Imagine my surprise when I saw this title on a technology blog.

“How To Get Your Free Credit Score”

My friend, Bob Rankin, had written the article so I knew there wasn’t any funny business going on and I actually learned about a site I’d never heard of.

As you will read about in Bob’s article, most of the “free credit score” offers come with a string attached. That string usually leads to a monthly monitoring service.

In his article, Bob tells us about a website where you can get A free credit score. This site clearly explains that they are “advertiser supported”.

The credit score you will get from this site, is not your actual FICO score.   It is a score that is supposedly similar.

Your FICO score is the score that is used by most creditors.  That is something you will want to get from MYFICO.com if you really want to know that one.

Check out Bob’s article for all the helpful details.

“It’s 2010! Get Off Your Butt and Do Something Quick and Easy to Improve Your Finances!”

This is the title of a posting written by “Darwin” on his blog.

http://www.darwinsfinance.com/2010-saving-tips/

“Rather than write another long post on New Year’s Resolutions, how great my last year was and “yeah! pump it up in 2010″, here are 6 simple steps you can take in under and hour each to dramatically improve your financial situation.  If you haven’t already completed/attempted these, why not make today the day?”

He calls these six items, “QUICK WINS, SIMPLE AND  HIGH IMPACT”

Go do them now!

Do you:

• Have more than two or three credit cards and carry
  a balance on them.
• Pay the minimum or less on your credit cards.
• Juggle other bills in order to pay the minimum
  monthly payments on credit cards.

If so, you might be a “credit card junkie” or so says Jeremy writing at

GenXFinance.com

He offers those signs and more that you might be a credit card junkie and
he reveals common risk factors we all face and how to overcome them.

My favorite:

“Cancel the Catalogs – The more you order from catalogs, the more
your name gets sold to other catalog companies and the more catalogs
you receive. These visual reminders of all the things you could buy (whether you need them or not) is extremely difficult for a credit
junkie to resist.”

He even shows you the best way to do that.

Give it a read if you think you might be addicted!

There is some good news on the credit card front.

New laws take effect on February 22, 2010.

If you are in the mood for some heavy reading you
can learn about those new laws here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit_CARD_Act_of_2009

If you would like the new laws explained in plain English, writer
Sarah Eve has a very nice explanation on her blog:

http://totallyher.com/new-credit-card-laws/

I am most happy to see the end of what is called “universal default”.

What that meant is if you were late on your phone bill or any debt
that showed up on your credit report, your credit card companies
reserved the right to raise your rate.

Very unfair, if you ask me.

Good riddance!

Check out Sarah’s article.

“The Five Lies We Tell Ourselves To Help Us Continue Shopping” is the
title of a new post at:

Fabulously Broke In The City

You don’t have to be broke or live in a big city to relate
to what she has written.

Personally, my favorite lie is “it’s an investment”.

When she speaks of investments, FB is referring to clothes
and shoes. For me it’s more likely information, products
or services that might help my business.

My definition sounds better but I know I’ve made poor expenditures in the name of “investments.”

This post was a good wake-up call for us all.

Visit her blog and add to the list of excuses.

Washington Post columnist Michelle Singletary proposes
an interesting 3 week experiment.

She says “a 21-day financial fast will improve your money management.”

“I’m inviting you to take a 21-day financial fast in which you will buy only necessities.”

“This fast is for you if you’re at your financial wit’s end. This fast is for you if the stress of money is causing pain in your relationship with your spouse, friends or family. It’s for you if you’re worried about your retirement portfolio or saving enough to send your children to college. It’s for you if you’re not sure whether you’ll have enough money to carry you through a long, prosperous retirement. If you have more month than money, this fast is designed just for you.”

“Whatever your financial situation, I challenge you to spend the next 21 days fasting. The path to prosperity begins by breaking the yoke to buy and buy and then buy some more.”

~~

This is an interesting proposition.  I KNOW people who try it will learn
a lot about themselves even if they don’t make it a whole 21 days.