December 31, 2008
The Best Credit Repair Services Aren’t Magic – But They Can Help!
The best credit repair services set realistic expectations, while taking much of the drudgery out of fixing your credit score. While none of them can perform magic, the best credit repair services can help improve your credit score.
There are hundreds of credit repair services advertising today, but the Federal Trade Commission considers most of them to be scams. Companies that claim they can help you erase bad credit, or offer guarantees to raise your credit score, are probably scams.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, you can’t remove accurate and timely negative information legally from a credit report. Even though many of these companies will suggest you dispute all negative entries on your credit report, you do so at your own risk. In most cases, this is illegal, even if you are following their advice.
The best credit repair services won’t ask you to pay in order to get your credit reports. Under federal law, anyone can get their credit report from each of the three credit-reporting agencies (TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax) once every twelve months for free.
You can do a lot of what these companies do yourself, however for those who aren’t aware of all their options, it can be very helpful. You might be able to lower the fees a company charges by doing some of the “work” yourself, or you can opt to do everything yourself.
Besides credit repair services, there are companies called “debt consolidators”. These debt consolidators won’t directly fix your credit, but instead they work with you to help bring your outstanding debt under control – a big step towards long-term credit-worthiness.
Debt consolidators do this by contacting your creditors on your behalf. They will negotiate a ’settlement’ agreement, usually just a fraction of the actual amount owed. The debt consolidator will combine these settlements into a single amount. They will give you an amount within your budget to send them each month, and in turn they send a portion to each creditor.
Even the best credit repair services can’t help those who aren’t willing to help themselves. They won’t offer you the same sort of “bailout” that erases bad debt like a bankruptcy filing does. What they can accomplish, however is to help set you on the right path towards improving your credit score, which in turn will improve your financial future.
At this very moment, there is a serious recession going on now in the overall economy. The effects on business are reverberating not only across the United States but around the world. From the average Joe on main street to auto workers in Detroit to traders on Wall Street, money seems all dried up.
Business owners in this bad economy have the simple desire to simply stay afloat as the economic downturn worsens by doing one thing. Hard work. Its an American heritage that will never die Sometimes, however, it takes more than just the sweat of their brow. It takes getting more money to grow your enterprise through business financing.
Even in this economy, it is possible to secure personal and business loans for business entrepreneurs in need. With the current economic black cloud hovering over the nation, this is no small feat.
The money is available and depending on your circumstances, it’s a lot faster and easier to get than you might think. When you work with a business financing company, it is important to have someone who has numerous connections to obtaining the money that you need in an expedient manner. Be sure to ask for references, check out their Better Business Bureau record, and get to know them. You want to be treated like a valuable client, not just a number in line for a business loan.
About Us: Our business financing consulting service will help you find and secure the right type of small business financing for your working capital, start-up, or business expansion needs. We will work closely with you to determine your unique needs in order to find the right solution for you and your business.
December 30, 2008
How to Raise Credit Score in 5 Easy Ways
If your credit score is low and you need to purchase a home or buy a car or open a credit account you may find that these privileges are extremely difficult with less than perfect credit scores.
If you have a credit score that is less than perfect you may be wondering how to raise credit score. Well, there is good news. There are many things that you can do to bring that credit score up so it looks much better.
So, here are several important tips that can help you to raise your credit score back up so you can have an easier time:
1. Pay every bill before it is due. If you make it a habit to pay your bills on time you can improve your credit rating and credit score.
When your payments are overdue or late your credit score can suffer greatly. Paying your bills on time is good practice. This one step alone can change your credit score in a positive way.
Tip #2 – Get Current on Missed Payments – If you have missed payments in the past, make sure that you get current on them as soon as you can.
Late payment can have a negative effect on your credit report and in some cases can even lower your score even further. When your bills are paid on time your credit report will reflect this.
2. If you have outstanding bills it’s a good idea to contact the companies and make arrangements to make these bills current.
Every on paid bill does not go away, those companies still expect to get paid. Most companies will be happy to make arrangements with you to make payments towards paying off the debt owe.
4. Making your creditors aware of your current situation is helpful in finding out how to raise your credit scores under these specials circumstances.
4. One step in learning how to raise your credit score is to contact your creditors and explain your situation, they cannot help you if they are not aware of your current financial situation.
Most companies have programs in place for situations like this. And you may be requires to only send in less than was agreed upon originally.
