The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, act as legal, financial or credit advice; instead, it is for general informational purposes only. Information on this website may not be current. This website may contain links to other third-party websites. Such links are only for the convenience of the reader, user or browser; we do not recommend or endorse the contents of any third-party sites. Readers of this website should contact their attorney, accountant or credit counselor to obtain advice with respect to their particular situation. No reader, user, or browser of this site should act or not act on the basis of information on this site. Always seek personal legal, financial or credit advice for your relevant jurisdiction. Only your individual attorney or advisor can provide assurances that the information contained herein – and your interpretation of it – is applicable or appropriate to your particular situation. Use of, and access to, this website or any of the links or resources contained within the site do not create an attorney-client or fiduciary relationship between the reader, user, or browser and website owner, authors, contributors, contributing firms, or their respective employers.
Credit.com receives compensation for the financial products and services advertised on this site if our users apply for and sign up for any of them. Compensation is not a factor in the substantive evaluation of any product.
Next year will be here before we know it. Now is a great time to brush up on your financial health to ensure you have a happy and financially healthy new year. Here are some tips to help you get started.
You can obtain a free copy of your credit report every 12 months from each of the three major credit reporting agencies at AnnualCreditReport.com. Consider taking a second look at some financial mistakes you might have made in the past — maybe you missed a couple of payments on your credit card or took out too many credit cards at once, causing multiple hard inquiries.
You might want to write down what you did right and what you did wrong to help you not make those same mistakes in 2017. Since you are checking your credit report, you might also want to take a look at your credit score and think about ways you can boost your score in the new year. (You can view two of your credit scores, updated every 14 days, for free on Credit.com.)
Taking a look at your credit report can also help you check for any irregularities such as fraud or identify theft. It’s a good idea to stay on top of your finances to avoid fraudulent activity.
Missing or unclaimed money could be checks that haven’t been cashed yet, dormant bank accounts, insurance refunds, etc. Now is the time to cash in your unclaimed money and put it toward any leftover debt you have so it doesn’t persist into the new year. If you paid off most of your debt, then consider putting your extra cash toward an emergency fund or savings account.
Paying down or reducing your debt in 2017 can be a great New Year’s resolution to start with. After checking your credit report, you might want to create a plan on how to pay off your debt in a timely manner. If you have a high-interest rate credit card with a high balance, then consider starting with that and going from there. (This credit card payoff calculator can help you come up with a plan.)
Consider taking a look at your bank statements from 2016. You might have been spending more on non-essential items than essential expenses. Go over the items that are most important and considered a need and not a want. If you have any outstanding debt, then you might want to skip over some of those extra indulgences until your debt is wiped clean.
Having a savings account in the new year will help you prepare for unexpected expenses and could even help you reach your financial goals (a new car, saving for a house, vacation, etc.). Take a look at your budget to help you devise a practical plan and consider having a start and end date to reach your savings goal.
Image: Geber86
April 11, 2023
Uncategorized
September 13, 2021
Uncategorized
August 4, 2021
Uncategorized