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How to Check and Manage Your Credit Score for Free

Last Updated: 4/05/2014 14:17 PST Most people know that a lot is riding on their credit score, from the interest rates you pay on your loans, to your ability to rent an apartment, buy a home or car, and even to find a job. Companies are increasingly using credit scores as an objective measure of not only your credit, but your credibility. But, there’s still a lot of confusion out there about credit scores and what they mean. Some people confuse a credit report with a credit score, when they are two different things. People also incorrectly assume that checking your credit score lowers it—this is partly true. In fact, it’s essential to know what your score is, because it can change at any time, and it impacts so many different areas of your life. Many companies have figured out ways to charge consumers for reporting on their credit scores. You can log into your account as often as you like to quickly and easily track your credit score, credit attributes, and debt from a single source.

Free Credit Scores (Seriously, They’re Really Free) | MintLife Blog | P... In the world of credit reporting and credit scoring the word “free” gets thrown around too liberally, especially when it comes to products and services marketed to consumers via retail websites. “Free” in many cases actually means “conditionally free”, which really means it ain’t free. Last week I wrote about credit related processes that are 100% free but are often included in fee-based subscription services. This week I’m writing about the very limited number of websites where you can actually get a free credit score, with no strings attached. My criteria for this article were simple. The score had to be 100% free with no credit card information exchanged AND the score had to be potentially relevant. I couldn’t go so far as to say the score has to be the same score used by most lenders because that would limit the score option primarily to a FICO score, which isn’t available for free anywhere. My criteria left two websites standing, CreditSesame.com and CreditKarma.com. CreditKarma.com

5 Sources for Free and Legal Images Everyone knows that almost any blog post is better with images. However, getting them can be a difficult matter. With a maze of licensing and fair use issues making it hard to decide what is and is not legal to use, many bloggers don’t wish to use images that they have not taken themselves. But while using your own images is always the best way to go, there are several great sources to help you find and locate images that you can use as part of your blog posts. In fact, there are some very neat tools designed specifically to help you correctly license and use other people’s photography, art and more. The best part of all is that these tools are free. Photo Dropper Photo Dropper is hands down one of my favorite WordPress plugins. Photo Dropper is extremely simple to use. From there, you’ll be able to search for keywords related to your post. Photo Dropper may take some fiddling to get relevant images and you might have to tweak the HTML to get it to fit well in your posts. Zemanta GumGum

The Geek’s Guide to Getting Almost Anything for Free Does it pay to be Internet savvy? Yes. In more ways than many people imagine. Sure, the Internet is a great way to research just about anything you could ever want to know about; and it’s an outstanding communication, marketing, and entertainment tool. Want proof? 1. 2. 3. 4. Does it pay to be a bit of a geek? Matthew Toren is a serial entrepreneur (Co-founded YoungEntrepreneur.com), mentor, investor and award winning Co-Author of Kidpreneurs (Basic Principles of Entrepreneurship for Kids).

How to Watch Movies in the Theater for Free Wise Bread Picks I know this sounds amazing, and there's a kicker — you can see these movies in theaters for free BEFORE they're released to the general public! It sounds too good to be true, but it can be done really easily. For the past year or so, I have been attending movies in theaters before they've been released. I pay nothing to see them, and to top it off, there are often no previews, so 100 minutes actually means 100 minutes. Some movie studios provide free screenings of movies. These are the same movies you can see a few weeks later for $12 a pop. How to See Movies in the Theater for Free It's a very simple process, you just need to know where to look. What to Know Before Attending a Screening There are several things you should keep in mind for these screenings: 1. For most movies, people enter on a first-come, first-served basis. 2. I've never been disappointed by the selection, but when movies are free, it's a little difficult to complain if something's not perfect. 3.

Unlock your password protected PDF files online for FREE! Groceries & Coupons: How I Get It All Free or Cheap : MommyPR.com™ I know you are thinking “Oh shes one of THOSE people”. Nope. I am no extreme couponer, crazy coupon lady, or someone who clears shelves. That’s not me at all. I am somewhere between overly organized and above normal. I only print out what I am allowed. We have a cat. Then I ordered 2 other really great coupons. The other coupon was for $5 off any John Frieda Repair product. Here was my order yesterday: 5 John Frieda Hair Repair Products- $2.99 x5= $14.99 – $25= +$10.056 Schick Hydro Razors- $4 x6= $24 – $24= $02 Bags of Dog food- $7.99 x 2= $15.98- 2 x$4 coupons= $7.98 Total was + $2.07 so I bought a few extra items (milk, cheese). Now where do I get coupons? (I have found its easier to print these in IE rather than Chrome) I also visit a couple blogger sites. Other coupons that you should grab are these: (Only sent at special times of the year) Don’t forget to also check the brand’s website too, example: Arm & Hammer & Febreze. It’s not hard to coupon. Where do you shop? Whew.

