Fix Your Credit Report TodayI Got Bad Credit Removed! I Raised My Score Over 200 Points!

Say you’re in the market for a new car.  That old ’91 Oldsmobile isn’t quite cutting it like it used to, and it’s time to trade up, so you decide to spend a weekend out cruising the car lots for a new set of wheels (and maybe some sweeter rims to go with it).  Eventually, you find a car with just such a set of rims, and off you go to sign those papers.

Until the dealer turns you down on account of your poor credit history.  Suddenly, you find you’ll need to polish up your credit history before you can polish those rims, so in an attempt at credit repair, you order a copy of your report to try and see what exactly is holding you back.

Here’s what to look for when your credit history arrives.

Fatal error detected

The first thing you’ll want to do upon receipt of your credit report is verify the personal information they have listed for you on record.  Make sure you are who they say you are.  If any of your personal information such as your name or social security number, are incorrect, inform the reporting credit bureaus of the error and request it be fixed immediately.

These kinds of errors on your credit report can account for some of your bad credit history if the name or SS# listed are someone else’s with a bad credit history (conversely, they could be helping your score if that other mystery person with a similar name to yours has a good history, but that’s not usually the case, and you don’t really want to be sharing your credit report with someone else anyway).

Do these look accurate to you?

Next, you’ll want to verify your account history and make sure that information listed there is accurate as well.  Check your payment histories, and make sure they list their statuses correctly – whether or not you’re current on the account and if you’ve ever been late.  If any accounts are reporting incorrectly, get in contact with the agency reporting the wrong information (each credit bureau may report different information on different accounts, so you’ll want to look at all 3 reports when reviewing your credit history), and ask that they have their records updated with the correct info.  Having negative errors cleaned off your report will bring you one step closer to the perfect set of rims, and the car to go with them.

Will the real you please stand up?

Finally, and most importantly, check your credit report for any signs of identity theft, such as accounts that aren’t yours at all or credit inquiries from creditors you never contacted.  If you find anything here that looks suspiciously out of place, include it in your dispute to the credit bureaus and demand they take immediate action to remove the account(s).

Also, if you have a high number of credit inquiries on your report that go back over 2-3 years, ask that they have those cleaned off as well.  Having too many inquiries on your report can drop your score by a few points, depending on how recent they are, and having them removed will only increase your chances of getting a favorable response from creditors and lenders when you go back looking for good deals.

Of course it doesn’t happen every day. Today we had a quick 45 second day! A nice short EET right after the opening bell for a nice profit. We had 2 more winning EET trades just after the first one! Honestly, I could have made a few points this morning, but was quite happy with the point profit. Nothing wrong with taking 1 point per day out of the market. Sure some days are better, much better. Today was no different. That’s the good thing about trading for a living, and at that. You set it the way you want it. Today is a great case-in-point. My daughter is home sick from school today. So

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About 25% of homeowners in the U.S. have a property that is worth less than the mortgage. Read more…

When your home business is your workplace, it becomes even more important to use your personal time to get away from work by engaging in non-work-related activities that help you re-energize.

Here are 5 great options that will refresh and refocus you to tackle another workday.

1. Take Breaks

Taking your mind off work for a few minutes can do wonders for getting your mind back on track. Make sure to schedule time away from your desk to keep yourself from crashing or becoming uninspired. When you find yourself stressing out about all you need to get done, take some time to do something that will occupy your mind in a different way, be it taking a nap, watching TV, going shopping, or having a snack.

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In their ongoing efforts on catching tax cheats, the IRS has prevented $4.4 billion in bogus tax refunds from being given out this year. This represents an increase of 171% from the previous year, according to the report released by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA). The TIGTA reported in 2010 that a total of almost 50,000 prisoners claimed more than $130 million in tax refunds, which largely went unscrutinized.

The TIGTA report also states that, “As of April 30, 2011, the IRS reported that it had selected 199,854 tax returns filed by prisoners for screening. T

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Last week, I told you Step One of my plan for teaching children about credit.

This week, we’ll talk about the next step.

Allow your children to make pre-approved and controlled purchases using the authorized user account you established for them during Step One.

By giving your children access to the physical credit card and allowing them to make purchases, and then insisting they pay their bill at month’s end, you will go a long way toward teaching children about credit.

And if they make mistakes, push their budgets, and cannot pay their bills, even better! Let Read more…

Hugo Dixon of Reuters Breaking Views predicts a European Union (EU) financial disaster is still possible, but a more likely development is one where the EU experiences an extended period of zero or negative growth. Dixon argues there is no silver bullet; the situation has unraveled too much for politicians to save it with fiscal reform, and breaking up the EU would be a disaster in itself. The worst thing that could happen, Dixon says, is for the EU to shift toward protectionism in an effort to stimulate its economy, but he does not expect this to happen.

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