Most Americans are by now aware that the USA typically lags behind other industrialized nations when it comes to education in such things as math, science, history, geography, and language. To add insult to injury a new study reveals that American students are also getting failing grades when it comes to financial literacy – or in other words, their understanding of personal finance and how it works.
The Jumpstart Coalition, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing financial education among young people, conducts a biannual survey intended to measure financial knowledge. Their latest information from the 2008 survey indicates that the majority of high school seniors score less than 46 percent – out of a possible grade of 100 percent. Oth
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American, American Students
PayPal, the world’s biggest online payment processing system, recently bought the high-tech mobile credit card payment company Fig Card. The Boston-based Fig Card start-up firm specializes in replacing traditional credit cards with smart phones.
The way the Fig Card application works is that it lets retailers accept credit card payments via a USB device. Once the unit has been plugged into a cash register it is able to scan card transactions by simply using a compatible smart phone. There is no need to use a plug-in Square credit card reader, either, so the Fig Card has the potential to eliminate the need for carrying anything except your smart phone. T
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Card Payment, Card Payment Company, Company, Payment Company
Several actions can negatively affect your credit score: hard inquiries, accounts in collections, tax liens, bankruptcies, and foreclosures are some of the most common. But how do they really affect your credit? For how long will it affect your credit score? What can you do if you think the negative information is inaccurate?
All of these are commonly asked questions over in our Credit Advice center, a community-powered Q&A forum. Credit Karma users are always prepared with great answers, many times straight from their own financial experiences.
Here are some responses to the common questions around hard inquiries and accounts in collections.
Hard Credit Inquiries
Accounts in Collections
Still curious about how negative marks affect your credit?
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Accounts, Inquiries Accounts
This week is Credit Karma Spring Cleaning week! We’ll be blogging all week about spring cleaning tips related to your finances and the rest of your life.
To me, spring cleaning means reevaluating the way you do things and asking yourself how you can “clean up” your habits. It also means finding ways to save money in the process; and I’m always looking for ways to live more frugally.
I’m sharing some of my frugal findings when it comes to spring cleaning habits to work into your everyday routine.
Reevaluate Your Personal Hygiene
Let’s start with something personal: your hygiene. There are w
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Cleaning, Spring Cleaning
Student Loans Get a Compassionate Policy from Wells Fargo
Lots of banks talk about how they really want to look out for their customers, and almost every financial institution uses slick ad campaigns to make them appear more compassionate and caring. But consumers know from experience that what really gets banks emotional is making profits, not matter what. One major bank, however, has decided to put its money – or its customers’ money, to be more specific – where its mouth is.
In a compassionate and significant move, Wells Fargo recently changed its policies and procedures to include student loan forgiveness in the event of a student beneficiarys death or permanent disability. This
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Compassionate Policy, Fargo, Student Loans Get, Wells Fargo
The Advent of Huge Bonus Miles Credit Card Programs
Credit card companies fight tooth and nail to get each other’s loyal customers, and when the competition heats up it is always good for the cardholder. The most dramatic example of this kind of war to win customers in recent history happened this spring, when innovative card company Capital One fired the first shot by matching up to 100,000 points for anyone who moved mile accounts over to the travel rewards card.
That attracted lots of people who had accumulated miles in other programs and did not want to risk losing them by changing credit cards. In addition to that, the card company also offered a bonus award of 10,000 points to anyone who signed up for the card. T
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Card Programs, Credit Card, Credit Card Programs, Programs