5 Reasons Why Your Credit Score Went Down

Written by adminOctober 9, 2019
Credit & Debt

A lot of people struggle with their credit score. They try their best to work towards having good credit. Without a good score, life can be difficult. You might face higher monthly payments, big interest tacked on, and so much more. If you have great credit score, you’re trusted a bit more with the credit you use.

That’s why it can be super frustrating when your credit score suddenly drops and you’re unsure why. You didn’t really do anything, right? One day it was higher, then the next you see it dropped. What could be the cause of this? Well, there are a hundred different factors that impact your credit score. Let’s take a look at 5 of them.

1) Identity Theft Impact Credit Score

Identity theft is one of those things that happens without you knowing about it. There’s never any warning that someone has somehow stolen your information. They might open a credit card account and make a bunch of purchases. You won’t really know about it until it’s time to pay for those purchases. When no payment is made, it will hit your credit score. Signing up for credit monitoring is one of the best ways to prevent this from happening.

2) There’s an Error

If you’ve taken out credit and are making payments on it, usually the person you have the loan with will report those payments. A record of on-time payments is wonderful! It shows you can be trusted. Over time, those on-time payments will improve your credit score. Yet, mistakes happen. Something isn’t reported the right way or there’s a typo. It’s even possible that something shows up on your credit that’s not supposed to be there. That’s why it’s important to routinely check your credit score.

3) You Missed a Payment

Sometimes life gets in the way of having a perfect on-time record. You sent the payment in, but it got lost in the mail. Maybe you got your due dates wrong or mixed up. Anything can happen. When it does, you have to be proactive. Having a perfect record of on-time payments is the best way to improve your credit score. If you’ve missed a due date, contact the creditor immediately. Explain what happened and they may cut you some slack.

4) You Used a Lot of Your Available Credit

Let’s say, for example, you have two credit cards. Both cards have a $500 limit. If you max both of them out, then you have zero available credit. That can send your credit score plummeting. When you pay off those cards and the balances are back to maximum, your score will shift back to the good score it was. The best course of action is to not max out your cards every month. That makes it harder to pay back, especially as interest is added on. Make smaller payments every month.

5) The Average Age of Your Credit Score Has Changed

The age of the credit you have plays a factor in determining your score. The older your credit, the better. It shows you’ve been trustworthy for a long period of time. Yet, if you have a bunch of new credit added on, it shifts the average age of your credit to being younger. That will drop your score.

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Biden Wants the “Super-Wealthy” to Pay for His $750 Billion Education Plan

Written by adminOctober 8, 2019
Politics

We’re another day closer to the 2020 election. Joe Biden is borrowing a page out of Bernie Sanders’ playbook. That’s easy to do when he’s at home recovering from a heart attack. Biden chose now as the time to present to the voters his $750 billion education plan called “Education Beyond High School.” This plan would eliminate a tax loophole the wealthy use that caps itemized deductions. He will take that extra money and put it towards education.

Education would include investing money towards improving community colleges, helping workplace training programs, and so much more. By training workers, it gives them a leg-up on finding better work. A lot of jobs require specific training and experience, so Biden hopes to provide that.

Still, we once again hear a Democrat say that the super-rich need to pay their fair share. No more tax loopholes! This particular tax loophole allows the rich to buy/sell a stock or capital asset without paying a tax on it. It allows for more investment in the economy. Biden hopes to remove the loophole so there’s money to go towards his entitlement package.

This was also an idea President Obama had in 2015. He proposed removing the loophole, but decided against it. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Acts went far in helping to double the number of deductions a person can claim. There was a cap placed on certain state and local deductions of $10,000. That hurt states where taxes are much higher.

Helping Americans Find Work through Education

Biden is less of a socialist than most of the candidates running. His ideas are closer to center. He says that workers who don’t go to college suffer the most. Twelve years of general education presents far less opportunities than they used to. Our economy and way of life is becoming more technologically centered. That means jobs in these sectors are growing rapidly.

While they’re growing at a fast pace, there aren’t enough qualified workers to take on this field. Biden hopes his $750 billion investment to help train Americans will go a long way in helping more people find better paying jobs across the spectrum. The cost of getting a college education is in the way as well.

That’s why this program would also make the first two years free for anyone who wants to go to a community college. A two-year degree is much better than having no skills outside of high school. Still, you don’t need a degree, but some type of training or trade education will go a long way in securing one’s future.

