Rebuilding Credit After Bankruptcy
Time is Your Credit’s Best Friend
Time is the biggest player in rebuilding your credit after filing for bankruptcy. The further in the past the bankruptcy filing is, the less damage it will cause to your credit score.
To “speed up” the rebuilding process, you will need to have a plan, work hard, and probably accept higher interest rates and fees.
So, unless you’re planning to make a major purchase on credit in the coming three to five years, you may want to consider the long route and just wait it out. Continue reading “Rebuilding Credit After Bankruptcy” »
Free Extreme Couponing Class in Boise
Extreme Couponing The Right Way!
Debt Reduction Services is excited to announce that we are partnering with Sarah Barrand, from www.AThriftyMom.com, to offer free entry to an extreme couponing class that shows you how you can save up to 90% on your grocery bill!
Come learn where to find thrifty deals and how to use coupons to save lots of money by combining coupons with sales ads and product promotions for maximum savings.
Registration is limited to the first 250 responses! Act Now!
Email your name and a guests name to Couponing@DebtReductionServices.org to register for this free class.
You may refer additional guests by emailing them a link to this page so that they may register themselves. Continue reading “Free Extreme Couponing Class in Boise” »
Lowering Your Home Heating Expenses
Reduce Your Home Heating Bill
For those of us that live in cooler climates here are a few ideas that might help you save on your monthly heating bill. You can shave quite a bit off of money off of your bill by doing a few or even all of these relatively easy to implement ideas.
- Lower the thermostat setting
If you currently run your thermostat at 72 degrees try lowering it to 69 degrees. Wear a sweater or an additional layer of clothing for extra comfort while you adapt to the cooler setting. By just making a slight change in the setting you can save several dollars per month on your bill. Continue reading “Lowering Your Home Heating Expenses” »
2011 Holiday Hours of Operation
Happy Holidays!
Where did the year go? Thanksgiving is just a few days away and we wanted to take a moment and remind everyone of our hours of operation around the Holidays this year. We hope everyone has an excellent time and we want you all to know we are thankful that we have the opportunity to help such amazing clients such as yourselves. Continue reading “2011 Holiday Hours of Operation” »
Holiday Spending Tips 2011
It seems to me that each year Black Friday sneaks up sooner than the previous year. You would think that I’d be prepared, after all I’ve written on the subject a few times before. Looking at the calendar this morning it dawned on me, I’d better start my holiday spending plan right away.
Black Friday can present some excellent savings opportunities if you are able to save enough money to make your holiday shopping a ‘cash only’ experience. Otherwise if you rely on credit cards to make your purchases things can add up quickly and when the last purchase is made you could be facing months of payments to get caught back up. Continue reading “Holiday Spending Tips 2011” »
How to Talk to Your Children About Money
Above all other lessons, strive to model healthy money management behaviors in your own finances. Many of us may make a mistake or two along the way regarding our credit, incurring excessive consumer debt, or failing to honor our financial promises. However, the effort of trying will be noticed by your children. Be honest and proactive when discussing money with children. Let them know it’s important to you. Continue reading “How to Talk to Your Children About Money” »
Credit Counseling News: Debit Card Fees Coming Soon
Your bank may be charging you an additional $5.00 per month to use your debit card. Last week news broke that Bank of America is developing a plan that may charge consumers for everyday use of their debit cards. Other banks have been brought into the discussion as potentially charging for debit card use as well.
How do you feel about being charged a fee to continue using your debit card? Continue reading “Credit Counseling News: Debit Card Fees Coming Soon” »
Active Military Receive Free Service
Debt Reduction Services Supports Our Troops
Free Military Credit Counseling
New Program Announcement:
Debt Reduction Services Inc., a nonprofit credit counseling organization, supports America’s Service Men and Women. We sincerely express our gratitude for their efforts and commitment to providing a safer world for all.
As a token of gratitude we would like to offer any active Military member, regardless of Branch or Services rendered our services at no cost. Continue reading “Active Military Receive Free Service” »
FICO Explained
What in the World Is a FICO?
When it comes to credit scores (also generically referred to as a credit rating), most Americans know that they are important and that they can have a major impact on our financial lives. However, very few know what goes into a credit score or just how influential it can be.
First of all, the term, “credit score” does NOT refer to a SINGLE scoring system. In the US, there are over a thousand credit scoring models in existence, created and used by hundreds of creditors and consumer reporting agencies. However, the most common credit scoring model (used in about 80% of all credit-based decisions) was developed by Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO for short). Continue reading “FICO Explained” »
What’s on a Credit Report?
Seriously, how are we, the average Joe or Jane on the street, supposed to build (or rebuild) our credit when no one ever teaches what’s on our credit to begin with? Well, here’s the answer:
• Contact information (no impact on credit score): It simply includes the names, addresses, employers, and, sometimes, marital statuses under which you have applied for credit in the past.
• Credit/Trade Lines: Details on the various lines of credit the consumer has had in the past 7-10 years, including balances, terms and their history of on-time payments. Continue reading “What’s on a Credit Report?” »