Credit Report and Credit Score Online

Ever wondered how comparable todays credit card offers are? Not all credit cards are created equal, though most have benefits that are at least similar to their competitors. Trying to understand the differences is enough to give anyone a headache. This week, we compare VentureOne Rewards from Capital One and the Chase Freedom Visa.

This credit card offer is being marketed to those with excellent credit ratings and who also want a bit of flexibility with their rewards offers – and this credit card delivers it tenfold. T

Read all post…

Companies offering anonymous reloadable debit cards claim that their product provides you with access to cash without the need to reveal your personal information. However, since every bank and ATM transaction is traceable, there is no such thing as a completely anonymous debit card.

Anonymous cards carrying a Visa, MasterCard or other major credit lending institution logo allow users to purchase items at retailers or online and possibly withdraw cash from an ATM. These cards are commonly sold at grocery or drugstores. However, these cards are not reloadable, making them akin to gift cards rather than debit cards.

The majority of anonymous reloadable debit cards -sometimes called “stored value” cards- work the same as traditional ATM debit cards. The

Read all post…

Credit card agreements are typically something you’d want to read only if you suffered from insomnia. A glance at a few lines of the dense type, printed on filmy paper, is sure to help you drift off.

But buried in all that fine print are important provisions that affect you financially. So the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is proposing a new, simplified form, to help make the agreements more readable and useful to card holders.

The bottom line is that many credit card agreements are confusing and most consumers don’t understand them, said Raj Date, the agencys temporary leader, in prepared remarks announcing the effort on Wednesday.

The prototype is short about 1,000 words, compared with roughly 5,000 for the average industry agreement and it does away with much of the legalese that is too dense for most consumers to digest. “Co

Read all post…

The economy may still be depressed and unemployment at close to nine percent, but you wouldnt know it if you were an online retailer this past Monday. All meaningful metrics in an IBM report showed a huge surge in consumer spending on e-commerce websites on Cyber Monday and an even bigger increase in mobile shopping.

The term Cyber Monday was coined in 2006 by Shop.org, a division of the National Retail Federation, after a study found that 77 percent of e-commerce merchants reported a significant increase in their sales on the Monday after Thanksgiving. A CyberMonday.com website was then launched to help shoppers find deals.

That is the headline news out of IBMs report.

Read all post…

I’m so excited this week is finally here, and it’s not because of the large quantities of turkey and pumpkin pie I’ll be consuming on Thursday. No, this week is the best week of the year because my childhood friends are back.

That’s right—“The Muppets” is premiering this week!

The whole gang will be there, from Kermit and Miss Piggy to Sweetums and Crazy Harry, and you know you can’t wait to spend two glorious hours reminiscing with all of them.

In “The Muppet Movie,” Kermit and the gang drive cross-country to pursue their dreams in Hollywood and pick up a new Muppet or two at each stop. They know how to pi

Read all post…

Any idea how many laws there are designed to protect the American consumer? One? Two? Actually, theres quite a few. Keep reading as we take a look at several of those laws designed to protect you against everything from discrimination to deceitful advertising practices. Knowing your rights is your best first step in ensuring a healthy credit history as you move forward with some of lifes biggest decisions, such as buying a home and choosing a retirement plan.

We often reference this law, partly because its the most recent legislation thats been passed and the first in decades that has sweeping changes in how lenders operate.

Read all post…