Credit Card Report
Financial News Made Easy

One of the worst times to find out that your credit score is lower than you’d estimated is when you’re sitting across from a mortgage lender.

After getting socked with a late fee and finance charge on my Kohl’s account in May, I called to plead my case. How could a $45.08 pair of sneakers result in a $70.58 charge? O.K., I was two days late. Still, the $25 late fee and 50? finance charge came to a whopping annualized penalty rate of more than 21,000%. A local loan shark would have cut me a better deal. The Kohl’s rep’s response: It’s perfectly legal, and everybody does it.

You have more money than you think. But you are losing it. At the end of the day, small expenses add up to big dollars - and small savings add up to big bank accounts. These budgetting tips will help you find and keep your money.

Want a bigger paycheck? It may not be as hard as you think. A lot of people assume that more pay can come only from winning a promotion or finding a new job elsewhere. But there are ways — large and small — to put more money in your pocket each week. Separately, these strategies may not be enough to change your life. But put several together, and they start adding up.

A new state law requiring some Chicago home buyers to receive financial counseling in order to get a mortgage is under fire from critics who say the rules are pushing lenders out of inner-city areas.