Good credit is an important tool for financial health. Protect yourself from things like fraud, identity theft or bad money habits that could bring it down.
If you’re reading this article, you probably know how important healthy credit is to your financial well-being. Good credit scores, generally in the range of over 700, make you more likely to be approved for loans, but also mean you’ll likely pay less to borrow money. The good news is there are clear steps you can take to improve your credit score , but once you’ve built solid credit it’s important to maintain it as well.
 
 So how do you do it? Here are 6 tips for maintaining a strong credit score:
 


STAY ON TOP OF YOUR BILLS.


The most important factor to determining your credit score is whether you consistently pay your bills on time. This doesn’t change once you’ve built up a good score. When a bill is more than 30 days past due, it will show up on ...

There's all of this talk about refinancing nowadays... why? Well, it's a pretty big deal. Refinancing your mortgage means replacing your existing mortgage with a new one carrying better terms. Refinancing comes with a number of potential benefits, including…
YOU CAN SAVE ON YOUR MONTHLY PAYMENT
 
YOU CAN TAKE CASH OUT OF THE EQUITY TO PAY OFF HIGHER INTEREST DEBT
 
REDUCTION OR POSSIBLE ELIMINATION OF YOUR MONTHLY PRIVATE MORTGAGE INSURANCE (PMI)
Without giving you too much info on PMI, we will stick to the headline: The inverse relationship of property values and loan amounts lead to a decreasing loan-to-value…which ultimately results in a lower or no PMI for a new loan. Our loan experts are happy to walk you through this and keep you up-to-date every step of the way.
CUT YEARS OFF OF YOUR MORTGAGE
Simultaneously, you can maintain the same payment to pay your home off sooner and save in 
interest.
 
DREAMING OF A CHANGE?
With ...

A lien is a legal claim against your property. Being sure there are no liens is necessary because liens can affect your ability to sell the home in the future, and you could end up paying to get rid of the lien when you go to sell. It is normal to feel nervous about the possibility that there could be a lien, so we’d like to help you find out!

To determine if there is a lien on the home you will have to perform a property lien search. This information is public records, so you should be able to find what you are looking for; there are just multiple routes you can take to get there.

 

What are my options?

 

SEARCH THE RECORDS YOURSELF

 Some counties publish the data online, so as long as you have the name of the property owner or the address, you will be able to see the previous information regarding liens on the home.

VISIT THE RECORDER IN PERSON

If you are unsure of how to search for the data on your own, the county recorder, clerk, o ...

It’s disappointing to hear: your application for a loan, whether it’s a credit card, mortgage or auto loan has been denied due to poor credit. The first thing you should know is you’re not alone. Each year, millions of Americans will find themselves in the same situation, and it’s not just access to financing. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, around 47% of organizations use credit as a part of their hiring decision process.  

Credit is an important metric not just for your financial health, but for opportunity overall, but what does it mean to have “good credit”? How do you get it? And if you’re looking to improve your credit, what steps can you take to get there? 

Let’s start from the beginning.  

What’s a credit score? 

When we talk about good or bad “credit” what someone is really trying to assess is the likelihood a loan will b ...

Achieving a big financial goal, whether it’s buying your first car, saving for a down payment or even setting aside money for retirement can seem impossible. The secret? Making a budget and saving money one month at a time. But where do you start? Here are 5 simple steps that can set you on the right path:

Start with monthly income

The first thing you’ll need is your monthly net income, sometimes referred to as “take home pay." This is what you make after things like taxes or retirement contributions. This income could be from full-time and part-time jobs, child support and alimony, retirement income or self-employment. If you are self-employed, remember your income has yet to be taxed. You should work with an accountant to understand how much to set aside for taxes and estimate your net income.

Write down monthly expenses

Start with the big ones and move down the line. Remember to include housing costs, like a mortgage or rent ...