3 easy steps to a better FICO score

By Doc Schmyz

Once upon a time you could walk into a bank and get a loan on a handshake and your honor. This was when you actually dealt with a person and were seen as more than a number on a spread sheet. Now it?s all about your FICO score.

Several credit models can be used for this article, however we are going to focus on the Fair, Isaac Company model. Better known as FICO.

A FICO score is one of the main factors used to determine your interest rate and the amount of a loan you will be offered. A good score makes you a more attractive loan then say someone who has a less then stellar credit history.

Preserving your FICO score, and improving it, is not difficult, but it may take time. Here are some tips to maintain and improve your score, based on three credit situations.

FIRST: Obtain a Credit History

You may not have a credit history for several reasons. Maybe you?re a student, maybe you pay all your bills with cash, maybe you have never needed a loan for anything. All this will have an effect on your history.

A fast and easy way to improve or start a credit history is to get a loan and pay it off on time. "Installment loans" are looked at as more important than credit cards. You will show a stronger score if your installment loans are paid up to date and on time then say a consumer credit card.

A second idea is to take a sum of money, let?s say $1000, and put it in to a 6 month CD at a bank or credit union. Then you in turn go and get an installment loan against the first CD as collateral. The final part of this step is to take your new loan and repeat the process 2 more times at a different bank each time.

Now what you have is 3 loans. Pay the minimum payment for 6 months. In the last month, cash out your CDs and pay the loans off. You now have a credit history, and did not go into long term debt to get it.

SECOND: Keep your credit history clean.

So we now have a good history. How do we get the score higher?

You don?t need to close old accounts. (Unless you?re being charged a fee to keep the account open.) Part of the FICO formula is based on the amount of credit available vs. how much you have used.

Something to think about. The day of the month you pay off your credit card may have a lot to do with your FICO score. Let?s say you have a $2000 credit card. Every month, you charge about $1800 to that card. And, every month you pay it off. But here's what happens - your credit card company reports your credit information monthly to FICO, but they report it on the 10th of the month...and you pay on the 15th. This would cause the credit agency to see you carry forward a balance every month. Try changing the payment times...just is sure NEVER to pay late.

THIRD: Fix your bad credit

For whatever reason, if you have a poor credit history, there are things you can do to improve your score. Some of them take time, and you will probably be best served by talking to a credit counselor to be sure that you not only repair your credit history, but also eliminate what caused that poor credit history in the first place.

The most heavily weighted part of your score is based on your payment history. The first thing to do to start repairing your credit history is to pay your bills on time. The mortgage is the most important, followed by installment loans, and finally credit cards.

The next largest portion of your FICO score is based on how you use credit. The fastest way to improve this is to pay down your credit cards.

At the end of all this, make sure you review your credit report. Get one report from all three credit agencies. Read every page. (I know it reads like stereo instructions in Greek) Look at the entries and call and contact the creditors to have them remove any errors.

A good FICO score is a huge part of your financial life. Keep it healthy. Use these tips and watch your score climb. - 23221

About the Author:

Doc Schmyz has invested all over the US and Mexico. His free website shares Real estate investing information for all over the US. Find Real estate investing information by state

How do Stocks Work?

By Mara Hernandez-Capili

Stocks or shares are defined as a chunk of the company that an institution or an individual buys that makes him a part owner of that company. As a part owner you get to experience company privileges such as voting rights. A shareholder also receives an annual dividend from the companys annual profits. For example you purchase 1,000 shares of MAC Company and the annual profit goes to $7.5 billion with 750,000 shares all-in-all, your annual dividend would be $10 million. That is just how simple the concept of stocks is. The dividend then is defined as the amount the shareholder would be getting from the companys profits in relation to the number of his shares.

Stock Trading is the activity of buying and selling of stocks. It is oftentimes called as stocks exchange. It is entirely difficult and time consuming for a person who wants to sell shares of his company, by running down an ad or spreading the news through word of mouth. That is the reason why there are exchange floors. Exchange floors are venues where sellers and buyers (traders) meet on one roof- well; those are actually brokers that do the job for them.

The New York Stock Exchange is the basically the largest exchange floor in America today. It features the sales that are up for grabs and also its values and worth. We normally see the exchange floor as bursting with chaotic activity. Inside the NYSE is a large screen where the current market value and market situation can be seen. It shows the fluctuations and the rise in the market. Stock traders usually see this as an opportunity to sell their stocks so they could gain higher profits. The NYSE is also a place where the current market value can be seen along with the fluctuations or rises every second or minutes.

Stocks are very good financial instruments depending on the purpose and financial plan the investor has in mind. It does not have a fixed value because of the markets condition. Some investors are into day trading, where they rapidly transact hundreds of stocks per day for the instant profits it brings. It is more of like a gamble and financial experts see the buy and hold strategy as the better way in investing.

These are just some of the basics that one needs to learn about stocks and stock trading. - 23221

About the Author:

Mara Hernandez-Capili is a writer and a researcher on Business and Finance. Learn more on how to increase your financial intelligence by learning about emini trading today. Start earning extra income by making your money work for you through the emini trading system. "Start your journey to financial freedom not tomorrow, not next week, but today."

Diversifying Your Financial Portfolio

By Rick Amorey

Investing and trading, as a form of making your money grow, requires the understanding of many complex things. Should you plan to make it in this venture, you have to learn these things by heart. But if we assume that there is only one advice that I could give to someone who wants to go ahead and invest, it is this: Don't put it all on the same horse. Diversify your portfolio; don't settle for just one investment.