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How to Find a Job in a Great Job Market

Written by adminOctober 8, 2019
Real life

We are in the midst of one of the greatest job markets in many decades. Unemployment is at its lowest point since 1969 and it continues to fall. This is great news for anyone who wants a job! If that sounds like you, then you’re in luck. It may be easier to get a job when there’s an abundance of work, but it’s not always an easy process. It will still require you to go out there and do your part.

The process of actually getting hired can be long and brutal. There’s filling out applications, preparing a resume, following up, and more. If you get an interview, you may be required to go to several of them. There are tests and so much more. It can be especially difficult if you already have a busy job. Right now, it’s the perfect time to upgrade. The problem is, time is short and you’d have to take sick days to make it to the interview.

Here are several ways to make the process easier:

1) Know the Right Questions to Ask

During almost every interview, the person getting to know you will ask, “Do you have anything to ask me?” At this point, you can say nothing, or you can wow them. Use this time to the best of your ability to make yourself look good. Prepare great questions you might want to ask before going in. Ask detailed questions about the job, the staff, and be as insightful as possible. Prove to the interviewer that you are genuinely interested in the job!

2) Set Job Boundaries

The worst thing you can do is alert your current job you’re looking too soon. They may simply let you go before you have a new job secured. It is also a no-no to be looking for jobs and taking phone calls while at work. So, set some boundaries. Job hunting can be time consuming and difficult, so set aside a specific time when you’re going to accomplish it all.

3) Starting Your New Job

Once you get it, the first place you should go is your boss. This is true even if you didn’t get along with them. They should know that you’re moving on. You certainly don’t want to burn your bridges and cause problems. It’s customary to give two weeks’ notice, but you certainly don’t have to if you’re needed to start right away. The problem is, what happens if the new job doesn’t work out? If you leave in a good way at the old employer, you might be able to return in the future if needed.

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Dick’s Sporting Goods Destroys $5 Million Worth of Guns

Written by adminOctober 8, 2019
Business

Many millions of Americans own guns for a variety of reasons. They are hunters, providers for their family, and use guns for sport. Many use guns to protect themselves and all that they have. Currently, there’s a battle raging on in the public sector regarding guns. It’s mainly Republicans who want to continue to uphold the Second Amendment. Why should they give up their rights because of a few bad apples?

On the other hand, you have Democrats trying to create change. They believe guns are too accessible and can get into the wrong hands. That’s exactly what happened with Dick’s Sporting Goods. After the Parkland shooting, it was revealed the shooter used one of their shotguns. The outrage was enough for Dick’s CEO Edward Stark to decide to stop selling guns.

Not only did they stop selling guns, they decided to start scrapping the inventory they had. They would rather destroy the guns than allow them to be sold elsewhere. So far, they’ve removed $5 million worth of guns off the market forever. The guns were effectively turned into scrap metal.

“All this about, you know, how we were anti-Second Amendment, you know, ‘we don’t believe in the Constitution,’ and none of that could be further from the truth,” he said in an interview with CBS. “We just didn’t want to sell the assault-style weapons that could inflict that kind of damage.”

Guns and the Second Amendment

Stack says he’s a complete supporter of the Second Amendment. In fact, he even owns many guns himself and is an avid hunter. The company he now owns first started as a fish-and-tackle shop in 1948 and grew into the behemoth it is today. They were selling guns and ammunition well before Stack began his career in 1977.

For Stack, it’s hard to reconcile. He has a love for guns and the outdoors, but 17 people died. The shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018 changed his view completely. His company was now a part of the discussion. Students from this school and many others across the country were now demanding change from anyone associated with guns.

“We had a pit in our stomach,” he told CNN soon after the shooting. “We did everything by the book that we were supposed to do, from a legal standpoint, we followed everything we were supposed to do. And somehow this kid was still able to buy a gun from us.” The gun sold to the shooter was not the AR-15 he used at the school that fateful day. Still, it haunts Stack.

The decision to stop selling guns has cost Dick’s Sporting Goods a quarter of a billion dollars. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t an easy decision to pull and scrap them. Many other national chains are also deciding what to do in light of these types of tragedies. Walmart also is looking at ways to reduce gun and ammo sales through their stores.

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The Average Commute Time for U.S. Workers Hits a New Record

Written by adminOctober 7, 2019
Real life

For many people, the commute back and forth to work is the worst part of life. They often sit in traffic while thousands of others try to do the same. If there’s construction…forget about it! According to a new survey, these commute times are no joke and they keep getting longer! It’s estimated that in a single year, the average person spends 225 hours behind the wheel during their commute.

