| Steer clear of companies offering to fix your credit - Money Matters
Q: I'm 53. After years of taking care of my ill father, I've got about $17,000 in credit card debt. My interest rates have been jacked up because my credit rating is so bad. (I made some late payments during times my dad was in the hospital and life was crazy.) I've heard about places that can fix your credit. I'd like to get caught up on my bills but it's impossible with interest rates of more than 30 percent. Can these places really fix your credit rating? R.I., Lakewood A: Steer clear of these outfits. There are only three types of supposed credit-repair companies: Those that charge hundreds of dollars to write letters to the credit bureaus to dispute negative information on your report. If the information is accurate, it won't be deleted. If it's inaccurate, you can write the letters yourself at no charge.
Easy Steps to Improve Your Credit Score
(ARA) - Your credit score affects what type of interest rates you get on credit cards or for buying a house or car, as well as your approvals for employment or apartment rental. It's important that you understand not only what your score means, but how to repair it.Now you can get your credit score online.By viewing your credit activity on a regular basis you can remove any items that may not belong to you, which can negatively affect your score. If you have a low credit score due to detrimental items that need to be removed or fixed, there are steps you can take to remove them.GoFreeCredit.com teaches you how to manage your credit report and how to deal with credit bureaus and creditors. Credit monitoring, automatic notification of credit activity and a detailed personal analysis are all included in this online service.Many times people don't realize there is negative activity on their credit report.
POLICE BRIEFS
JACKSON : A car struck a utility pole on Hyson Road and overturned early Friday morning, police said.
The vehicle, driven by Thomas Pearcey Jr., 23, of the township, was traveling south on Hyson Road around 12:26 a.m. Friday when it went off the road at a curve, struck a mailbox, then a utility pole and then overturned, police said.
Pearcey was not seriously injured. He was given a summons for careless driving.
JCP&L crews had to cut service for about 20 minutes to the neighborhood to repair the pole.
Staff report
Burglar makes off with purse in car
MARLBORO: A burglar smashed the window of a parked car in the professional complex at 21 Kilmer Rd. on Thursday, making off with a purse containing $200 and some credit cards, the police said.
Tips offered to aid shoppers avoid problems
Identity theft ande disputes involving gift purchases can spoil the holiday season. In the excitement of a holiday season filled with the spirit of giving, it can be easy for people to take for granted the honesty of others. "The joy of the holiday season can quickly be spoiled by crimes like identity theft or disputes involving gift purchases," Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett said in a press release. "Consumers should carefully consider all their purchases and charitable gifts and not allow the excitement of the season to rush them into hasty decisions that can be regretful and costly." Corbett and others have some tips to help consumers avoid the most common scams and problems during the holiday season. Review a store's exchange policy before making a purchase.
Top Scoops
One can read too much into the unprecedented rude behaviour and abrupt departure of Juan Carlos, Bourbon King of Spain, during the recent Ibero-American summit in Santiago, Chile. Clearly, when he got up and left in the middle of Daniel Ortega's lucid analysis of international relations, after first telling Hugo Chavez to shut his mouth, he was simply leaving in order to shape-shift discreetly back into George W. Bush. "What else explains the astonishing fall of the United States and its European and Pacific allies into ancien regime corrupt decay and relative decline? "The President of the United States is the Bourbon King of Spain. Obvious, once you think about it really .... .
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