Yesterday I posted about how everyone should have 3-5 open revolving credit accounts.  That isn't always easy to get when you don't have a good credit score.  There is a way to do it though. 

One of the things I recommend you do to get good credit started is a secured credit card.  A secured card works this way, you send the bank a minimum deposit of anywhere from $200 to $300.  The bank then opens a savings account for you and deposits your money into it.  Then you are issued a credit card with a limit matching the amount you deposited.  You will receive statements and pay the bill like a regular card except you are not allowed to touch the money that is in the savings account to pay the bill.  You won't get the money back until you either cancel the card or the account goes unpaid and reaches charge-off status at which point the bank uses that deposit to cover the unpaid bill.

Another way to get credit is through merchant accounts.  These are accounts through which you can only use the credit at the providers store.  Examples would be Macy's, Sears, or Jcpenny's.  Some of these accounts can be just as hard to get as a regular Mastercard of Visa, but the merchant account providers I recomend to my clients are pretty close to guaranteed approval.

:)

Matt

Toll Free: 888-NCFIXER (623-4937)
Toll Free Fax: 888-FAX-4020 (329-4020)
Local: 860-282-6181
330 Roberts Street Suite 402
East Hartford, CT 06108

Probably one of the best things you can do for raising your score is getting more credit.  You want to have 3-5 revolving accounts showing on your credit report.  If you don't have enough I highly recommend opening some new accounts to build your credit.

A very common misconception that people have is that as long as they remove negative information that is reporting that their score will go up. NOT TRUE!  Credit scores are calculated on a number of factors, some of which include credit history, credit usage, and payment history.  Since 15% of your score is based upon how old accounts are it's not always wise to close or remove an account from your report because you will be shortening the amount of time on your report. 

Another tip for the accounts you may already have is keeping your balance under a third.  Thirty percent of your score is based upon your available credit.  If you have a $300 limit but your balance is up to $250 than that starts to deduct from your score.  Anytime you need to qualify for something and raise your score, your balances need to be under 30%.

The last little bit of advice may seem obvious but a lot of people don't put weight on it.  Pay your bills on time! A late payment will show on your credit for 7 years, and the more you have the less likely you are to get new credit since the FICO program bases 35% of your score on your payment history.  This can have the most detrimental effect on your score and is very hard to reverse the effects of.

:)

Matt

Toll Free: 888-NCFIXER (623-4937)
Toll Free Fax: 888-FAX-4020 (329-4020)
Local: 860-282-6181
330 Roberts Street Suite 402
East Hartford, CT 06108

Since there is a lot of negative thoughts out there about credit repair I wanted to take some time to show that credit repair, when done by some one who knows what they are doing, can have a great effect.  I have been doing this for about 16 years now and last year had over a 70% deletion rate for my clients.  Although not everything can be fixed or deleted by credit repair I like to think that I can help almost anyone raise their credit score. 

Here is an example of a deletion letter that my company received on behalf of a client who had a collection account reporting for  Midland Credit Management.

:)

Matt

Toll Free: 888-NCFIXER (623-4937)
Toll Free Fax: 888-FAX-4020 (329-4020)
Local: 860-282-6181
330 Roberts Street Suite 402
East Hartford, CT 06108

If your credit score is below 550 and you are having a hard time getting financed for anything, then you might want to consider credit repair. There are two ways to do credit repair. You can do it yourself, which isn't difficult but can be time consuming and frustrating (especially if you don’t what you’re doing) or you can pay a credit repair agency to do it for you (which can be expensive if you don’t know what to look for).

The first step in any type of credit repair is getting a copy of your credit report. Once a year you can request a free copy of your credit report from the three credit bureaus, TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax. When you have the credit report you need to look carefully at each account.  How credit repair works is, any entries on your credit report that you think are inaccurate need to first be disputed with the three credit bureaus.

