Credit scores recently reached a record high and given changes to the industry, they could continue to rise. According to Fair Isaac Corporation (creator of the widely used FICO score), the average score hit 700 during the spring, the highest since at least 2005. As a reminder, FICO scores range from 300 to 850 and borrowers with scores above 750 are generally considered excellent, while scores below 650 are considered poor. The three most important factors that determine your FICO score are: payment history, total debt outstanding, which takes into account how many accounts you have and how close you are to your credit limit and the number of hard credit inquiries made on your behalf from mortgage, auto or student loan companies.
#327 Credit Scores and Identity Theft with John Ulzheimer
We're keeping this blurb here for a while as a reminder that there's a new place for Jill on Money content - YouTube! Seems like a no-brainer, but sometimes it takes a little outside help (h/t to JOM friend, Joe A!) to recognize the obvious. So don't freak out. Going forward, we're going to put all our radio and podcast content on YouTube! It'll be easier for you to navigate and listen to past shows, because everything will be in one place. Just click any of the links below and you'll be able to listen to this week's show as well as anything else you see that might interest you, including all the Better Off podcast content if you haven't been listening. Let us know what you think by emailing us at askjill@jillonmoney.com.
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June 10 Download Hour One Here
In hour one, Freddy from Houston made Jill on Money show history: for the first time, a fellow CFP called me, the Senior CFP Board Ambassador, for advice! Freddy is a great saver, so great that his wife thinks he may be going overboard, robbing them of a little fun during their pre-retirement years. Do I side with Freddy or his wife? You'll have to listen for the answer! But one thing is for sure, no matter how much you think you know or how qualified you are, it never hurts to get a second opinion. Often times a third party will see things that you don't.
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June 10 Download Hour Two Here
In hour two we brought back our old pal and credit score guru John Ulzheimer. The credit score world is a rapidly changing one, and a big change is coming in July with NCAP, the National Consumer Assistance Plan, an initiative launched by the three big consumer credit reporting companies, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. The goal of NCAP is to make credit reports more accurate and make it easier for consumers to correct errors on their reports. Bottom line: NCAP will mean that millions of people will see their credit scores improve. John also described how Vantage Score's new use of trended data could change the credit score business in the years to come.
John also helped demystify the scary topic of hacking. We've all been there...we've all had our credit card compromised at some point. If and when that happens, what steps should you take and what should you do to prevent it from happening again? Will checking your credit report on a regular basis help?
Thanks to everyone who participated this week, especially Mark, the Best Producer/Music Curator in the World. Here's how to contact us:
- Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE
- Send an email: askjill@jillonmoney.com
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