How long is 225 hours? Just imagine spending nine full days driving. Well, actually, the average person does just that. This report has been released by the U.S. Census Bureau and it’s an eyeopener. A lot of the increasing drive time has to do with more people out on the roadway. Hey, we all wanted a better economy, and this is part of that.

According to the report, 4.3 million workers spend around 90 minutes during each transit. That number is up 10 million from 3.3 million just a decade ago. It proves more people are working. Now we each spend about 20 minutes longer getting to and from work. That adds up to 17 more hours than the year before.

Long Traffic Commutes Bad for the Health

We already spend enough time at work and away from our families. Having a longer commute doesn’t do well in getting us to a better state of mind. It also makes them less physically active. And when you’ve just had a crazy day and a long commute, you’re more likely to not eat well. In fact, fast food is on the rise. More people are stopping to grab a quick meal on the way to and from work.

Being less active, combined with added stress and unhealthy eating isn’t a good thing. It’s not just our diets that are suffering. It’s also our wallets. A study from Texas A&M found that we’re also paying an additional $166 billion per year. Sitting in that much more traffic has a cost in wasted/lost time and increase costs.  

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Uber Now Has Helicopter Service

Written by adminOctober 7, 2019
Travel

Uber’s goal from the beginning has been to help people get from one place to another. They’ve already worked on improving driver experience, and offered scooters and bikes. Now, if you have the money to spend, you can get from Point A to Point B in an Uber helicopter. Currently, this option is only being offered in New York City, a place that could benefit from such a service more than the average consumer. Yet, there are plans to expand across the country really soon.

One person who tried the service said it was more of the experience of flying than actually being convenient. Still, the patron said it took 15 minutes longer to get to JFK airport than if she would’ve just taken an Uber. It was also three times more money. The reviewer did state the ride happened during a time when the streets weren’t so busy. That means if you had a flight to get to during rush hour, the helicopter would probably be the best option.

Uber isn’t just looking to expand this new service in the city. They even want to see how it will fare from getting between one suburb to another. That’s right, if you have a long commute across town, you will soon be able to take an Uber-copter. They want to make it more of an option for the high rollers and customers with money to spend.

So far, the cost of the ride through New York costs around $205. This price will vary depending on where you want to go. The reviewer stated the entire trip took about 55 minutes. That number includes the 19 minutes she spent in an Uber X car getting to and from the heliport. She found the experience to be just as much of a headache as driving and it didn’t even save her time. It wasn’t worth the $205 she spent.

Uber Trying to Turn Things Around

It hasn’t been a good few years for the ride-sharing company. They’ve experienced a record loss of profits and had to layoff drivers. That comes amid much scrutiny over Uber’s lack of security of drivers and passengers alike. Stock prices have dropped tremendously as well. That’s why Uber has been trying to update its methods and launch new products.

They’ve already extended the delivery scope by also adding food delivery to compete with DoorDash. They also launched a fleet of new cars, scooters, and bikes to give more variety. Still, Uber hopes that helicopter rides will be the first of many new flying adventures for the company. They want to one day replace the helicopters with flying cars without a driver.

“You can imagine Uber Copter is

[as]

kind of being the first version of that future product — that is fundamentally what we think of as multimodal,” Eric Allison, head of Uber Elevate, said at the TWA Hotel. “Copter is not just about the air ride, but the overall journey. [We] can weave together our network of cars on the ground with the air vehicles; and in this case, the helicopter, so you can seamlessly transition from a car to the helicopter to a car to get you to the final destination. It’s completely sequenced and figured out by our technology behind the scenes.”

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Despite Warnings of Violence, “Joker” Breaks Box Office Records

Written by adminOctober 7, 2019
Entertainment

Movies often full of violence rarely get the same treatment that “Joke” has been getting lately. There were even reports that people felt so uncomfortable that they left early. It’s probably the result of the mass-shooting culture we currently live in. It was a previous depiction of the iconic Joker character, played by Health Ledger, that inspired the Aurora theater shootings. Can you blame anyone for thinking the same might happen here?

The violence in the film is seen as controversial and many people straight up warned others not to see it. Despite those warnings, “Joker” broke box-office records during its opening weekend. This movie was more of an origins-type set in a different world. Played by Joaquin Phoenix, known for his unsettling roles anyway, “Joker” appears to have set the bar high. It made $93.5 million in the U.S. alone. Worldwide it has grossed $234 million.

