Month: March 2015

700 & Above Is a Good Credit Score

Isn’t it funny that who we are is based on numbers? The same goes when we apply for a loan and if you don’t want any problems, you should at least be 700 and above to have a good credit score.

But what is a credit score? It is an indicator which tells a creditor if you will be able to pay your debt should your loan be approved. Normally, the score is from 340 to 850 and if you don’t score that well, your loan by be disapproved or this will be granted as long as you accept to pay the high interest rate.

This is probably unfair given that you don’t have money already but it is a fact of life. It’s either you agree to their terms or you don’t get the much needed funds.

In the US, many Americans get a good credit score. This happens because they don’t spend beyond their means and pay their bills on time.

But for those who don’t score well, they have to find a way to make ends meet by cutting down on their expenses and paying these debts gradually. A good idea will be to talk to your creditor about the situation so they can come up with a payment plan so this will never appear on their permanent record. That is perhaps the smartest thing to do if you had a good credit score the year before.

If you have many credit cards, you should cancel the others and only keep two. You should keep the one that you have had the longest as this will look good on your credit score.

One mistake some people make especially when their credit history is less than 3 years old is opening a new account even when it is not necessary. You just have to think smart to see if it is worth the risk.

If your credit score is just a few points from 700, look at the document and see if everything stated there is correct. Who knows, you might get lucky and find out that there was an error made. You can call the credit agency to tell them about it and send the supporting documents so an investigation can be done and this matter can be corrected.

To get a copy of your credit score, you can get in touch with one of these credit agencies namely Experian, Equifax or Transunion. Thought the scoring system they use is different from one another, it states the same thing so you know what it is. This changes yearly so get another one year and compare the results versus the year before.

A good credit score of 700 and above can get you low interest rates when you need to apply for a loan. With that money, you can buy a new house or car, pay for college tuition or renovate your home. If you want to get it, then you have to work for it as this number won’t appear out of thin air.

Being the consumer, you must know what your credit score is before you even think of asking for a loan. This will avoid you the embarrassment of being told that there are issues which will never happen if you have a good credit score.

How to Raise Your Credit Score

A credit score is an important part of your financial profile. This is because a credit score will determine whether lending institutions and banks will let you borrow money or not. This is especially important to people who would want to borrow money to put up a business. With a bad credit score, it is not only a business loan that you will have no access too. You can even be rejected when you apply for a car loan, a school loan, a housing loan and even a credit card.

A credit score is the result of your whole credit history. It is determined by the way you handle your debts and credits. Do you pay them early and regularly? Have you had a lot of bad and late payments? Do you have a lot of credit cards and have big debts in all of them.

These will all determine just how high or low your credit score will be and whether you like it or not, these things are being recorded and filed by credit bureaus and credit reference agencies such as Equifax, TRansUnion and Experian. These three agencies are in charge of keeping tabs and recording credit histories of people.

In fact, in the USA, Americans are given a free credit report every year by these three agencies. However, credit scores are not part of it. If people want to know their credit score, they have to purchase the information via the internet through these three agencies’ websites.

If you do have a bad credit score, do not fret because it is not yet the end of the world. Actually, credit scores may be improved if you have the drive to do it. Here are some of the factors that may affect the credit score.

1. pay your bills on time

One of the factors that affect a credit score is the way you pay your bills. People who pay their bills on time are seen as more responsible, trustworthier, better at financial transactions and are more able to handle their money. Thus, they are good candidates for business loans and credit loans.

2. Credit card handling

The way you handle your credit card and your spending habits will also affect your overall score. People who have maxed their credit cards and have not yet paid their bills will most certainly have low credit scores. This is because people who spend more than they should are not good candidates for a loan because they may just waste the money away.

3. Having credit and a good one

People who have had loans in the past have better chances of getting a higher credit score than people who are just new in the game. However, these people should have also exhibited good credit history; otherwise, they will also have low credit score.

4. Applying for new credits

People who have applied for new credits in a period of time will have a lower credit score than someone who have applied just once. This is because, people who have applied in a lot of banks are seen as desperate for financial support and may be a riskier subject than other people.

Also, some banks consider people who have applied in different financial institutions for a loan dubious and suspicious.

Credit Score Ratings

When you apply for a job, the employer will do a background check before hiring you. Banks and other lending institutions do something similar to make sure you can pay for the loan by looking at your credit score ratings.

The credit score rating is used not only in United States but other countries as well. How they call it and the figures they use may be different but it is designed to do the same thing.

How this is computed depends on different factors such as the amount of your outstanding loans, the length of your credit history, the types of credit you have used and any new credit.

