates. It also means that everything, from your credit card rates to even cash advances, will be subject to higher percentages.

Your self-esteem

As much as we might hate to admit it, the things happening around us have a significant effect on how we feel. If it rains on a day you planned to go to the beach, you’re going to be disappointed. If the power goes out while you’re watching your favorite TV show, you’re going to get upset.

Likewise, if you’re constantly told by banks and credit organizations that they can’t grant you the loans you’re looking for, you’re likely going to experience a lot of negative emotions. These rejections can deliver a serious blow to your self-esteem.

Housing and accommodation

Many landlords check credit scores before approving rental applications, and they do it for the same reasons banks and lenders do – to ensure you can pay rent. It’s much easier to get an apartment if you have a good credit score than it is if you have a bad one. Additionally, when you do get an apartment, you’ll probably have to pay a higher security deposit.

Stress and anxiety

With all the problems associated with a higher credit score, you’re going to have higher stress levels in general. Besides the factors we’ve already discussed, a low credit score can also affect your cell phone contract, the ease at which you get jobs, your insurance premiums, and even your car payments. All of these can compound to a lot of stress for you.

Fixing your credit score can mean more than just access to loans. It can also mean more favorable interest rates and better housing arrangements. It can even help you feel better about yourself. You can click here to find out more about how you can clear your debts and fix your credit scores.

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Think Your Credit Score Doesn’t Matter In Retirement? Think Again.

Should You Pay Your Taxes With A Credit Card?

Seven Easy Ways To Fix Your Credit

Think Your Credit Score Doesn’t Matter in Retirement? Think Again.

You have battled with your credit score your whole life. You wanted a good score so that you can could get the best loans, especially for your home mortgage. Finally, you’ve reached retirement, and you have it in mind that you can rest easy. You have your mortgage, you are done taking out loans for education, so you don’t have to think about your credit score any more right? Wrong. Your credit score still maters in retirement.

You Need to Watch Your Money Carefully in Retirement

Unless you happen to retire with extreme wealth at your disposal, you need to be frugal after retirement. You need to budget. After all, you don’t have the kind of income coming in that you once did. You aren’t going to get raises and other windfalls. You have to make do with what you have.

Therefore, it’s really important that you watch your money carefully. If you have bad credit, then you put yourself at risk. What if something happens and you need to refinance your home? Or what if you need to take out an emergency loan? So many things can go awry in life. Medical expenses, natural disasters, the needs of adult children … you just might need to get credit or a loan again even after you’ve retired.

If you don’t have good credit, then you’re going to end up with a loan that has terrible terms (if you can get a loan at all). A bad credit score means you’ll have a higher interest rate, which in turns means that you’ll have higher monthly repayment bills. If you’re trying to budget in retirement then you can’t afford to waste money on those exorbitant fees. If you maintain a good credit score in retirement then you don’t have to worry about that so much.

You Probably Have More Bills in Retirement Than You Anticipated

People like to paint a rosy picture of retirement. You’ve worked hard your entire life, so now you can rest. You can take the money that you set aside and enjoy your sunset years. However, this financially lovely picture simply isn’t the reality for many Americans reaching retirement age today.

Baby boomers who have retired or about to retire have much higher bills than they might have expected. In fact, many still owe on their homes, either due to an original mortgage or to refinancing over the years. Additionally, older people increasingly have high levels of credit card debt to their names. Some people even still have student loan debt when they retire!

If you have these types of outstanding debt, then you really need to make sure that you have a good credit score in retirement. You should work to improve the score as much as possible. You can do that through debt repayment, increased credit lines, disputing incorrect credit report information, etc. Once you have boosted your score as much as possible, you can then use that good credit score to get a great rate on a consolidation loan. This will allow you to repay that debt as quickly as possible so that it doesn’t hang over you throughout your entire retirement.

Plus more and more Americans retire but then start a post-retirement business of their own. If you’d like to start a new business, then you might need a business loan. If you have a good credit score in retirement, it’ll be significantly easier to get that loan.

So, yes, your credit score matters in retirement.

