Credit Report Data Getting More Personal

Credit reporting is a booming business. Agencies now sell data about how much you make, how much you owe, even predicting if you will take your medication. Taking care of what you credit report says about you should be a financial resolution for 2012.

Credit agencies are finding new ways to collect and assemble data on individual consumers. Credit reports can now reveal evictions, applications for payday loans, even if you are behind on your homeowner’s association dues. Agencies analyze and sell this data to lenders, employers, insurers and renters who use these reports to make judgments about you.

Credit agency CoreLogic will soon provide credit files that dig deeper than the three traditional credit bureaus–Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. According to the New York Times, this will include property tax liens, if more is owed on a …

Hillary Clinton Delivers Historic LGBT Rights Speech in Celebration of International Human Rights Day

On December 10, 1948, after a nearly-two year process of drafting, revising, and rewriting, forty-eight nations voted in favor of adopting one of the most important texts to human beings everywhere–the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This text proclaims that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. It is a simple, yet extraordinarily powerful idea, and one that in the past 63 years has led many nations to instill lasting change benefiting the citizens of their collective countries. However, this has not been enough to protect all human beings based on the simple fact that they are human beings. Even in the United States today, countless people are affected by broad injustice, discrimination, and intolerance.

Yesterday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivered a profound speech to a packed auditorium in Geneva …

Another Protest Scheduled Against Big Banks

The outrage toward large banks continues.

Fresh off the heels of consumer protests over monthly debit card fees and “Bank Transfer Day” is a new movement that speaks out against high credit card rates.

December 11 has been deemed “Balance Transfer Day” where consumers are encouraged to switch from high interest credit cards to lower or zero rate cards.

The Balance Transfer Day’s Manifesto statement on Facebook encourages consumers to “demand the same 0% interest rate that banks receive from the federal government” and “create our own bailouts by using a balance transfer as a means to bail ourselves out of credit card debt.”

“Criticizing high interest rates is a fair point, and encouraging cardholders to transfer balances to a card with a lower rate can help save them money in interest payments. This is a good …

Is it Gender or Skills that Make a Good Social Media Marketer?

Ten years ago I started working for my husband providing marketing services for his software business. At the time, we were not married and he lived in another state therefore most of our communication was done over the phone. He didn’t have any background in marketing, and figured since I had taken some college courses related to marketing I could turn his business around.

How I wish social media was then what it is today. We were lucky to at least have Instant Messenger.

According to ComScore 2010 US Digital Year in Review women spend more time social networking than men. Women spent approximately 16.8% on social sites in December of 2010 while men spent only 12%.

Today, social media tools are just as much associated with businesses as well as personal lives. Some researchers …

New Credit Card Rule May Hurt Stay-at-Home Parents

December and January are the biggest months of the year for credit card applications. This is the time that consumers look for cards with better rewards or cards with lower rates to get their finances in shape.

However, new federal regulations that went into effect on October 1 may prevent some people, like stay-at-home parents, from getting their own credit card.

The new rule is part of the CARD Act and says credit card issuers must only consider the applicant’s own salary or other income. Any person that applies for a card must be able to make his or her own payments. Household income or combined income is no longer considered in the approval process. This means a stay-at-home parent who has no outside income will find it very difficult to get approved for a credit …

Using Reward Credit Cards for Holiday Shopping

Throughout 2011, credit card issuers have sweetened reward card offers to attract more consumers. Since most consumers spend so much additional money during the holidays, this is a great time to take advantage of these offers and quickly earn some extra cash or miles.

6 Tips for Using Reward Credit Cards to Maximize Your Holiday Shopping