Each of these factors has a certain percentage so your credit score rating could be from 350 to 750.

People who have a good credit score rating will be able to apply for a loan at a low interest rate. Those who are in the red will have to pay at a higher interest rate or have to face the fact that their request has been disapproved.

You can get a copy of your credit score rating by asking for a copy from an accredited agency. These are namely Expedia, Equifax or Transunion. If you browse through their website, you can already see it after you fill up the fields on the screen.

But what if I have a poor credit score rating? The good news is that you can change this but you will have to cut down on your expenses so the money saved can be used to pay off your debt.

Sacrifice on your part may mean only going shopping to buy the essentials such as food, clothes and gas.

You will have to forget about buying any luxury items or going to the spa for a while since these are just unnecessary expenses.

If you have more than 2 credit cards, pay them off and then cancel them. A good idea will also be to go around with only one card in your wallet and the other at home that will only be used for emergencies.

People who are in deep financial debt will probably have to sell some valuables to prevent the debt from getting bigger due to interest.

If all else fails, you should get the help of a financial advisor to come up with a plan.

There are also a few companies out there that can help improve your credit score rating to what is known as debt relief or consolidation. This looks good in the short term but it does not make things any better.

When the debts have been paid, this is the only time that you can breathe easy. You can give your credit score rating a boost by applying for a new credit card by getting one offered by supermarkets and groceries since they offer low interest rates to card holders.

By paying debts on time, you will be able to see a significant improvement in the credit score rating this year compared to the year before which just goes to show that with a little sacrifice and work, this problem can be overcome.

As for those with good credit score ratings, keep up the good work because paying for what you purchase and borrow will allow you to do this again in the future without any problems.

Introduction To Forex Trading

If you are just starting out in the stock trading business or if you are already in it, you may have heard the term Forex trading quite a few times, but you probably might not have a clue on what it may actually mean.

Forex or foreign exchange trading is actually the largest and a fast-rising financial industry in stock trading these days. Here is a quick introduction to trading in foreign exchange.

What Is Forex Trading?

The Foreign Exchange market (Forex) is actually the largest financial market in the world. It actually makes a volume of over 2 trillion U.S. dollars a day, and as compared to its counterpart –the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) which usually only trades a volume of 25 billion dollars each day, this industry is so huge that it becomes a profitable playground for many investors including central banks, large banks, multinational companies and even governments.

What is actually traded on the foreign exchange is money. It actually consists of the concurrent buying and selling of currencies, which are traded through brokers and are traded in pairs.

When you are buying currency, it is like you are investing on the economy of a particular country. For example, if you buy U.S. dollars then it is as if you are buying a share of the U.S. economy. Whatever the market thinks about the current health of a country’s economy would directly be reflected on the price of its legal tender and this is how currencies go up or down.

Forex Trading For The Masses

Originally the whole concept of trading in the Foreign Exchange was only intended for huge companies and banks, but not for normal citizens. After all, you could only take part in the trade if you have around ten to fifty million dollars minimum.

However, with the rise of globalization through the Internet, trading is now offered to retail traders. And these days, almost anyone can now invest on the foreign trade. All you really need to join is some small amount of money, a computer and a high-speed Internet connection, and you can sign up for an account with online Forex trading firms.

There is no exact physical office for Foreign Exchange unlike its counterpart in New York. However, the three main centers for this trade are United States, United Kingdom and Japan. These countries handle majority of Forex transactions and trades goes on for 24 hours everyday.

Today, the Foreign Exchange, as the largest market in the world, is fast paced and enormous. And it has become a very lucrative arena for many traders who may have had participated in stock trading and in other markets. Many large institutions and even smaller-based individuals have gone out to play in this market.

Although this particular market gives huge promises, remember that there is still too much at stake. It is estimated that around 70 to 90 percent of the Foreign Exchange market is still speculative. And the parties that trade currencies may not always have a plan to actually take delivery of the said currency, and more are still speculating on movement of money.

If you are interested in investing in this particular arena, take time to be familiar with the game and make sure you get the right educational background. Taking the extra mile will all be worth it, and once you have tasted your success in this arena, you will be ready to take on anything in trading.

Stock Trading – When Should You Sell Stocks?

Among many stock traders, one mistake commonly made is that investors may often exhaust themselves on merely thinking about buying stocks without foreseeing that there may come a time that they may need to let go of such stocks for lucrative reasons. Sometimes, you may realize that selling can really be more practical than holding on to something that may cost you more in the long run. Let us learn why and when you should sell stocks.