24 Quick Actions You Can Do Today That Can Change Your Financial Life Forever Note: This is a post from Adam Baker, founder of Man Vs. Debt. Last week, while I was talking about our new You Vs. We talked about our obsession with the debt-fueled life path and how it’s keeping millions trapped. But talk is cheap. I’m much more interested in action. And this week, I want to do my part to shatter any excuses or justifications you may have. I took the time to provide 24 different options. Sure, there’s little chance all will be viable for your situation. I’m asking for one. Do it. Action #1: Pull Your Credit Report (10-20 minutes) Simple steps: Visit Annual Credit Report – Visit annualcreditreport.com. How this can change your life: When we first pulled Courtney’s credit report, we were saddened to find she was a victim of identity theft. We had better luck with my credit report, however I did discover a $200 collections account I didn’t even know existed! Additional Resource: How to Get Your Free Credit Report Online: A Step-by-step Guide

60 Resources and Job Search Websites We have been covering resources for job hunters for quite sometime now. Since the launch of our blog in January 2009, we have come a long way, thanks to you. With unemployment rate still high it has become a challenge to find a job, however, with due effort and determination your dream job isn’t that far. We have compiled a list of sixty resources which includes resume articles, job interview articles, job search sites, career and job related blogs, LinkIn Groups and twitter accounts you should follow (10 each) . A brief excerpt from the article is included for each link to give you an idea what you will be reading. Articles Related To Resume How To Write a Masterpiece of a Resume : This award-winning guide to resume writing will teach you to write a resume equal to one done by a top-notch professional writer. Articles Related To Job Interviews How To Ace Your job Interview: 88 Surefire Tips and Tricks : So, you’re a recent graduate? Online Job Search Websites Blogs For Job Seekers

5 Websites to Check Before You Shop Online (PriceGrabber) Shopping online has its undisputable benefits: it can save you gas, time and money, not to mention you can do it in your pajamas. The problem is, with so many online retailers to choose from, the whole process can become overwhelming rather than a time-saver. Cutting through the online clutter is easy if you start out your shopping trip with the five websites below. PriceGrabber.com Everyone tells us to comparison shop online, but few offer much in the way of concrete, usable advice. One website that makes comparison shopping much simpler is PriceGrabber.com. Milo.com (Milo) One of the most promising up-and-comers in the online shopping world is Milo.com. Driven by their slogan “Find it Local, Get it Now,” Milo vouches that any product for which it finds a price is available right now from the local retailers it lists. CoolSavings.com (CoolSavings) For consumers who prioritize getting a good deal above all else, it’s tough to top CoolSavings.com. ShopAtHome.com (ShopAtHome)

Tutorials Ponzimonium After Bernard Madoff's $65 billion Ponzi scheme was revealed, many new (smaller-scale) Ponzi schemers became exposed. Ponzimonium ... Quarterly Earnings Report A quarterly filing made by public companies to report their performance. Included in earnings reports are items such as net ... How to find and remove duplicate items in your iTunes library Languages You may sometimes see an item displayed more than once in your iTunes library. To find and remove all items that show up more than once in your library, follow the steps below. Choose View > Show Duplicate Items to show duplicate items (matches are based on the song name and artist). When you are finished removing duplicate items from your library, click Show All Items at the bottom of the iTunes window. Last Modified: Sep 27, 2013 One Moment Please Thanks for your feedback.

Beyond Coupons: Ten Surefire Ways to Save Money Thanks to the TLC show Extreme Couponing, the practice of scouring through one’s local newspaper and clipping coupons is suddenly in vogue. Although achieving the monumental savings depicted on TV takes a great deal of dedicated effort, most of us are aware that using coupons–whether they be grocery store printables or promo codes for online retailers–can be an easy and smart way to save money. But coupons only scratch the surface of money saving opportunities that savvy shoppers can take advantage of to fortify their finances. There are a number of other tactics that can help consumers make the most of their hard-earned money—no scissors required. Here are ten surefire ways to save money: Have a Plan According to the 2010 survey conducted by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, 56% of Americans don’t have a budget. Downsize If after tracking your spending and saving you find too much emphasis on the former, it could be time to put your “living large” lifestyle on a diet. Food.

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