This is the highest grossing film in the history of October releases. It beat out last year’s “Venom,” released by Sony. Fans have been waiting a long time to see this particular rendition. Fans have loved the iconic character for a long time, even before Jack Nicholson donned the makeup. Still, the Health Ledger version is extra special.

Not only was it a one-of-a-kind performance, his death after filming made it more important for fans. Jared Leto was the next Joker in a very forgettable “Suicide Squad” film that gave us very little of the character we hoped it would. When Warner Bros. and DC announced this film would be made, it excited the fan base. The problem was the crazy violence in the film that has put many on edge.

“Joker” Warnings Reached the Federal Level

How bad is the violence in the movie? It depends on who you ask. Certainly, there have been very violent films that never had federal government agencies warn about its content. Yes, that happened with “Joker.” Both the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI put out a warning to law enforcement before the opening on Thursday.

They didn’t warn local officials indiscriminately, though. There were a number of threats that were found outline, many even saying they will shoot up theater if the movie releases. Warner Bros. put out a statement as a result of the threat and warning by law enforcement:

“Warner Bros. believes that one of the functions of storytelling is to provoke difficult conversations around complex issues,” a statement from the studio said last month. “It is not the intention of the film, the filmmakers or the studio to hold this character up as a hero.” Still, as is our way, the warning only drove up the intensity of fans eager to see the film, even to the point of breaking a record.

“I think the controversy helped it this weekend,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “It became a cultural phenomenon. All the talk around the film made it a must-see event.”

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Should You Hire a Workers’ Comp Attorney?

Written by adminOctober 4, 2019
Insurance

Filing for workers’ comp benefits can be a difficult task. The laws in most states make it tough on purpose. If you’ve been injured, you should know going in automatically that the pendulum is not swinging in your favor. Most likely it will side with your employer.

Many states are more business-friendly. That means that the laws often side with the business and not the employee. If you get injured, you have a lot of work ahead to win a case. You’ll need to hire a great attorney who knows the laws. They can represent you in a way that gives you the advantage over the employer.

Here are three reasons why you should hire a workmans’ comp  attorney:

Reason #1: You Don’t Pick the Doctor, the Insurance Company Does

One way in which your employer has the upper hand is that the insurance company picks the doctor that you see, not you. You can have a doctor telling you A, but if they are doctor disagrees, then you’re out of luck. Your diagnosis is important to the process as it will determine if you qualify.

The doctors in most cases side with the employer. Their only goal is to get you back to work so that the employer doesn’t have to pay for benefits. They’ve been known to cover up underlying issues for the sole purpose of dampening your diagnosis. They want to  get you back to work much quicker. When the entire process is skewed in their favor from the beginning, that’s a reason to hire a lawyer to take care of it for you.

Reason #2: Workers’ Comp Makes It Tougher on Attorneys

Imagine being in employer-friendly state. You want to pass laws that do everything possible to give businesses the upper hand. Not only do they get to choose the doctor, new laws have made it even more difficult for worker’s comp lawyers to get paid for representing clients. It’s done so that they are not paid from the clients themselves, but through the same insurance company who chooses the doctors.

It can take months for a case to wrap up. Attorneys aren’t getting paid until months after the whole investigation started. This is making it more difficult to find a lawyer who will take on a workers’ comp case.

Reason #3: Your Eligibility is Limited

As was stated earlier, the system doesn’t care about you at all. When he cares about is getting you back to work right away. When the doctor makes the decision to send you back to work, that’s it. You go back to work.  It doesn’t matter if you’re still injured. Once the doctor decides, the money stops. And if you want to keep your job, you are forced to return.

Even if you make through these three steps, there’s no guarantee that your job will be ready and waiting for you once you get back.  The State of Florida offers no guarantees or protection to the injured worker that they will be able to get back to work, so even bringing you back is at the employer’s discretion.  

For these reasons, you need a workers’ comp attorney on your side to help guide you through the system and overcome the unfair laws that care little for the worker.

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Have A Lot of Food Waste? Here’s 5 Steps for Saving Food and Your Budget

Written by adminOctober 4, 2019
Saving

We all need to buy groceries to survive, that is unless you live off the grid and provide for yourself all your daily nourishment. For the rest of us, we’re inclined to go to our favorite grocery store. Sadly, most of us waste a lot of the food we buy. It sits in the drawer or on the shelf and is used maybe once before it’s tossed.