When Your Stock Investment Is No Longer Doing Well

One very major reason that you may need to consider selling your investment is when it has gone sour by underperforming in the market. There may come a time when investing on certain stocks may even cost you more than the actual gains that you get in return.

There are times however, when you do not necessarily have to sell within the instant. Make sure that you check possible reasons why your stock has not been doing well, certain factors like the wrong market timing or the occurrence of certain changes within the company may normally cause some decline in stock behavior.

But when you have noticed that your stock has not been meeting your expectations for a consecutive number of trading quarters, and then it may certainly be wiser to just save yourself from a bad investment.

When A Better Opportunity Presents Itself

Another good reason to sell your stock is when there is a better opportunity available in the market. This is a frequent reason for many people to sell stocks and may create a churning in an investor’s portfolio, which may mean that the investor’s account extremely active through frequently purchasing and selling in order to generate profits.

As what has been previously mentioned, once you believe that an investment has truly gone sour and it would be quite difficult to rise above the decline, then the best option for you would certainly be selling and looking for better opportunities available.

When Your Reason For Investing Is No Longer There

Lastly, another of the most common reasons why you should sell your stock is when you have lost your belief in your investment. If you have lost or have already met your reasons for investing, then, it may be normal for you to feel that you should sell your stock.

There may be many reasons for you to invest on stocks and some of these may perhaps be the possibility that you want to gain commissions from a certain company or perhaps you truly believe in a certain company’s product.

However, when the time comes wherein you no longer believe in investing in your stocks or you have lost your reasons to do so, then selling your shares may be the right thing to do.

It is only smart if you are an investor to not only think about purchasing or buying stock shares and to stop at that. There really must be a certain degree of preparation on your part to be willing to sell your investment at some time. After all, if your investment no longer proves to be practical for you to keep, then selling it may be the best move for you.

Remember that for you to be successful in stock trading, you must be prepared with the many highs and lows of the game. Keep in mind these reasons stated above on when you should consider selling your stocks and perhaps, the selling option could be a great route for you to rise above declines.

Tips For Online Stock Trading

Trading stocks online can be a lucrative arena to enter, however, this may also come with great risks. If you are not well equipped with the artillery to get you through the online stocks jungle, then you might end up losing so much than what you have bargained for. Here are a few tips that could help prepare you for online stock trading.

Choose A Smart Trading Style That Works For You

Take time to consider what type of trading you would want to do and what style would best fit your lifestyle. For example, if you are interested in day trading, keep in mind that in order to do well in this particular field, you may need to be in front of the computer and on the telephone for very long hours in a day.

Whatever trading style you may choose, may it be day trading, short-term trading, weekly trading or even monthly trading, consider the nature of these styles and how you can fit them into your way of working.

Find A Good And Legitimate Broker

Another very important thing to remember in online stock trading is to find a good broker. Make sure that you take time to get to know your broker by checking whether the firm is legitimate under the SEC and if it receives good reviews from those with experience in trading.

The type of trading style that you decide to delve into should also greatly determine on which broker would be best for you. If you were engaging in day trading, then it would be best to choose a firm that has very good and accessible technological services. Other styles of trading can manage less sophisticated brokers.

Choose A Very Good Strategy

Because of the fact that stock trading involves so many risks, choosing a very good strategy can be very helpful for you to weather obstacles that will come your way.

Make sure that you choose a trading method that will take advantage of both up and down markets. A strategy that will work in all types of markets will surely be beneficial because you never know when demands for stocks may increase or go down, and surely, you wouldn’t want to end up losing money because you failed to foresee the different trends of the market.

Aside from this, make sure that your strategy involves minimal risks and gives you high rewards. It is always better to prevent and control risks than allow the chances that you may have to face serious dilemmas. Risk management is very vital in order to become successful in online trading.

Know About Stocks

Take time to know which stocks would be wise to place your investments on through extensive research or even through seeking the help of a professional. It is important that you are aware of the type of stocks that you risk your money on, after all, whatever results these may garner in the market will surely affect whether or not you will gain or lose profit.

Also take time to know when it would be best to sell your stocks. Most people just focus on what and when they should buy stock, but often times they forget how important it is to consider when would be the right time to sell. Take in mind the signs and conditions that can give you signals on when it would be best to get out of a bad investment before you lose substantial amounts of money.

These are all very basic, yet very vital things that anyone who wants to engage in the online stock trading business must know. After all, investing on your own knowledge and skills in trading is the most important thing that anyone must consider in order to win in this very risky trading game.

Follow these tips and surely, you can get a significant difference in your performance as an online stock trader.