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Kathyrn Vercillo

Kathryn Vercillo is a professional writer with more than a decade of experience writing about healthy living and personal finance. She lives in San Francisco, where she has learned to maximize frugal living tips in order to thrive as a freelancer in one of the nation’s most expensive cities. When she’s not writing, she’s exploring the city on foot with her rescue dog. Learn more about her at www.kathrynvercillo.com.
Kathryn also writes about saving money with coupons over at GroceryCouponGuide.com

7 Easy Ways to Fix Your Credit

If you have the day off today it’s the perfect time to spend it improving your personal finances, and it all starts with your credit.

Analyzing our financial situations can be a daunting task, especially if a bad credit score haunts you. But, despite how easy it is to fall victim to credit, it doesn’t have to be the enemy we often make it out to be. If the words “charge it” made a regular appearance in your everyday vocabulary without a plan of action, you may be in need of some personal credit repair. Although the damage may seem irreversible, there are easy ways to fix your credit. Below, I’ve listed just a few:

Easy Ways to Fix Your Credit

Don’t Transfer Your Credit

It may be tempting to simply transfer your credit from one card to another, but avoid this as much as possible. All you are doing is causing yourself more heartache and (and debt) instead of taking action on your existing due payments. Along with putting off the inevitable, you may be subject to transfer fees and are therefore increasing your costs.

Keep Cards Without Annual Fees Open

As counterintuitive as it sounds, don’t close all your accounts at once. Instead, keep the ones that do not charge you annual fees to use for small purchases. The key is to make sure you then pay off those balances right away to avoid late fees, increased interest, and so on. This action alone is one small step you can take in improving your credit. Plus, canceling your cards without taking the proper steps (or that still have a balance) can end up hurting you more. CreditCards.com provides these helpful tips on how to cancel a credit card.

Seek Help Online

The internet is full of resources just waiting to help you with all your financial woes. In addition to this blog, you can find companies online dedicated to helping you repair your credit, such as Credit Sesame, which is a free web-based tool that provides you with not only a free credit score but advice on how to improve it as well. Not to mention, there are plenty of online financial forums you can participate in as well, like this one.

Review the Statute of Limitations on Your Debt

Your debt does have a statute of limitations, which essentially means the length of time that passes where a creditor can sue you for the outstanding payment. This length of time varies from state to state. If the statute of limitations on your debt has run out, you’ll be able to negotiate a lower overall sum. In some cases, the collector may end up ceasing efforts to collect the money owed.

Look Into a Secured Credit Card

CreditKarma.com advises individuals looking to rebuild (or building credit history in general) to consider a secured credit card. Secured credit cards, they explain, typically require that you pay a security deposit to work as collateral in the event you may have a past due payment on your account. Because you are taking on the financial risk with this deposit, they are not only easier to obtain approval by lenders but also help you improve your credit.

Avoid Filing for Bankruptcy

Filing for bankruptcy should be an absolute last resort. Try to avoid taking this step as much as you can as this stays on your credit record for roughly seven to ten years. It may wipe out your credit card debt, but it will not improve your credit report. In some cases, it may actually make it worse and will make it harder to obtain a loan or credit cards in the future.

Pay Your Credit Card Bills Early

Make an effort to pay your credit card bills before the statement due date. By paying your bill before your next statement is even ready, you can help to increase your credit score. This is really one of the easiest ways to fix your overall credit.

The important thing to remember is that you are not alone in this process. It does also seem to be easier to improve your credit as you get older, given that time helps to build a credit history, as shown in this December 8, 2016, article on CreditCards.com by Jamie Gonzalez-Garcia. The process is not easy (or fun), but with due diligence and discipline, you can conquer your credit and look forward to reaping the benefits of your hard work.

The above methods are just a few of the easy ways to fix your credit. What would you add to the list?

Jenn Clark

Jenn Clark is a writer, PR specialist, entrepreneur, blogger and coffee enthusiast. A lover of laughter, traveling and cheese, she’s written about her life experiences here at suburbanfinance while at the same time growing other young professionals. You can find more of her work at Jennblogs.co.

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