FICO scores

9 Ways to Teach Teenagers About Money

While some school systems have added financial literacy to their curricula, many have not, and in the end, responsibility for ensuring your offspring are ready for adult financial life is on your shoulders. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways you can add to your teens' practical knowledge.

Student Loan Crisis Deepens as Debts and Defaults Skyrocket

The student loan crisis may be even worse than it previously appeared: Not only are college students graduating with more debt than ever, but their risk of defaulting on their loans is higher than ever, a new study by FICO Labs reveals.

The Hidden Credit Scores That Could Sink Your Finances

It's not hard to get copies of your credit report: You can even get them free from the major credit-reporting agencies. But each one of us has more than one credit score, and the one you're given may be very different from the ones lenders and other businesses actually use.

Consumer Bureau to Supervise Credit Reporting Agencies

Credit reporting agencies will soon be subject to federal oversight for the first time. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced Monday that it will begin supervising the nation's biggest consumer reporting agencies this fall.

5 Credit Rules Everyone Should Follow

Managing credit correctly requires a certain amount of discipline -- otherwise, it's easy to slip into big money trouble. That's why it's important to have some guidelines. Here are five rules everyone should follow.

Financial Spring Cleaning: 4 Steps to a Fresh Money Start

The return of warmer weather is an cue for many of us to clear out the debris that has gathered over the winter. But it's not just the house and the yard that could benefit. Here's a step-by-step guide to spring cleaning your finances.

7 Small Mistakes That Will Hurt Your Credit Score

Most people understand that a bankruptcy or foreclosure will tank their credit score, but there are plenty of small mistakes you can make that will turn a good score into a mediocre one. Here are seven of the more common errors, plus tips on how to avoid them.

How Mortgage Shopping Can Hurt Your Credit Score

It's a can't-win situation: The very process of shopping around for a low interest rate on a mortgage can adversely impact your credit score and cost you the cheaper loan you're seeking. That's because each time a lender pulls your credit report, it shaves a few points off your score.

How to Cut Your Car Insurance Costs

If you're looking for clues about what impacts your car insurance rates, check in the mirror -- it's mostly about you. And while there are some parts of your personal profile that you can't change, for many of the items that affect your premiums, you're in the drivers seat.

Eight Money Lessons for New College Grads

Members of the Class of 2011, you're about to be tossed head first into the real world, and -- surprise -- you probably need a little more education about how to handle your personal finances. Here's a Cliffs Notes crash course in Money 101.

Banks Demanding Higher Credit Scores for Mortgages

Bank of America and Wells Fargo were among banks that tightened credit standards for mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration in a move that may put a crimp in the U.S. housing recovery by effectively eliminating 6.3 million people from the potential home buying pool.