Question: Dear Steve, I’m 2 years out from Chapter 7 discharge and I have $170,000 in student loan debt (I’m under IBR). I got a new job and I’m now making 3 times my income in rent. My current credit score is just under 700. I’ve been getting offers for Discover It card offers. I’ve …
Question: Dear Steve, When I was 16, my parents split and my mom was laid off about a year later. I gave her about $10,000 I’d saved at my job between the ages of 16-18. At 18, I started college and was expected to pay for it myself. I tried to sell my only asset, …
Question: Dear Steve, Years ago I had a car accident and was out of work and got in trouble with all my creditors. My credit since I got healthy has been excellent but I am haunted by stuff that is 7-12 years old on my credit report My credit report is loaded with old debt …
“Dear Steve, Hi, I have a question about the finer points of manipulating your credit score. I’m a pretty financially savvy guy and I was doing great until the great recession hit right after I had financed an expansion to double the size of my small business. Although I fought hard, it was no longer …
“Dear Steve, I am 22 years old. I have never had any help with my family with any money growing up. I graduated High School in 2009 and started out with a couple credit cards. Bank of America for School books and Best Buy for a laptop. I also had a car payment that my …
For those who prefer to pay with cash and avoid the credit card debt cycle altogether, building a solid credit history and high FICO score can be a challenge – but it doesn’t have to be. Only a small portion of your FICO score is based on having and using revolving credit. The first step …
“Dear Steve, I’m 36 and I got credit cards for the first time at age 27 in 2004. I had pretty low limits, 1,000 or less on the 3. I lost the security of my job and got behind on payments, then eventually stopped paying and everything went to collections in 2007. I’ve managed to …
So you filed bankruptcy. Congratulations on taking steps necessary to deal with your old debt and get the legal protection and fresh start you are entitled to under the law. Your journey isn’t over though. The best days are now ahead of you but you will need to take action to rebuild a better financial …
“Dear Steve, I just finished paying off my credit cards thru credit counseling, bought a house. I then applied for credit card, got denied due to being in credit couseling. How long should I wait to re-apply again? In the mean time, what could i do to erased the credit counseling on my report? Lyna” …
“Dear Steve, I went through a bad health crisis several years ago (2005-2007/2008) at which time I was in and out of hospitals for periods of up to 15-30 days at a time, on disability and struggling to keep all the bills straight and paid, especially all the different Dr. and medical bills that kept …