Next you must decide to either use a credit repair agency or to do it yourself. Should you have a lot of negative items on your credit report that are not accurate then you might want to consider saving yourself the hassle and hiring a credit repair agency. An average credit repair company charges about $1,000 for its services. This might be worth it if you have a lot of items you need to dispute.   Keep in mind that by law a company cannot charge for a service it has not provided.  This means that you should never pay for credit repair until the company has actually started to repair your credit.

Whether you decide to use a credit repair agency or do it yourself, credit repair can be a smart move. If you're looking to get a loan of any type the lower your credit score the higher your interest rates. By doing credit repair you can lower your interest rates and save a lot of money in the end.

:)

Matt Listro

Toll Free: 888-NCFIXER (623-4937)
Toll Free Fax: 888-FAX-4020 (329-4020)
Local: 860-282-6181
330 Roberts Street Suite 402
East Hartford, CT 06108

I love this time of year. I live in a rather cold area, so you do get the crappy weather, and the occasional cold.

But what I love about this time of year, is the opportunity to reflect, and look forward.

I am a big believer in painting your own future.

Holding a vision in your mind so strongly that *you* take the steps to make it a reality. (Not some mystical force, but you ;)

Today I wanted to share with you a simple way to REBOOT your brain for the new year.

Our minds are much like computers...

We have our conscious which is what we are aware  of right now. Sort of like the app you have running right in front of you.

Our subconscious which is running all these processes in the background, just like a computer
running to many windows in the background.

Then we have our old memories of the past, much like a hard drive.

The problem is just like any computer, even the most efficient will get a little bogged down with too many processes, and a full hard drive.

The only good solution is a quick REBOOT.

So here's how to do it.

We have three periods of time we typically look to in our minds. The past, present, and future.

80% of your time should be spent in the present 15% of your time should be spent in the future and 5% or less in the past.

The past tells us where we have been, what we have learned, but it cannot be changed. So it is best left for reflection on lessons learned, or precious memories. Nothing more. I know this is tough if you've lost a loved one.

Now the next thing we need to look at is the present. This is where the subconscious really can slow us down.

You would be amazed at what your mind is chewing on right now, and you aren't even aware of it.

- A bill you need to pay.
- What gift to get your kids.
- Are you almost out of gas?
- on and on and on...

It is collecting so much data from all our sense, prioritizing all of our problems and pressures, and it's doing all this without you even know it.

In order to full REBOOT our minds we need to go to a quiet place. Get a big yellow legal pad, and begin to do a brain dump.

Get it all out on paper. Every little thing in your head.

Just let it flow.

* Need to schedule a dentist appointment in the new year? Write it down.

* Domains about to expire? Write it down.

Everything you are thinking about or have been thinking about. Write it down.

The goal is to totally and fully purge the system. To allow space for creativity. This leads us to the future.

In order for us to make 2012 the best year ever we need to get crystal clear how we want 2012 to turn out. This is one of the biggest skills you can develop in life.

The ability to paint the future.

I know that sounds crazy, but I believe we all have this ability within us. If we just would use it.

It's really simple. Think back to when you were a kid. When you would imagine you were playing on a spaceship, or maybe you were a princess in a castle waiting for your prince.

But remember how vivid you could see these fantasies play out in your mind. This is the same muscle that will allow you to have great success in life.

Plan to take some time and just day dream of what you want 2012 to look like.

Now don't just imagine big houses and fancy cars, and you hitting the lottery.

Because the vision you create you must be able to play it in reverse to you can see the steps it took to get there. This is the real secret.

So look at where you will be this time next year. Imagine what your business will look like, your relationships, your daily routine.

Now look to middle of 2012, what are you doing to make it happen?

Now look to January 1st of 2012, what are you doing day-by-day to make it happen?

All goals can be reversed engineered into tiny bite sized steps.

If you want to make 100k next year. Break it down into how many customers, how many visitors to my sites, etc. Until you know what you physically need to do each day to make this happen.

Then it becomes really simple.

You soon realize if I just do these 3 to 4 things per day, I know without a shadow of a doubt I will hit my target.

It just takes consistency.

Consistency is what matters more than anything else. In business, fitness, or anything else.

So here is your home work.

1) Be resolved to live less in the past in 2012.