Filed under Credit Repair, News by Marcus Duke
Platinum credit cards offer more benefits and purchasing power than the Gold or Standard credit cards. The status associated with Platinum credit cards is one of the reasons people prefer this card. In today’s society where image is so important, possessing a platinum credit card says you are a successful person. This card is for those with a high income and excellent credit rating.
One type of platinum credit card offered is the American Express Platinum credit card. This card will allow you up to $100,000 in credit depending upon your credit history and income. This is a highly prized card because of the status of having one and the benefits that come along. Known for being very liberal with credit line increases, they are more so the longer you keep your credit card, American Express also offers a 1.5 rewards points every time you purchase an item using this credit card.
MasterCard offers a platinum credit card. This card is accepted almost every where in the U.S. and abroad. The percentage rate, which is very reasonable, will stay at a reasonable amount as long as the payments are made on time.
Those professionals who are earning higher income and are qualified to avail MasterCard Platinum but the interest rate for this kind of credit cards usually increases, especially when the payment made is only for the minimum outstanding balance for the period. To avoid 35% rate increase on interests, pay the balance due for the month on or before the due date.
The Discover More Platinum credit card is another credit card that is suitable for people who can afford the payment but prefer the 0% annual fees and low introductory APR. The APR will remain low if the payments are made on time and good credit score is maintained. This card also gives high spending limits to cardholders with rebates and bonuses for every purchase. Online account is also accessible anywhere.
When you are eligible for a platinum credit card you will have more benefits from this card than either the silver or gold credit cards. The platinum card has always been reserved for those with an income level that is above average and the financial savvy to keep their credit at excellent levels. Platinum credit cards have many services, such as concierge services that are part of the benefits of qualifying for this card.
Platinum credit card is also offered to business institutions for their company purchases. The features of the business credit card are the same with that of the personal credit card. Some credit card companies offer the platinum business card with no APR on the first twelve months and low APR thereafter, while some offer no annual fee. To avail the 3 to 25% discount on purchases, buy the materials your business needs from those stores affiliated with the credit card companies.
There are cards which are advertised that are called platinum shopping cards. These platinum cards are not to be confused with a regular credit card. Although they are credit cards, they can only be used to buy merchandise at the participating stores. They do, however, report to the credit bureau so they can help to build your credit score up by using it to purchase merchandise and keeping the balance paid.
The majority of Americans have errors and other unverifiable information on their credit reports that could be dragging down their credit score. Odds are good that your credit score is lower than it should be. The unfortunate thing is that odds are you will be yet another one of the millions of Americans who will continue to suffer with an unfair credit score because you will do nothing to repair your credit.
Most Americans want to believe the credit reporting system works; that people earn their bad credit and there is nothing they can do about it but wait for seven years. But study after study shows the credit reporting system frequently does not work. This is why the Fair Credit Reporting Act and other consumer protection legislation give you the right to do something about it – the right to make sure your credit score is as good as it can be.
The credit bureaus at the center of the credit reporting system are not official organizations. So now you are asking yourself, how do they ensure this information is correct? If a creditor reports something that is wrong, how do the credit bureaus make sure it doesn’t end up on your credit reports? The answer to both of these questions is: they don’t. Your creditors report information, the credit bureaus record it, and for most people, the story ends there. Instead, they are massive, for-profit corporations that collect personal information from your creditors and make money by selling this information in the form of your credit reports.
More likely, the reason people do not repair their credit is a mix of apathy and lack of understanding of the credit reporting system. Too many people assume the credit reporting system is some official government bureaucracy with an extensive system of checks and balances designed to ensure the safekeeping of their credit history. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Instead, they are massive, for-profit corporations that collect personal information from your creditors and make money by selling this information in the form of your credit reports. The credit bureaus at the center of the credit reporting system are not official organizations.
Making sure your credit score is where it should be is your responsibility and repairing your credit reports is a task you will have to initiate because no one out there will do it for you. It is your right and your responsibility to dispute the questionable negative items in your credit reports and the sooner you start, the better. You can work to repair your credit on your own or you can enlist the help of a credit repair law firm like Lexington Law.
Whether you attempt to repair your credit on your own or with the help of a credit repair expert, by taking an active role in the credit reporting system, you can ensure your credit score is as good as it can be and that you have the advantage over the millions of people out there with bad credit who haven’t taken action to do anything about it.

