As I round out my fourth year of providing insight and updates, I am sharing information from the Federal Reserve Bank of NY with their report of Household Debt and Credit. Also ideas and suggestions for managing debt. Check out my books on Amazon! Finish Financially Free and First Home: Where to Start and How to Win. questions@creditkristi.com https://www.newyorkfed.org/medialibrary/Interactives/householdcredit/data/pdf/HHDC_2023Q3.pdf?sc_lang=en...
Jan 29, 2024•20 min
Have you ever wondered just how much of an impact interest can have on your payments and cash flow? Listen in as Credit Kristi compares car and house payments due to the difference in available rates due to credit scores. Have any new year goals (we don't do resolutions here, just goals!) for yourself? If not- why not?!!? If so, are the BIG!? They should be! Let's goooooo! Questions@creditkristi.com
Jan 05, 2024•19 min
I am asked more about collections than any other credit topic. The majority of the time is what to do with collections, what happens if I dispute it, what happens if I try to talk with the creditors, and what do I need to know to help in situations with collections. Listen in as your credit coach explains what you need to know, what affects your credit the most when it comes to handling collections, to help position your credit profile as best as possible. Questions@creditkristi.com...
Nov 07, 2023•13 min
D. Saul is a credit expert. He had started off fixing his own problems, then became so well versed solving issues for his friends and family, that he got into credit repair. He shares his wisdom and gems with us in this episode. And connect with him! D.Saul's connection contacts: Fix Your Own Credit For Free!! | Facebook https://creditrepairhacks.page/pages/free D. Saul - YouTube...
Oct 19, 2023•24 min
If you have student loans, you know that they are going back into repayment status. What's unfortunate is many people have moved or have new contact info, so is the new loan servicer even able to track you down to start collecting your payment? Because Navient isn't servicing federally backed loans any longer! Who you paid in the past may not be who you will be paying now (ohhhh, and I just thought about this, what about fraudulent scammers???). Listen in to learn some national statistics and al...
Oct 04, 2023•11 min
Looking for quick way to build a credit profile or improve an existing one? THIS is my #1 tip to quickly bring your score up with being added as an authorized user of an existing, good standing credit card. Your credit coach will share the details on how this can benefit your profile from adding debt utilization, long standing history and adding to your credit mix-quickly!! And without a credit inquiry! Questions@creditkristi.com
Sep 16, 2023•9 min
Are you headed off to college or care about someone who is? Listen in as your credit coach shares about the challenges of starting new credit, warnings about getting tripped up with new debt and bills, and some ways to cautiously begin your credit and money management journey. Questions@creditkristi.com
Aug 28, 2023•14 min
What Does money and marriage have in common!? If you are married, you are already listing the ways! Money management is one of the most important factors in a healthy marriage, and it necessary to work through together. 22% of divorces in the US list money as the predominant cause. Money is intimate, sensitive, and required to discuss in a healthy marriage. Listen in as your Credit Coach drops some knowledge when it comes to money and marriage. Questions@creditkristi.com
Aug 03, 2023•11 min
Brief overview about collections, and how medical and non-medical collections differ. What impact does a collection have on your credit profile? questions@creditkristi.com
Jul 18, 2023•8 min
Have you ever stopped to think about what you believe to be true about money? Likely not, most have not. So we live into what we think we know, but it is actually keeping us stuck, likely broke, and confused about why we can't make our money work more powerfully for us. Listen in as your credit coach breaks down how to question what you believe about money and how to create a new, positive relationship money. questions@creditkristi.com
Jun 22, 2023•25 min
Transunion puts out a report each quarter showing stats and trends.... I know... yawn. But it can be very telling to see what kinds of trends are out there with new credit card accounts, balances, and new personal loans. Friends, it looks a little scary to me. Balances are up almost 15%, new cards are up over 20%, and new personal loans are skyrocketing. We know why- the cost of living is out of control, inflation is for real, incomes are not increasing in sync with what it costs to survive. It'...
Jun 05, 2023•9 min
How can you win a game that you don't know the rules of? Learn how to play the credit reporting bureau's games by knowing some basics. Questions@creditkristi.com
May 16, 2023•9 min
Let's talk about the money beliefs which creates our habits which creates our predicaments! Where we find ourselves with our credit and money situation is often a result of what we believe to be true. But what if, just what if what we believe isn't actually fully true? What if those beliefs were someone else's beliefs and you aren't meant to keep them. Let's talk about it. Questions@creditkristi.com
May 04, 2023•18 min
If you have looked into credit repair, you have likely come across (or even worked with) Lexington Law and CreditRepair.com. I believe Lexington Law is the largest credit repair company in the nation. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has a lawsuit against them and some major changes are unfolding (not to mention large sums of money on the table due to false statements made by Lexington to it's clients. Questions@creditkristi.com
Apr 17, 2023•6 min
Have you applied for a loan or a credit card and were declined? Wonder what to do now? What happens with that information? Who knows about this besides you and the creditor? Is it reported someplace that will come back to haunt you? I remember all of those fears and thoughts when I have been declined before and I know exactly how (crappy) it feels. Listen in to learn what you need to know if you have been declined: some potential reasons why, what to aim for to improve upon your situation, and w...
Mar 08, 2023•12 min•Season 4Ep. 2
Hi friends! It's our anniversary! 3 Years today launched this podcast! And this is the 99th episode- so THANK YOU! for being part of this journey. I hope this information has helped you have a better understanding of credit. Would you please provide a great review if I have helped teach you something new, maybe share what you like (so I do more of it each episode!). Appreciate ya! Debt management plans and debt settlement companies are two VERY different things. Their business model is different...
