How to Fix Your Credit
by Cortes, Luis; Mueller, Karin PriceFormat: Paperback
Pub. Date: 2006-10-03
Publisher(s): Atria Books
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Summary
You're not alone. About 51 million American households carry credit card debt at an average balance of nearly $12,000. Credit trouble is a problem you can't ignore. No matter how much money you earn or where you live, if you've made mistakes with credit in the past, those mistakes will haunt you -- unless you empower yourself to fix them. And you can.Managing your credit can be a complicated issue, but the Reverend Luis Cortes Jr. provides an easy-to-follow guide to help you handle the process. Any amount of debt, no matter how scary the number, can be paid off with a little planning and a lot of determination. The sooner you begin, the easier your task will be. Let Reverend Cortes help you today before your situation becomes worse tomorrow.
Author Biography
The Reverend Luis Cortés Jr. is the president and CEO of Esperanza USA, the largest Hispanic faith-based community-development corporation in the country. In January 2005, he was featured as one of Time magazine's "25 Most Influential Evangelicals."
Table of Contents
| Introduction | |
| Preface Step | |
| How Lenders See You Your Credit Report | |
| What'S in Your Report Getting | |
| A Free Copy of Your Credit Reports | |
| What Your Credit Report Looks Like | |
| What to do with Your Reports | |
| If You Find a Mistake Your Credit Score | |
| Getting Your Fico Score New Kind of Credit Score | |
| Improving Your Credit Score | |
| Beware of Credit Repair Services Step | |
| Understanding Debt | |
| How Much Debt Do You Have? | |
| How Much Debt Is Too Much? | |
| Understanding How Interest Rates Work Revolving Debt Installment | |
| Debt Good Debt Versus Bad Debt Step | |
| Stop Overspending live on A Cash-Only Basis Evaluate Your Spending Habits Wants Versus Needs Set A Budget Shop Smarter Step | |
| Negotiate With Your Creditors | |
| Why Bankruptcy Isn'T An Option How Bankruptcy Works Chapter 7 Chapter 13 Let'S Make | |
| A Deal Responding to Debt Collectors If You'Re Facing Eviction Step | |
| Pay On Time Set Yourself Up for Success Organize | |
| Your Payments Who'S Helping Whom? Using Credit Cards | |
| Wisely Shopping For | |
| The Best Deals On Credit Cards Step | |
| Pay It Off What To Pay First? | |
| Credit Counseling Services and Debt Consolidation Should I Transfer | |
| My Credit Card Balances? Step | |
| Add Positive Information to Your File Manage | |
| The Credit You Have Apply For | |
| A Secured Credit Card Apply For | |
| A Small Loan The Cosigning Option Patience Is The Key Step | |
| Don'T Get Ripped Off | |
| The Price Explore Your Financing Options | |
| If You Can'T Pay A New Scam Every Day Mortgages and Predatory Lending | |
| Types Of Mortgages Costs and Fees Signs of Predatory Lending | |
| Government Programs Step | |
| Don't Get Ripped Off | |
| Avoid Making The Same Mistakes Again Maintain Self-Control Pay Yourself First: Savings Plans | |
| Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved. |
Excerpts
INTRODUCTION
Credit is a tool that allows us to enjoy something today with the money we will earn tomorrow. It also provides insight into who we are as spiritual beings. Sacred scripture shares many texts that refer to money or finance. Among them we find one of the most often quoted scriptures, "For the love of money is a source of all kinds of evil. Some have been so eager to have it that they have wandered away from the faith and have broken their hearts with many sorrows" (Good News Bible, American Bible Society, 1 Timothy 6:10).
This scripture explains how money can switch from being simply a tool to becoming the focus of one's life. We must understand that credit is available to us for the immediate purchase of a necessary and affordable item. As people of faith, it is important that we understand when it is appropriate to use credit. Too many of us borrow from the future to acquire things that we really don't need in the present. If you are thinking of borrowing from your future, you should ask yourself, Why am I borrowing from my future earnings? Am I borrowing from the future to invest in the present so that my future can be better? Can I save for this instead of using credit? For most of us the decisions we make are either/or decisions. We purchase one thing or another on credit, but too many of those purchases are not investments for the future but purchases that take up our future earnings, plus interest, to serve an unnecessary immediate desire. I am not advocating that we not have a new TV set or a new car, but that we use good judgment. Credit should be used first and foremost to help you, your family, and your community. If we can focus on what is most important -- the development of our spiritual, academic, and intellectual lives -- we are on the way to healthier economic status. So let's learn about credit, and if we need to, let's repair yours.
Copyright © 2006 by Luis Cortés, Jr.
Excerpted from How to Fix Your Credit by Luis Cortes
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
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