2) Do a complete brain dump. Get all the stuff processing between your ears down on paper. Take the big to do's and put them somewhere you know you will look so you can free your mind from thinking about them.

3) Paint what you want your 2012 to look like. Reverse engineer it so you know on January 1st if you just do these steps it will happen.

Now I'm going to go begin my brain dump... uhg

This is going to take awhile. I have way to many cobwebs between my ears.

Happy Friday,

☺

Matt

Toll Free: 888-NCFIXER (623-4937)
Toll Free Fax: 888-FAX-4020 (329-4020)
Local: 860-282-6181
330 Roberts Street Suite 402
East Hartford, CT 06108

credit repair company

Can you relate to this?

So today could be a really bad day, OR a really great day...

I'm not really sure why I am even writing this, but I wanted to share what I have learned from 15 plus years of credit repair.

1) The legal system is flawed. No big surprise here.

I respect the institution, but a lot of the times the court system causes more harm than good.

2) Never Give Up. Ever.

And when I say "ever" I mean it. Till the last breath of air has been stolen from your lungs, you keep fighting.

You have to have a willingness to go the distance in life and in business.

Broken, beaten, bloody, no matter what. GET BACK UP.

I can tell you it has not been easy, there has been days when it took ever ounce of willpower I have.

But when it comes to your kids, or your loved ones. There is never a moment you should stop fighting for what's best for them.

So today I will be going to fight another credit agency for one of my clients and his family!

And I could leave the battle with joy, or with utter sadness.

But regardless of the outcome. Regardless of the situation.

You always have control over how you deal with those circumstances.

You always have control over the meaning you associate with events in your life.

These events can either define you as a victim, or they can be the reason why to fight another day.

So no matter what you are going through in your personal or professional life. Remember, never give up, and you do have a say in how you choose to move forward from today.

We are not our pasts, and every day is a gift that comes with the opportunity to do better for ourselves, our customers, our friends, and our families.

Keep on fighting my friend,

☺

Matt

Toll Free: 888-NCFIXER (623-4937)
Toll Free Fax: 888-FAX-4020 (329-4020)
Local: 860-282-6181
330 Roberts Street Suite 402
East Hartford, CT 06108

credit repair company

When we think of credit card debt, we often think the student who is swimming in credit card debt after years of paying for meals, books, and other college expenses that loans failed to cover or the middle class family who carries credit card debt while struggling to keep up with bills and other demands. Often overlooked is the demographic that actually accounts for more than 20 percent of all bankruptcy filings – the elderly. Alarmingly, the number of people 55 and over who are either drowning in credit card debt, filing bankruptcy, or suffering from poor credit is growing.

Eileen Soherty, the director of the Colorado Gerontological Society says “[senior’s are using credit] for gasoline, they’re using it for food, they’re using it for prescriptions, they’re using it for copayments.” Doherty also mentioned that in many cases, seniors are using credit cards to help their adult children with expenses.

Aside from the usual problems that come along with credit card debt such as poor credit, those over 55 who are retired often face a special set of problems. Often, without much income, seniors are often forced to keep up with credit card bills on a very fixed income.

While in a recent poll, 40 percent of American had raked up credit card debt and stated that they were not concerned about how they were going to repay it, experts predict that most seniors are actually quite different than their younger American counterparts. Kim McGrigg of Money Management International says she believes many seniors actually are very concerned about their money problem, but are too quiet and proud to discuss their issues. Credit repair experts note that when faced with credit card debt or poor credit, it’s important to seek out expert solutions including consulting with a credit repair specialist.

Doherty of Colorado Gerontological notes that seniors should try to refrain from using plastic to pay for prescriptions and copays in order to avoid debt and bankruptcy. Instead, she recommends seeking out different insurance, a medical insurance supplement, or a charitable organization to help pay for the costs. There are also many credit counseling services that are available to seniors. Seniors should check their local listings for help and remember that they can always contact credit repair specialists when in need.

