Author: admin

This weekend’s installment of The Weekend Roundup (TWR) includes a little bit of everything. In addition to reading, I figured you could watch some videos as well. I’m using this first edition of TWR to point to some of what I consider must-reading and must-viewing. When friends ask me about credit, I point them to…

I missed this one yesterday. I shouldn’t have. Connie Prater over at CreditCards.com has a story about the impact that the new Fed rules, which are slated to take effect in July 2010, will have on business and corporate cards. The new rules, as the headline makes clear, will not cover business and corporate cards.…

Slate has an interactive map that illustrates rising unemployment across the country. Specifically, the map shows each of the more than 3,100 counties since January 2007. The best way to view this map — initially — is to head straight to the bottom of Slate’s story, where you’ll find a “play button” that’s green. Hit…

If you’re falling behind on your credit-card payments, you could be offered a sweet deal by your card issuer. That’s the takeaway from Brent Hunsberger’s story in the Oregonian over the weekend. Hunsberger spoke to several distressed borrowers who talked about being offered deals that were too good to pass up. Bank of America recently…

These are the kinds of stories that I like to read. Bloomberg’s big-picture story is informative. Card issuers are — seemingly — doing some strange things out there to customers. Rates are soaring, limits are being pulled in, etc. When you read the story I pointed to yesterday (here) and you read this Bloomberg story,…

Phew! Disaster averted. For now. General Motors and Chrysler will be receiving desperately-needed short-term aid. Ford, meanwhile, says that it does not need any aid. General Motors and Chrysler must present a plan by March 31 that shows they are financially viable. If they’re not viable businesses, the government will call the loans due —…

Let’s face it, understanding your credit score — and what creditors think about you — is important. Assuming you buy my first sentence, it’s imperative to find out exactly how Fair Isaac, the creator of the FICO scoring system, constructs its models. It’s also important to learn as much as possible about Fair Isaac’s business…

I think we have it pretty good in the United States. That’s my conclusion after reading a Los Angeles Times story that detailed the Chinese credit card industry. In China they don’t mess around. If a card user intentionally defaults on a debt as little as $3,000, that person could be sent to prison for…

A few days ago I had an interesting conversation with a friend. She knows about my interest in credit. I had not seen her since launching this blog, so I took the opportunity to promote it. What she said next surprised me. Instead of reading my daily blog entry (something that should take no more…

I got this idea from one of my regular readers. The reader was curious about my own portfolio. In particular, I was asked if I had any regrets or if I would have done something different along the way (assuming I could do it all over again). I was also asked to rank order my…