Credit Planning Archives

Answers to Your Top Questions On Your Credit Report and Credit Score – What You Need to Know!

January 16, 2014
David S. Chang

Question: How important is it for consumers to find out their credit score? Your credit score is one of the most important numbers to manage. Please click here for links to each of the credit bureaus and a list of the free credit monitoring sites. Not only is it important for you, it is also important […]

October 14, 2013
David S. Chang

MANDI WOODRUFF Forget for a minute all the complicated math that goes into computing your credit scores. People are sometimes lucky if they even know where to find them. For some reason, the geniuses of credit reporting decided it’d be a good idea to offer the physical report for free once a year and dangle […]

September 25, 2013
David S. Chang

When you are facing debts that seem to get bigger every day, it’s common to feel increasingly isolated, stressed, and unable to regain control of your finances. You might be surprised at just how many people are also dealing with debt; however, it’s become such a taboo subject that we rarely talk about money with […]

August 21, 2013
David S. Chang

The average American household has $15,325 in credit card debt, $147,924 in mortgage debt and $32,041 in student loan debt. How to pay your debt is important (visit artofthinkingsmart.com for more information), but which debt to pay off first is just as important if you are unable to pay off all of them at once. […]

August 8, 2013
David S. Chang

Please click here to visit the original article on working with Debt Collectors. Dear Mr. Chang, I am writing to you in response to your Midweek article for August 7, 2013 titled “Dealing with Debt Collectors.” My goal isn’t to dispute what you have written, which was well done, rather to add some context regarding personal responsibility […]

July 31, 2013
David S. Chang

Your credit score is one of the most important numbers to manage since it determines your credit-worthiness and the likelihood you will pay back a loan. The Fair Isaac Corporation Score (FICO) is the best and most widely used credit score in the U.S. The FICO Score is based on: * 35 percent – Record […]

June 7, 2013
David S. Chang

John Ulzheimer, SmartCredit.com We’ve all heard the warnings…don’t close your old credit cards because your credit scores will go down! That warning is part truth and part myth. And, there are certainly times when you can safely close your credit cards without any negative impact to your credit scores, especially if you’re just tired of […]

February 13, 2013
David S. Chang

Your credit score is one of the most important numbers in your financial life. It plays a huge role in buying a house, a car, getting loans, credit cards and even, in some cases, a job! Your credit score is primarily made up of paying bills on time, credit history, credit mix, recent inquiries and […]

February 6, 2013
David S. Chang

Many financially savvy people understand that how you spend money is more important than how much money you make. Here are some signs that you may be living beyond your means. Being aware of these signs can help you keep your financial goals and protect you in case of emergencies. You don’t have an emergency savings […]