Credit Score Chart

A credit score chart is what creditors look at to see if you are in good standing or not. This helps them decide whether or not to lend you money that you need to buy a car, a house or pay for tuition.

Because it does not take into account gender, race, religion, martial status or national origin, it is fair. What they use as basis is your behavior over the past few years. They will look into your credit history to see if you have any debts or outstanding loans, lines of credit and how long have you been given credit.

There is a certain percentage on each of them so if you don’t do well in one, there is a chance that you could improve on this in the others.

The one that is used by credit agencies is the FICO score and this information is available to you and to the lender.

The credit score chart is from 300 to 850. Majority of Americans score above 700, which is good and makes it easy for them to get credit and even waive a deposit. A small number don’t do well and they have to work hard to improve it.

Keep in mind that the credit score chart is just numbers. They don’t tell you how to improve your score or maintain it. So, to help you along the way, here are a few things you can do.

First, pay your bills on time. This comes monthly and you are given time to pay for them so make sure to deposit the amount before the due date to avoid paying penalties.

Second, decrease your debt. Surely, apart from your monthly credit card bills and utilities, you have may a few loans. Since you applied for these, it is only right that you live up to your end of the bargain by paying these at the agreed upon date.

Third, if you think having multiple lines of credit is good, think again. Studies have shown that this backfires on the person since they are more at risk of non payment which in the end has a negative effect on your credit score. So, if you don’t need it, don’t even bother and if you do have, get rid of them.

Fourth, review your credit report. If you have paid your bills and loans on time but your score is not that high, check for errors. Most of the time, you may find one or two things there that are not true. If this is the case, call the crediting agency and send them the supporting documents to prove your case.

The standard protocol here is for the crediting agency to conduct an investigation. If your creditor cannot dispute what you have claimed, then they have to change and a revised copy of the credit report will be sent to you for free.

If you want to get a credit score report for free, look at the different agencies that provide this service and compare them. Some will give you a copy for free while others will ask you to pay a certain amount monthly.

You can also find a credit score chart by going online since this is posted which saves you the trouble of looking at different sites.

Understanding Your Credit Score Information

Credit score information allows lenders to gauge a credit applicant if he or she is worth the risk of availing credit. After all, credit institutions are into a business and would want to profit from their investments in terms of lending their money resources. It is just fair that they try to lend it to people who are responsible enough to pay them back later on.

Lenders and credit institutions try to assess each credit application by looking at the applicant’s credit score information. Through it, these institutions will be able to determine if an applicant is worth the risk. The credit score is obtained from information that is based on past credit activities of the applicant as well as other related information. All these can be found on the applicant’s credit report.

A credit score is calculated base don the various information contained in the credit report. Different factors come into play when a credit score is calculated. A designed formula is used by credit reporting agencies to come up with the credit score. The formula takes into account the information from the credit report, both the good and the bad entries to come up with the appropriate score.

In order for this score to be calculated, the credit report must at least have one account for at least six months as well as one that has been updated for the same period. This will ensure that there is enough recent information in the credit report from which to base their calculations.

Payment history accounts for about 35 percent of the credit score. This includes on time payments as well as delinquent one which is considered when calculating the credit score. Public records that find its way into the credit report such as delinquency payments, bankruptcies, lawsuits, etc. may also be considered when computing for your credit score.

The amount of credit that you have availed in the past accounts for about 30 percent of the credit score. Not only is the total amount looked upon but also the amount borrowed from different accounts. The balances on certain accounts may also affect the credit score. Maintaining a small balance for example, will have a positive effect on the credit report and may help keep your credit score up.

The length of your credit history accounts for 15 percent of your credit score. Your oldest account and the average age of your other accounts are taken into consideration when computing for your credit score. Also being considered is the length of time that has passed since you have used certain accounts.

The number of new credits availed account for about 10 percent of your credit score. This includes the length of time that has passed since you have opened a new account. Also considered for this is the number of credit requests that you have made in a one year period. Credit report inquiries from lenders are also taken into account when computing for your credit score.

The types of credit that you have availed accounts for 10 percent of the credit score information that goes into the calculation of the credit reporting agencies. Revolving credit in terms of credit card debts as well as installment credit in terms of personal loans and mortgages are taken into account when calculating for your credit score.

The formulas used are proprietary tools used by the different credit reporting agencies in calculating for your credit score. But more or less, this is how the information in the credit report is used to come up with a viable credit score to assess your credit risk.