Feb 22, 2023•11 min•Season 4Ep. 1
In this episode, Credit Kristi interviews Danielle Hill of Upwardli to talk about a solution for immigrants trying to establish a credit profile in the U.S. She is the co-founder of Upwardli, who's purpose is to help credit invisible people establish a credit to build a profile and history that creates credit-worthiness opportunities for only $6 a month! Note: Kristi has not used this product and is not affiliated with Upwardli, but simply providing some information that could be useful to liste...
Feb 15, 2023•15 min
You may have heard me preach and teach about how too high of credit card balances can lower your score, not having long/deep credit or too many inquiries can keep your score low. Of course collections reporting or late payments are negative marks that will lower your score. But what do the bureaus report on your actual credit report for why your score is where it is at (possibly lower than you want it to be)? I am sharing the top 10 reasons listed by the bureaus that I had learned from my Certif...
Feb 07, 2023•9 min
If you carry a credit card balance, there is a good chance that you are experiencing a higher minimum payment or have seen that more of your monthly payment is going towards interest rather than paying down your outstanding balance. This is because the interest rate has gone up. How can this be? Listen in as Credit Kristi shares with you the various ways your APR of your credit card can increase. Questions@creditkristi.com Website mentioned in the show to stop receiving credit card offers: optou...
Jan 24, 2023•9 min
Feeling like your money isn't stretching as far as it used to? Yeah, me too. Listen in as your coach pokes fun at an article she recently read on how to make a little extra money and then Kristi will share some real ideas for reducing your bills and cost of living. You have 2 choices when it comes to managing your funds: Make more money or Spend less money. If you are looking for ideas to cut your spending and reduce your outflow, your credit coach has some suggestions. Listen to the end where y...
Jan 11, 2023•18 min
Do disputes impact your credit profile and scores? You betcha! I have seen where many "credit repair companies" will just go in an dispute everything listed on your credit report. I suppose that is one way to go about it. I don't love that plan. A dispute will temporarily improve your credit score because that "thing" you are disputing is removed from the credit scoring algorithm (that negative mark is temporarily removed) for the first 30 days. If it is found that your dispute is not valid, the...
Dec 27, 2022•9 min
if you have ever experienced identity fraud or know someone who has, you know it's no joke. There are some protective measures you can put into place to help. You can freeze your credit profile with each of the three credit reporting bureaus, you can add a fraud alert and you can also get credit monitoring services placed on your credit. If you are a victim of credit fraud, go to http://www.identitytheft.gov/ and create a report there. Follow their instructions and they have a sample letter you ...
Dec 14, 2022•10 min
Listen in as your credit coach shares 6 tips on how to raise your credit scores. Easy to implement and will have a long lasting positive impact on your credit profile and credit scores. Questions@creditkristi.com
Nov 29, 2022•9 min
Using credit and loans to leverage oneself to do more with what you have is likely the goal. For instance, putting down a required down payment and then financing your home vs. saving $400,000 to pay cash helps you be a homeowner much sooner in life. But what happens when you feel too stretched, over-leveraged and unsure if you can make the payments? That is the reality for tens of millions of Americans, right now. In fact, over 20 million people are several months late on their electric bill, a...
Nov 16, 2022•15 min
If you are working towards a great credit score to obtain financing for a home or intend on ever getting a mortgage, purchase or refinance, listen up! the Federal Housing Finance Agency has just accepted 2 new scoring models- the first change in 20 years!! It is a BIG deal! Listen in to the details. They are saying this could help over 10 million people that currently don't have a credit score due to lack of credit tradelines reporting and how things such as medical debt is reported. Incredible ...
Nov 02, 2022•9 min
If you have credit cards with balances, you may notice that your minimum monthly payment might fluctuate. Because the balance is variable, the payment can be as well. Listen in to learn how the credit card companies calculate your minimum credit scores on higher balances for most bank issued credit cards. Questions@creditkristi.com
Oct 24, 2022•8 min
Many people had purchased a new car in the last year or so, millions more than "usual." What's interesting is the average car price, loan amount and what now stands as the average new car payment and length of the loan term. I bring you this information because I am predicting a wave of repossessions based on the loose standards that the auto financing industry has followed since late 2020. With very little in the way of standards to ensure people can actually afford the monthly car payments, I ...
Sep 30, 2022•7 min
What do you do when you are in a financial bind? 36% of Americans can't cover a $400 emergency with cash. There are somewhere around 21,000 cash advance locations around our communities throughout the US. There is a financial epidemic and it's costing us more than ever to borrow money in a pinch. Listen it to some of the statistics of personal loans, pay day cash advance and car title loans. You see the commercials and stores, now learn what you need to know about them. There is a cure for needi...
Sep 15, 2022•12 min
Our debt as a nation is increasing at rapid speed, which is scary because a financial storm is brewing. In just one month, our nation took on much more debt than anticipated. Yeah, the Fed Reserve tracks what they think those numbers should be. What does this mean for us, the consumers? What is happening with rates and payments? Listen in as Credit Kristi lays some foundation that she will be building on, because soon this IS going to affect you. Questions@creditkristi.com...
Aug 23, 2022•8 min
You are likely hearing a lot in the financial arena about rates going up. But what rate are they talking about? There are various rates that affect different parts of your finances, so listen in as your Credit Coach breaks down the three different interest rates that most affect you: the Fed Funds rate, Prime Index Rate and the 10 Year Treasury Yield. Say what? It's not as boring as you might think- and important to have an overall idea of what each one is. Questions@CreditKristi.com...
Aug 10, 2022•7 min
