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If youve checked your credit reports lately for errors, congratulations! Thats a smart first step to improving your credit score, which can make getting approved for home loans and credit cards, along with getting the best interest rates, a lot easier. Errors can be as simple as a misspelled name, wrong phone number or address, or as serious as an account wrongly reported as delinquent. The next step is to fix them. Here are some ways to resolve errors on your credit reports: Write the Credit Bureaus Write a letter to the credit reporting bureau where you found the mistake. Equifax, Experian and TransUnion are the three major credit bureaus, and you can write to them online or by mail. Include your contact information, and explain the error you found and why its wrong. Include supporting documentation, such as a copy of an email verifying the status of an account that has been reported incorrectly. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has sample letters on its website for disputing credit reports. Be sure to keep copies of any letters or documents you send, and if sending anything by mail, use certified mail with a return receipt. Alert Creditors Banks and credit card issuers that provide information about you should also be notified of errors, unless its an identity-related mistake made by the credit bureau"those should be sent directly to the credit bureau. Also known as furnishers, companies that provide information to credit bureaus will often have their address listed on your credit report so you can contact the company directly. Allow 45 Days After reporting errors, allow up to 45 days for them to be fixed. The credit bureau generally has 30 days after receiving your dispute to investigate and verify the information with the furnisher. The credit bureau must report the results back to you within five days of completing its investigation. If you dispute an error with the furnisher, it typically takes 30 days to investigate and they must report their findings to you. If youve submitted incorrect or incomplete information, or have tried to contest the same item multiple times without any new information, then the bureau or furnisher may decide your dispute is frivolous. They must tell you this within five days, along with providing their reasoning. Once this is done, they don’t need to investigate further. You can resubmit a dispute with updated materials if your original dispute was labeled frivolous. Even if the furnisher insists the dispute information is accurate, you can ask the credit bureau to include a statement in your credit file explaining the dispute. Check Back Credit report updates may take a while to appear, depending on when new information is sent and a bureaus update cycle. If you dont see a change in a few months, contact them again to verify that your account information is being reported and updated. Published with permission from RISMedia.
Published with permission from RISMedia.
Insurance is necessary to protect you from financial ruin, but it can be expensive. If you own a home and a vehicle, you might be able to save a substantial amount of money by bundling your policies with one carrier. Many insurance companies offer discounts of 20 percent or more to customers who purchase both auto and homeowners policies. Savings depend on the company and the location. In some circumstances, however, bundling is not the best move. How Bundling Policies Could Save You Money In addition to saving on your monthly premiums, bundling insurance policies could save you money if you needed to file an insurance claim. For example, if an event occurred that damaged both your home and your car, having bundled policies with one company might allow you to file one claim and pay one deductible, rather than filing two separate claims with different companies and paying two deductibles. If your circumstances make you a high risk in the eyes of an insurance company, your coverage could be dropped. For example, if you have a house in an area that is prone to natural disasters or a poor driving record, the company might decide that the potential cost of a claim is too high to justify keeping you as a customer. If the company dropped your coverage, you would have to go elsewhere and might have to pay higher premiums. If you bundled multiple policies with the first company, it would be less likely to drop you because you could decide to purchase all your policies from another company, causing the first company to lose all the premiums you were paying. Reasons Not to Bundle Coverage Sometimes it makes more financial sense to get auto and homeowners insurance from different carriers. If you have a luxury or performance car, a standard auto insurance company would likely charge exorbitant premiums or deny coverage altogether. In that case, you would need to get car insurance from a company that specialized in high-end vehicles, but you could get homeowners insurance from a standard carrier. Bundling insurance policies could save you money now, but it might cost you more later. A company might offer you insurance with less coverage at lower rates, but you could pay a higher deductible, or a policy might not cover certain types of damage, leaving you on the hook for repairs. If you bundled your policies with one company to get a good deal, the carrier could gradually raise your premiums until you wound up paying more than you would have with another company. Shop Around and Compare Costs Insuring your home and car can be expensive, but you may be able to save a significant amount by bundling policies. Compare rates and options with various companies to figure out which carrier and combination of coverages would be best for your unique circumstances. Periodically review your coverage to see if you could get a better deal by switching companies. Published with permission from RISMedia.