☺

Matt

Toll Free: 888-NCFIXER (623-4937)
Toll Free Fax: 888-FAX-4020 (329-4020)
Local: 860-282-6181
330 Roberts Street Suite 402
East Hartford, CT 06108

credit repair company

A recent report has just announced that Iowa residents havethe lowest average credit card debt in the United States. This fascinating finding leaves many individuals and families around the nation struggling with credit card debt and bad credit asking “How do they do it?”

According to the report, Chicago-based firm TransUnion conducted its regularly quarterly analysis of trends in the credit card industry. Their findings show that Iowans had average credit card debt of $3,807 in the third quarter, up slightly from $3,792 in the second quarter of 2010 but still the lowest in the nation. Iowa is closely followed by North Dakota and South Dakota who rank second and third in the nation for the lowest average credit card debt per household.

Other interesting findings in the TransUnion third quarter analysis include the fact that Alaskans rank the highest in the nation when it comes to average household credit card debt, with a whopping average per household of $7,159. Hawaii and North Carolina were found to have the second and third highest average household credit card debt by state with averages of $5,716 and $5,640 respectively.

Despite the fact the average American has a few thousand dollars in credit card debt and a mediocre credit score, TransUnion found that more than 8 million consumers stopped actively using bank issued, general purpose credit cards over the past year, a finding that many analysts are taking as a sign of overall more conservative spending habits of consumers as a result of the recent trying economic times.

Ezra Becker, vice president of research and consulting in TransUnions financial services business unit, noted that “The vast majority of the consumers who do not possess or have stopped using credit cards continue to have and use other forms of revolving and installment credit, and of course still need to pay for necessities.”

Credit industry professionals and financial analysts await future quarterly credit card industry trend reports in order to track whether or not consumer behavior, consumer credit, and consumer debt will be changed for the long term as a result of the recession. Currently, Americans in each of the fifty states continue to seek the assistance credit repair specialists to help repair damage done to their credit through debt, default, and other uncontrollable circumstances.

☺

Matt

Toll Free: 888-NCFIXER (623-4937)
Toll Free Fax: 888-FAX-4020 (329-4020)
Local: 860-282-6181
330 Roberts Street Suite 402
East Hartford, CT 06108

credit repair company

Today, having good credit is more important than ever. With lending regulations becoming tighter, it is usual for only those with good credit to be able to obtain home loans, auto loans, credit cards, or any other lines of credit they may be greatly in need of. Only those with excellent credit are able to obtain the most optimal interest rates, saving them money over the life of a loan.

Greatly in need of credit repair, or seeking to prevent the need for credit repair, many Americans are left wonder, “Just what affects my credit?” Since credit is comprised of both a detailed credit report and credit scores, as reported by the three major credit agencies, it is important to know what affects your credit report as well as what could lower a credit score.

Your payment history is the most well known factor that contributes to your credit score. Its also luckily one that can sometimes be controlled by personal responsibility and planning. Paying your bills on time is essential to keep your credit score up. If you think you are going to have a problem making payments on time in the future, don’t simply avoid the issue. Contact your creditor to notify them. While this may not completely remedy the situation, it ensures you are doing all you can to work with them.

Current debt ratio is reflected by how much credit you are using versus how much credit you have. Credit scores will drop if you consistently carry balances that nearly max out your credit limits across cards. Remember to keep as small a balance as possible on cards, and make timely payments to maximize your score.

Remember that your credit history can affect your credit score. It generally helps to have a longer history of doing business with credit card companies. If you have zero balances on lines of credit that you have not used in years, your score could drop.

New credit applications and types of current credit can affect your credit score. Credit scores do account for the previous 12 months worth of inquiries. If you are opening too many accounts at once, this could hurt your credit score. Some experts include that a mix of lines of credit, for instance some credit cards, a student loan, and a mortgage, rather than many similar credit cards, may be better for your credit score.

☺

Matt

Toll Free: 888-NCFIXER (623-4937)
Toll Free Fax: 888-FAX-4020 (329-4020)
Local: 860-282-6181
330 Roberts Street Suite 402
East Hartford, CT 06108

credit repair company