I understand that you have to start somewhere. If you invest in stocks, for example, there is a certain minimum that you have to invest. And that value is just too high for some of us. So many beginning investors really end up putting it all in one stock. But this is still a potentially devastating move. Even the best investor has experienced purchasing stocks and seeing it fall dramatically by breakfast the next day. So if you just have to put your money in only one investment, then make sure that the potential loss is not going to be devastating for you.

One alternative is to join in on a mutual fund account. Basically, mutual fund accounts are controlled by companies that collect investors? money. This collective sum is then used to make investments that can't otherwise be afforded by any of the investors on their own. The company managers take the mantle of brokers that choose the best investments within the interest of their clients. The risk here is that if a manager screws up, then he or she will end up burning other people's money.

If you prefer low-risk investments, you may then opt for a bond investment instead. You lend money to other entities, and they pay you back with interest over a period of time called the maturity. Bonds are a preferred investment because of the relative safety of the transaction. The safer you are with bonds, though, the longer it will take for you to make a desirable profit. You should either invest early, or increase risk via buying and selling before the maturity to get the most out of your bonds.

In the end, my advice remains the same; spread your investments, either spread out within the same type like having multile stocks, or by spreading your portfolio wider and having money on stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. This way, you don't suffer as much if one of those investments blow up in your face. - 23221

About the Author:

Rick Amorey believes that shortcuts to success are a joke, and instead suggests the comprehensive program of Emini Trading. Be an educated trader with the help of Emini Trading System, and secure your future at a consistent pace.

It's Time for Creative Real Estate Investors to Get Rich

By Augie Byllott

Why Real Estate? What do Creative Real Estate Investors have to gain? How about early retirement? How about a shorter work week with more pay? How about loads of money in the bank? Sound good? This is the perfect atmosphere in which to get started.

I'd like to discuss a couple of things with you. Defaults are at an all time high. People are spending way beyond their means and this is not only on their homes, but with credit cards and other forms of debt as well. We have the bank as well as the home owners to thank for that.

The lending practices in the United States have made it easy for anybody in any condition with any financial history to borrow money - in many cases more money than they could afford to pay back. So right now in the housing market, whether it is single-family homes, condos, or multi-family properties, there are more defaults, more foreclosures than ever before.

We are also seeing more bankruptcies, along with more bank repossessions. There are more VA, HUD, FHA, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and other government-insured loans defaulting than ever before in history. Can you say Short Sale?

What all the data is telling us is that there are more properties available at below market prices than ever before. It is telling us that because there are so many people in trouble, it is easier to find Motivated Sellers. It is easier for you to perform profitable transactions!

The old adage about real estate goes you make money when buying and get paid when selling. Maybe money finds its way to your bank account when selling real estate, however, intelligent transaction engineering will afford you many exit strategies. If you buy your properties the wrong way, you may end up with one or NO options. That being said, the primary focus for a real estate investor is cheap properties and seller motivation.

A key thing to point out about investing in real estate is that there are a multitude of people looking to buy homes, assuming you can tell the prospects from the suspects. Because of the financial crisis around the world, many of these would-be buyers are having a tough time getting money from banks. An investor can turn these lemons into lemonade with the right amount of innovation. With the know-how and some ingenuity, an investor can take the place of the bank and take a pretty penny for their time. Are you able to finance the transaction with the sellers money? Whos on your buyers list? Do you include only traditional buyers?

Isnt that wild? If there are a ton of these things on the market at fire-sale prices, whats stopping would-be buyers from stepping in? Honestly, a very large portion of those who are in the market to buy a home have never even heard of these methods. That being said, now that youve heard of these methods, what are you waiting for? - 23221

About the Author:

Before you get started, come check out Augie Byllott's blog where you can learn about items such as how to Buy Homes with Lease Options and become a Real Estate Investor.

Stock Market Education-Learn support and resistance

By FOREXREPORT

The supporting reason to buy that you can't resist. When you are a trader the two basic patterns to all trading is support and resistance. You may hear and read a lot about these strategies. So what do they really mean, and can I make money from this knowledge.

How can you resist it:

In theory resistance means selling is sufficient enough in volume to stop the price of the stock or currency from moving high. Meaning it has hit a ceiling.

Resistance is what is found at the peak of the upward trend. This is when the selling takes over to cause a counter trend. It may also mean that a stock starts to trade within a particular partner. Stocks and currencies can then encounter major problems trying to break through these levels. So make sure that you have tight stop losses or guaranteed stop losses if you current broker doesn't offer them change them, here is who we suggest BEST BROKERor email support@cfdfxreport.com

The supporting argument:

Support is therefore the opposing concept of what resistance is, where there is sufficient volume to stop prices of the stock or currency falling. You'll often see prices bounce from important support levels. This is why you will see a lot of traders looking for the support and resistance so they can trade the breakouts.

How can I can find out where the support and resistance is. Well something very important to consider when you are looking to evaluate where the support or resistance line is how often a share price has been rejected at that line. The more often the trend has been reversed the more powerful the level of support or resistance. It then becomes much harder for that stock to be able to break through these, if the do it can be then a great break out trade.

Markets don't tend to forget too quickly, so these levels come into play quiet a lot. This is why having a great BEST BROKER is very important.

So if you see a support or resistance line occurs straight away after a steep price movement it is likely that this level will be a reliable level of support or resistance. The stock or currency price will simply not have the force to able to break through this level following a sharp upward movement or downward spiral.

Make sure that you are always looking at the volume at the support and resistance lines as this is also very important. For example if they fail to break through these lines on strong volume the stronger these lines become. So they may not break these lines.

Make sure that you learn where the support and resistance lines are as it may just save or make you a lot of money. Sometimes you maybe better off waiting for these to be broken, and they can then be a great spot to put your stop loss.

Happy Trading. - 23221

About the Author:

BEST BROKER if you are looking for when see CFD FX Report, also grab the latest forex reports.