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Articles About Finance and Credit Score

Elizabeth — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 21:58:36 +0000

Bada-Bing! Cha-Ching!

Money, money, money. I’ve written about credit scores, shopping addictions, and real estate hassles. I’d like to say I’ve gotten a little more savvy with my plastic in the process; ideally my readers have too. Articles have been featured on Disney’s Family.com, SheKnows, PerkStreet, AOL, WalletPop, iVillage, and MintLife.

Education and Career Articles

Elizabeth — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 21:25:30 +0000

Get Smart

For people who are trying to get into college, figure out what to do after college, or just survive their education, I’ve covered a wide range of topics when it comes to books, papers, and dirty looks (from teachers or bosses). These articles about education and career have been featured on SheKnows, MSN, AOL, Disney’s Family.com, and in Northern Virginia Magazine.

Getting Into – and Paying for – College

Facebook in the College Admissions Process

How to Ace the College Application

Career Payback: Loan Forgiveness Programs (PDF)

School, Work… and Parenting

Hey Mom, Stand Up for Yourself!

The First Year of College – A Survival Guide for Parents

Fail-Proof Tips for Adults Back to School (PDF)

Work-at-Home Ideas for Stay-at-Home Moms

Must-Have Children’s Books: An Age-by-age Guide (PDF)

High-Tech Education

High-Tech High-Schoolers (PDF)

The Real and Virtual Education Worlds Merge (PDF)

Classroom Bullies Haunt Second Life (PDF)

Choosing a Career

Resume Tips for New Grads (PDF)

Boring Degree, Amazing Job (PDF)

Professionals Shift from Desk to Kitchen (PDF)

Poor Credit Can Wreck Your Life

Elizabeth — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 01:00:48 +0000

The Crucial Three-Digit Number – Your Credit Score

Think your credit score only affects whether or not you get approved for that Ann Taylor Loft or Best Buy credit card? Think again – your credit score can screw with your business dealings, your job prospects, where you live, and even your kid’s education.

Some people think “I love you” are the three most important words in the English language. Believe it or not, there are also three very crucial little digits as well — your credit score. And depending on where your score falls, it can have an enormous impact on not only your life, but your family’s opportunities as well. It’s critical to understand that your credit score can affect everything from your employment prospects to your child’s education.

According to Kurt Houghton, president of Safe Harbor Investment Advisors LLC, which specializes in conservative investments and retirement planning, there are five things you can kiss goodbye if you have a poor credit score.

Featured on AOL’s WalletPop. Read the full article.

Have You Had Your Credit Pimped?

Elizabeth — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 04:46:17 +0000

Pimp Your Credit Score

The three consumers featured in this article were fortunate enough to get their credit “pimped” by financial experts. The pros point out the wise moves, the wonky ones, and give much-needed advice to the folk who are mucking up that three-digit number.

Flaunting your fashion sense means knowing which trends to follow, which trends to avoid, and when to lay down your plastic. Same with flaunting your financial sense. Credit scores play an integral part in securing a mortgage, getting a car loan — even getting hired. So it’s crucial to keep your “look” pulled together and, sometimes, admit that you could use a hand from the pros to pimp your credit score properly.

WalletPop is giving three consumers some tips from financial advisors and credit experts to help them pimp their own credit scores. Because no matter your spending style, doors start opening if you look good … on paper.

Featured on AOL’s WalletPop. Read the full article.

Renting with Bad Credit

Elizabeth — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 01:24:00 +0000

Renting Made Easy

Four things a renter should never do. Five things a renter should do. If you want to love where you live, pay attention.

From bad credit to bankruptcy, if you’re a renter with financial troubles, you’re not alone. According to a recent survey of Rent.com’s property managers, 81 percent have seen a decline in the creditworthiness or credit score of prospective renters. Even so, “given the current economic climate, some property managers are willing to bend the rules and make concessions to keep their units occupied,” says Peggy Abkemeier, president of Rent.com. In fact, the survey shows that 43 percent of landlords have relaxed their credit policy standards to fill vacancies.

When you have good intentions, there are ways to prove yourself a worthy and dependable renter — even if your credit record shows otherwise.

Featured on AOL Real Estate. Read the full article.

Twisting Your ARM

Elizabeth — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 01:12:38 +0000

Know Your Mortgage Options

Rather than giving your arm a little twist, having an adjustable-rate mortgage that resets before you’re prepared for it can feel like a punch in the gut, nose, teeth, and groin. This article explores how to avoid being upside down in your mortgage.

When you purchased your home, it may have seemed like an adjustable-rate mortgage, commonly referred to as an ARM, was your saving grace. It was the one option that enabled someone in your modest financial situation to actually become a homeowner. By enabling you to pay small mortgage payments in the early years of home ownership, that ARM also bought you some time to get to where you wanted to be financially so you could sell your home and move up the real estate ladder.

But the market tanked, your home’s value continues to drop, and suddenly, the day of reckoning has arrived — your ARM is coming due. This wasn’t the paradise scenario you had envisioned for yourself. In this flat-line real estate market, the options for wiggling out of your ARM and into a desirable refinance option are limited. But whether your credit is stellar or terrible, experts say you do have options.

Featured on AOL Real Estate. Read the full article.

Virtual Classroom Bullies

Elizabeth — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:18:27 +0000

Bullies in Cyberspace

Everyone grows up with that one mischief-maker in their class… the kid who gets detention, loses recess privileges, and just can’t seem to stay out of trouble. Unfortunately, some people never grow up, as evidenced by the crazy griefer behavior going on in the virtual classrooms in Second Life.

Every classroom seems to have at least one troublemaker who thrives on causing a scene. The “island” classrooms and campuses of colleges and universities in the 3-D virtual world known as Second Life (SL) are no exception. In SL, they are referred to as “griefers,” and their behavior goes beyond the antics of schoolyard bullies. Griefers can come from within – unruly students in class or on campus-though many of them are just malicious members of the SL community. The disruptive and hostile violence that plagues the real world has found its way into SL and is becoming a challenge for students and educators.

Featured on AOL. Read the full article.

For more background on Second Life, here’s my article about a virtual, 3-D education.