Credit 101

Have you ever wondered what happened when you avoid paying a credit card? Missing a payment is one of the fastest and easiest ways to 'ding' your own credit. Learn what happens and why you always want to stay on top of your payments.

The holidays can be some of the busiest times of the year for many. With all the activity they can bring, it's no small challenge keeping your budget on track and not sinking under a wave of holiday debt. Listen in to catch our tips to stay afloat this season.

Ever wondered if it's possible to keep your identity secure online? Confirm you're doing all you can to keep your identity safe and secure especially when you're on the go! 

Curious to know if getting denied an auto loan hurt your credit score? We explain the real impact and rev up your knowledge in this next episode of Credit 101. 

It's the news nobody wants to hear: your information has made you the victim of another data breach. It seems that they're happening all the time in the news, and when one strikes your information, it might be all too easy to shrug it off. But there are things you should know and consider. Learn what you should ask about In the wake of a data breach.

Break down what makes FICO® Scores different and learn how it might help you.

Being a grad school student might have many perks. Career advancement, access to a free computer lab WiFi might be a couple of them. But can a grad student qualify for tax credits too? It depends. In this next episode of Credit 101, we explain what tax credits grad students might qualify for. 

As your fall semester begins, check back in with your credit card spending to see make sure you're using it on the right things. If it's a card only for emergencies: do Friday night pizza and beer really qualify?

Traveling overseas brings many additional questions to ask yourself as you pack: do you have the right plug converter? Did you download an app to help translate directional signs? Do you know how to handle bad news while traveling? Learning that your wallet has been stolen while traveling is definitely bad news, but a few extra steps in your preparation process can help you respond quickly and limit the damage to the most valuable item in your wallet – your identity.

When summer comes, long days, hammocks, and grilling follow. Don't let all the ways summer fun can unfold also do damage to your budget, though. Listen in for our smart budget tips to help things stay on an even keel through all your summer adventures.

If your credit isn't at its best, can you still qualify for a loan that you need? We'll explain the possibilities in this next episode of Credit 101, here on Credit & Finance Talk With Experian. 

Confirm you're being smart with your information this summer while you travel. Be vigilant about where and how you make transactions and where you sign onto networks while vacationing to keep your information secure.

Data breaches continue to pop up at the least helpful times for consumers learning their information has been exposed. It can be all too easy to shrug it off thinking, "What's the worst that could happen?" Learn a few questions you should ask yourself after learning that your information has made you one of the latest data breach victims.

If you think it might be time to become king or queen of your castle, you should be congratulated! Home ownership is a huge step, and it also happens to be one of the moments where it's most important to be knowledgeable about your credit and well versed in what a range of scores can mean for your mortgage options. As you begin your search process, you'll want to understand where the financial boundaries of your search lay: there's nothing worse than finding the perfect property that's just beyond your grasp. Understanding a few key credit metrics can help you square your own scores up against averages to see how far your funds can take you. The search for new housing can be an exciting time. Make sure you arm yourself with information about your credit early so you know exactly what you can afford before your search begins.

Learning that you've become the victim of an identity thief can be surprisingly devastating information, especially when you've taken steps to secure your information. But, as thieves become more clever as well as more patient each year and also identify new ways to skim your information when it becomes vulnerable, identity fraud impacts progressively more Americans each year. When you discover that your information has gone somewhere you didn't know about, it can be upsetting news that makes it difficult to identify what a next step can be in that moment. Tracing the path reporting identity fraud upon discovery now - proactively- is the best time to learn or remind yourself what to do before the need arises. Just the same way you won't want to have to find a handyman after your dishwasher stops working, knowing who to contact when your identity information is in jeopardy can help offer the same kind of expedited response you need when things just aren't as they should be.

Sometimes, life becomes exceptionally busy for a time. But sometimes the frenzy of a busy period can throw even normal things off course if it is strong enough. If one of those normal things has been your mortgage payment, there may be cause for concern about foreclosure. Foreclosure often has a serious effect on your credit scores. How much of a decline they may see depends on the information in your credit report, but foreclosures are often seen as one of the most serious blows to good credit, since they represent a serious lapse in regular and responsible credit use. Learn more about how foreclosure can impact credit scores.

It's a common credit question: how can I get rid of my bad credit score? It means that things aren't where you want them to be, and you'd like to see a change. Beyond that, it actually becomes another question: is the information in your credit report - the source of data that's considered in a credit scoring calculation - correct or not? More often than not, getting rid of a bad credit score means waiting around for correct negative information to drop off your credit report and no longer be considered in a credit scoring calculation. Curious about how long that might mean for you? Listen in and learn more about what can and can't be done to bring your credit score off life support in this episode of Credit 101.

Tax time bring more than a few thoughts about how to prepare and also brace for the potential outcome: will it be a major refund, or a bill suitable for framing? Regardless of which side of the coin your taxes come out on, when you know how they can work together, you can plan smarter.

Are you just taking an interest in your credit for the first time? Even if  that's not the case, looking over your credit report can raise some questions for you when you aren't regularly interacting with your credit. Information on your credit report is organized into standard sections that help you identify the type of information you're seeing: identification information like your name, or account information like a mortgage loan. Your credit report may have more or less information on it depending on how much credit you're currently using, but all your active credit obligations should appear. When you know what information your credit report presents (and how it displays that information, too), you should be able to quickly scan it to confirm that things appear as they should. That means that should some kind of unexpected activity - potentially fraudulent or unauthorized - appear within your report, you'll be able to spot it quickly and easily. Your credit report doesn't have to remain a mystery, bu

As you embark on the search for a new vehicle, it's likely that you'll be considering some financing to complete your purchase. But if you're concerned about how your credit scores can be impacted by several inquiries while you look for the best financing option, you needn't be. While inquiries are a part of many credit scoring calculations, learn more about why (and how) these kinds of comparison shopping evaluations are seen differently and don't impact your credit scores. Looking for the best financing option isn't something that should harm your credit information - it's a part of your due diligence in exercising sound financial judgment - and we'll explain the differences between these and other kinds of credit checks that you may have seen appear on your credit report when you've sought new credit in the past.