How many times did we buy avocados only to throw most of them away? Or the tomatoes that went bad before we got a chance to use them? And don’t get us started on all the leftovers we stick in the fridge and rather than eating them, order out the next night. How many condiments, sauces, and seasons do we buy that will sit up in the cupboard unused for the next decade?

Americans waste a lot of food. In fact, the average American household throws away 43% of the food it buys! That’s a crazy number! Imagine going shopping and spending all the money we do while realizing that almost half of it will rot or be thrown away. Here are 5 tips for preventing food waste:

1) Shop with All Your Meals in Mind

When you’re considering what to buy, plan out your meals. Look at common ingredients. For example, if you’re going to buy celery for a meal, then you might not use up all the stalks. Rather than letting them go to waste, find multi uses for them. Plan meals that will use the ingredients more than once so nothing is unused.

2) Don’t Be Afraid to Use Your Freezer

You can freeze almost anything and use it again later. From veggies, butter, cheese, meat, onions, pasta, sauces, beans, and on and on, everything can be reused. Why let it go back? If you buy a loaf of bread and only use a few slices, you can put your bread in the freezer. It only takes about 5 minutes to thaw.

3) Improve Your Storing Ability

Many people invest in machines that will allow you to properly store foods by wrapping them in plastic and sucking the air out of the plastic so foods last longer and stay fresher. Simply wrapping your veggies in foil to keep in the fridge will allow them to stay crisp for longer. Don’t just expose your food to the elements.

4) Don’t Cook as Much

How many times per week do you end up with leftovers? More times than not, those leftovers are tossed away. The easy solution to this is to make less food. When you get into the habit of making less, you will both start saving money on groceries and will be forced to throw out less. Stick to proper portion sizes per person you’re cooking for.

5) Stick a List on Your Fridge

One way to keep track of food is to post an inventory, maybe on a sticky note, so you can remember what you have in there. It’s a good reminder rather than just forgetting you have some celery in the veggie bin. You might decide it will make a good snack.

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Elizabeth Warren Waging War against the Student Loan Watchdog

Written by adminOctober 4, 2019
Politics

There’s clearly no love between Elizabeth Warren and Pres. Trump as they differ in just about every issue. The president recently did something that Warren wasn’t too happy about: hiring Robert Cameron as the newest student loan ombudsman. In fact, the move angered her so much that she sent three letters to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, and the newest ombudsman himself as well.

Warren claims that Cameron is scandal-plagued, corrupt, and should never be the newest student loan watchdog. This position was created solely for the purpose of protecting students who take out student loans. There’s a lot of predatory behavior in the student loan game. Many Americans become suckered in by false ads and scammed by their lender.

It’s the job of the ombudsman to gather together all the complaints and help settle any disputes that have occurred. But according to Warren, Trump chose the wrong person for the job. She says he himself has a history of corruption within the industry. It’s also Cameron’s job to advise Congress, the Treasury Secretary, and even the CFPB on improving the student loan process.

The Burden of Student Loan Debt is Crushing

Currently in the United States, 44 million Americans owe $1.6 trillion in student loan debt. This is a major burden and a crisis that is hurting our economy and crushing our young adults. They are just starting out in life. The last thing they need to do is to graduate tens of thousands of dollars in debt.

Studies have come out revealing that many young Americans are putting off major life decisions on hold. Things like getting marriage, buying healthcare, starting a business, saving for retirement, and even having children. Many are choosing to move back in with their parents. They simply cannot afford to pay their student loans and live on their own.

Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, testified in a hearing that the student loan crisis could cause long-term ramifications. They could even drag on the US economy in the future. Student loan debt has become a major talking point among 2020 presidential candidates. Warren is one of the candidates who wants to eliminate almost all of the student loan debt out there.

In Warren’s mind, appointing Cameron to the position is “mind-boggling.”

“A former PHEAA executive’s appointment to the role represents the worst form of revolving-door corruption and conflict of interest, and it epitomizes industry capture of our government. Given Mr. Cameron’s responsibility for PHEAA’s compliance with federal law, regulations, and programs, and PHEAA’s record of compliance failures, it is clear that student-loan borrowers cannot count on Mr. Cameron to uphold their interests,” she writes.

Warren then called on Secretary Mnuchin to deny Cameron’s appointment. Whether he will listen is probably doubtful.

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