Comparing The Two Types Of Investments

There are two major types of investments done in the stock-trading arena these days –short-term investments and long-term investments. If you find yourself overwhelmed and confused in choosing which type would be best, simply take note of the differences between these two varieties and consider the advantages and disadvantages of each to be guided in making the right decisions.

Basically, the major difference between the two investments is the fact that short-term plans are actually designed to show a substantial yield in a short time period. While long-term investments, on the other hand, are designed to last for quite a few years and present a slow yet progressive increase in its yield.

Let us discover more about the differences when it comes to the disadvantages and advantages of each type of investment.

Short-Term Investments

The major advantages of investing for a short-term plan are the potentials for growth at a very fast period of time, ranging from a few weeks to a few months. Although there may be fluctuating trends that could affect the market, short-term loans can still allow you more control over your money and you it is more likely that you can keep a more watchful eye on your investment.

However, this type of investment may be a bit riskier due to the fluctuations present in such a volatile stock market, as mentioned above. As compared to its long-term counterpart, this type of investment may much easily be affected by unpredictable circumstances because it is in a shorter period of time. And so, even if there is a very huge chance that you can make a lot of money in this type of investment, there are also great chances that you can lose a lot.

Long-Term Investments

For long-term investment plans on the other hand, there is a greater ability for this type of investment to gain small and distributed profits over a longer time frame. And because it has a slow-but-steady pace, it becomes more stable and involves fewer risks.

But of course, a disadvantage for the slow growth of your investments may indicate that you cannot expect to earn profit right away especially when you are badly in need of money. In addition, you may also have less control over your money because your investment would not mature right away.

Also take note that because investments may require a lot of fees to be paid as it progresses and due to occurring fluctuations in the market, most long-term investments may experience down time before they can actually climb up and become productive.

In choosing between these two major types of investments, the most important thing you have to consider in order to gauge which plan would become more beneficial to you is to contemplate on your reasons for investing.

If you invested in stocks with the ultimate goal to earn money fast then surely a short-term plan would suit you. But on the other hand, if you want to invest for future and insurance purposes like in cases wherein you want to have money when you grow old, then a long-term plan for investing is best.

Whatever your decision may be, always remember that there are advantages and disadvantage in all kinds of investments. And ultimately, to become successful in your endeavor, you must be willing to take on minimal risks and make smart decisions in order to manage your trades.

Finding The Right Online Stock Broker

The online stock market is a good moneymaking playground to join these days, but often times it may seem all too chaotic and confusing, especially to those who are new to it. With too many options to consider, making decisions in stock trading in this arena can be a challenge, and finding a good online broker to help you make the right choices can just be as difficult.

In choosing an online stock broker, be sure to consider a few of these very important factors that may help you determine whether a broker can truly help you achieve success in trading.

Fees

Take note that all brokers charge fees for commissions, which are the costs to trade by buying and selling stocks. You can be charged with a commission fee twice –first when you buy a stock and second when you sell that same stock.

Aside from the commission fee, you will also be charged with a minimum initial deposit, and this can range from $500 to around $10,000. But if the balance in your account is less than the minimum, then your broker may charge a monthly or quarterly fee that may range from around $10 to $20 or higher per payment

Make sure that in choosing a broker, you should first consider that you could actually afford fees that will be charged to you.

Features

Every online broker has a set of tools and features that will be integrated in your trading account. Some trading accounts may even offer you additional features, but sometimes, these may cost you extra. Find a broker that offers you features that you believe will benefit your trading transactions, as well as your budget.

An application called the streamer, which includes tools for streaming charts, and streaming data should usually be included in your account. This allows you to see behaviors in the stock market, such as the latest real time prices.

There are even streamers that can simply the process by directly allowing you to buy and sell stocks without having to open other websites. Such features can be very helpful in making trades.

Popularity

It also wouldn’t hurt if you choose an online broker that is more popular and known. In this way, you would be able to review their performance in the market through checking out reviews and hearing what other people have to say.

There is a huge chance that when a broker has achieved popularity, that it performs quite well in the market. Aside from this, popularity may also indicate experience in trading. Of course, you would certainly prefer to get help from a trader that has sufficient knowledge and experience in the industry. Through this, you would at least be assured that you are getting good help in making trades.

Remember to first and foremost consider your needs as a trader and whether or not the broker you are eyeing-on will be able to meet these needs. Financial factors, services, knowledge and experience in the online trading market are very vital for you to garner success in this arena.

Choosing a stockbroker for online trading may certainly be difficult and even overwhelming at times. But as long as you take in mind the important factors mentioned above, then you just might be able to find the right broker that can be of valuable help to you.