Keep your breakable items safe and secure with these smart packing tips. Choose the Right Packing Materials Use dish barrels, a stronger, thicker cardboard created with your kitchen in mind. Utilize plenty of packing paper for the safest travel of delicate glassware. Create a Soft Bed of Paper Create a six inch cushion at the bottom of each box. Don’t be shy with the packing paper. Crumple up the paper to provide a shock-absorbing space. Use Smart Wrapping Methods For glasses, the roll and tuck method is best. For plates"again, don’t be shy with the packing paper"lay out two to three layers of packing paper and wrap bottom to top. Wrap each piece in multiple layers for added protection. Pack by Weight Pack each box with the heaviest and sturdiest items on the bottom. Add extra packing paper in between each layer or item for maximum support. Published with permission from RISMedia.
Published with permission from RISMedia.
Looking to kick the caffeine? While a moderate amount of the buzzy stuff has been shown to have heart benefits, it’s easy to overdo it or find yourself addicted to that morning jolt. If you’re looking to slay your latte habit, consider the following tips. Time it right. Quitting anything you’re addicted to is challenging, and coffee is no exception. Choose a time that will support your withdrawal. The Monday your big work project is due? Not the best time. A long weekend is a great time to begin so that you can distract yourself or, at worst, lay down with that 3 p.m. headache. Find a suitable substitution. If you don’t want to quit cold turkey, you can find a substitution. Some people like to guzzle tea, water, or even decaf coffee as they wean themselves off that fresh brew. A more overlooked substitution is raw cacao. Sold in many grocery stores and available online, cacao nibs pack a caffeine punch that can help wean you slowly off the java juice. Warning: They’re bitter, and some people enjoy them more than others. Warn everyone. Make sure to tell your friends, partner, and close colleagues you’re cutting coffee. This way, they can support you by nixing that afternoon coffee invite, and they’ll understand if you’re a bit groggy or snippy for the first few days. Interested in housing and real estate tips? Feel free to contact me directly. Published with permission from RISMedia.
A damaged roof could deter buyers, causing your house to stay on the market for longer than youd like. What Is the Roofs Current Condition? If the roof appears damaged, have it inspected by a professional. Knowing the cost of repairs can help you decide what to do. Should You Replace the Roof or Sell the House As-Is? If your house needs major work, buyers will be reluctant to make an offer. If your roof has damage, it should be replaced before you sell the house. If you cant afford to replace the roof, you might be able to sell your house, but be ready to accept an offer that’s lower than you would like. Published with permission from RISMedia.
Without some basic life skills, life can be more expensive than it has to be. While some life skills are taught by parents, and others are picked up through first-hand experience, there are plenty of worthwhile life skills that you can learn for free. Here are a few life skills you can learn that dont require a huge monetary investment: Cooking Unless you plan on eating out on a daily basis or having someone cook all your meals for you, you should know your way around the kitchen. Its also a good idea to know a few recipes by heart"and how to cook them. Like many life skills, if youre not comfortable in the kitchen, YouTube is the first place to look for help. Search for kitchen basics and youll find enough videos to keep you busy for weeks. YouTube is the perfect place to learn how to cook a chicken properly and make a good pasta sauce, as well as how to use a kitchen knife without harming yourself. Budgeting Creating and sticking to a budget is one life skill we cant afford to ignore. While there are numerous budgeting apps that can be downloaded to your smartphone, you dont have to go high-tech to jump on the budgeting bandwagon. If you dont currently have a budget in place, taking the time to create one will help you keep track of how much money is going in and out, which will put you in a better position when it comes to staying out of debt. When creating a budget, begin by keeping track of all of your bills and other expenses, such as dining out, and compare them against how much income you have each month. If you have extra money at the end of the month, either pay off debt"or move it to a savings or retirement account. Sewing Knowing how to sew buttons back on a shirt, hem pants and repair minor rips on clothes can save you money throughout your life. Again, YouTube videos can save the day here. While there are many videos dedicated to sewing, begin with one that teaches you how to sew with a needle and thread. Once youve mastered this skill, work your way up to a sewing machine. A second language Learning a second language is beneficial for a number of reasons, as it can help you find a job, speak with strangers and even make travel easier. If learning another language has always been a goal of yours, but youve never found the time, consider adding this life skill to the top of your list. Audiobooks from your local library and online courses, as well as the Duolingo app, all offer free ways to learn a variety of languages. By investing 15 – 30 minutes a day, youll be well on your way to learning a second language. Published with permission from RISMedia.
When it's time to move, you need someone who markets your home, knows how to find the right buyer, negotiate on your behalf, oversee the inspections, handle all necessary paperwork and supervise the closing. We take care of everything you need buy or sell your Scottsdale home, from start to close.
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