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By Betty Lin-Fisher
Beacon Journal business writer
Published on Saturday, Sep 20, 2008
Jay Seaton, area president of the Consumer Credit Counseling Service, compiled the following questions and answers on the subjects of credit, debt and savings.
Readers can contact Seaton, along with other consumer credit counselors and financial planners, during a personal finance call-in program sponsored by the Beacon Journal from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday.
Q: I'm living paycheck to paycheck. How can I save any money?
A: Sweat the small stuff — develop a simple system to find out where the money is ''leaking.'' We all know our ''fixed'' monthly payments — the house note, car note or rent — but what about lunches, video rentals, books, fast food and other food? Try a little experiment: Track expenses for about three weeks and total them up. You will find that little money adds up. Then save some of it — you will have more peace of mind about your money, which is what we all want.
Q: I hear I can get a free credit report. How and when?
A: This is one of the most important and new (in the last three years or so) consumer rights. You are entitled to a free credit report from each of the three credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — during a 12 month period. You can get the free report via the Internet, at http://www.annualcreditreport.com or by phone at 877-322-8228. Any other offer promoting a free credit report is trying to sell another service.
Q: What are credit scores and how can I get them?
A: All three credit bureaus use systems they have developed to put a number score to information in your credit report. For detailed information on how scores are created, go online to http://www.myfico.com. You can order your score at the end of the process of getting your free credit report. Now, here's the bad news. The score is not free. There is a nominal charge if you have a debit or credit card. Suggestion: Pay it and get the score. The FICO score remains the most widely used.
Q: How can I tell whether I am getting in too much debt?
A: Go to http://www.cccservices.com. Click on ''Begin Now'' to take the ''Debt Test.'' Examples of questions to ask yourself are:
• Am I juggling credit-card payments, paying some this month and skipping others?
• Can I afford only minimum payments on my cards?
• Am I now using credit for necessities such as groceries — and not just for the rewards points (and paying it off in full each month)?
Take the test and you can see whether you are in the debt danger zone.
Q: Is it a good idea to pay off my mortgage early?
A: This is a big one for me and always generates different opinions. I say ''yes'' because I want to do anything to reduce debt. Others argues that you give up tax benefits and can continue saving or investing if you don't stretch to pay more on the mortgage. I will say this: There is no greater peace of mind than having a paid-off mortgage before retiring. It should be a wealth-building goal even during these times of slipping home values. Even a little extra applied consistently to the mortgage will reduce the principal amount owed significantly.
Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at
330-996-3724 or blinfisher@
thebeaconjournal.com.
Jay Seaton, area president of the Consumer Credit Counseling Service, compiled the following questions and answers on the subjects of credit, debt and savings.
Get the full article here.
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