Credit, Loans and Debt

Have you ever felt 100% confident about credit? Now you can. Get everything you need to know.

You’ve heard the horror stories. Piles of credit card debt. Killer interest rates. So how do you avoid the same mistakes? This quick-start guide gets you going in the right direction.

Can you really use a personal loan for anything? Just about. Here’s how personal loans work, why they’re often better than credit cards, and the 4 most common uses.

Understanding debt consolidation is important – but it’s what you do after you consolidate that very often determines whether or not it will work for you.

Ever thought about refinancing your car loan or mortgage? Then you’ve probably wondered what will happen to your credit score if you do refinance.

What if you could get a loan that lets you access money only as you need it, instead of receiving (and paying for) a lump sum? That is exactly what a Personal Line of Credit offers you.

Navigating financial hardships is intimidating enough, and trying to understand the various options and terminology only makes asking for help feel scarier. But help for both consumer loans – things like car loans, personal loans, and credit cards – and mortgages is available and lenders are always willing to work with you.

Chances are, you know that your credit score is going to be a critical factor in how lenders will decide whether or not to give you a loan. But, your debt-to-income ratio (DTI) is a number you need to be familiar with, too, especially if you plan on applying for any type of loan or mortgage.

So you need a Personal Loan. Or do you need a Personal Line of Credit (LOC) Aren’t they basically the same thing? Not exactly, and understanding the key differences will be important in determining which is the better option for you. Let's run through three of the biggest differences between Personal Loans and Lines of Credit.

You know your credit is important. You know you have a score, and reports. But the rest is a bit of a mystery, and kind of a scary mystery at that. The good news is understanding credit doesn’t have to be mysterious or intimidating. We’re going to break down the four biggest questions everyone has.

It can happen seemingly overnight. No matter how hard you tried to manage your spending, you’re suddenly faced with credit card debt you can’t pay. You try to pay your cards down, but that taps into the money you’d usually use for groceries and you find yourself using your card, again, to make those purchases. The stress your credit card bills cause is impacting your entire life, and you’re not sure how to make it stop.

A personal loan is a great option when you need to make a larger purchase, but don’t want to rack up high interest rate credit card debt. It can also be used as an effective means of paying off debt. It’s important to understand the ins and outs of personal loans, though, before you start down the application path.