If you own a credit card, chances are the interest rate attached to it is in the double digits. And if you have a balance, then you’re paying much more than the actual cost of the items. Over time, the balance grows, and if you miss payments or get behind, the impact can be harmful to your purchasing power.
Here are some of the most common ways your credit score affects your financial health, plus easy tips for improving that number.
Receiving a tax refund feels like a bonus. In an instant, you’ve got some extra cash and the freedom to spend it as you wish. Here are the top four ways to make the most of your tax refund money.
Life happens. Sometimes you have an unexpected expense or find you need to conserve funds for a while. When situations like this pop up, Rent-A-Center has your back. With Payment Freeze Assurance, you can pause your payments if and when you need to. Try that with a credit card company!
How It Works
Payment Freeze Assurance is a part of RAC’s Worry-Free Guarantee, our promise to do whatever we can to ensure you have the products you need without layaway or expensive interest. Payment Freeze Assurance guarantees that you can stop your payments at any time during your lease agreement. Simply return the item and pause your payments – then when you’re ready, you can either get it back or purchase a comparable item. As for the money you’ve already paid toward the item, it stays put. Those funds will still apply to the purchase price, even if you choose to upgrade to a newer or different item. At RAC, you’re never locked into a long-term commitment, and you never accrue debt because you can stop paying at any time.
Your 2017 New Year’s resolution: Get serious about saving for your long-term financial goals. Maybe you’re this close to paying off student loans, or you’ve been dreaming about a summer getaway. Whatever your needs are, all you have to do to put these unique savings ideas into practice is get started – and stick with it. This will be one resolution you won’t want to break!
On Black Friday in 2015, there were 49,000 sale items. This year, BlackFriday.com predicts that 2016 deals will reach 52,000. If the thought of nabbing one these crazy deals makes you as giddy as a five-year-old on Christmas Eve, then the following tips will help you make the most of Black Friday shopping at Rent-A-Center. With a little pre-planning, getting deals in time for the holidays can be easy — because Magic Happens Here. Read Story
Whether you’re gearing up to buy presents for the holidays, saving for a vacation in the new year, or aiming to make a bigger donation to your favorite charity, here are nine quick ways to put some extra cash back in your pocket. Try these strategies before the holiday bustle and you might just decide to make them part of your year-round savings plan.Read Story
With the right apps, your smartphone can become a miniature personal assistant that reminds you of appointments, remembers birthdays, tracks fitness goals, and helps with even more. With the addition of money management apps, it can also become a personal financial advisor that can help set your budget, provide at-a-glance spending info, and offer saving tips.
Like any favorite app, the best money management ones make life easier by streamlining often complicated processes to save time and, in this case, money. Here are some free apps that can help you manage money (although some have in-app purchase options that unlock more advanced functionality).
Preparing for disasters like earthquakes, fires, or floods can help your family recover faster while also providing peace of mind. Part of that prep work includes creating an emergency binder containing the paperwork you would need in case of a crisis. Here are some tips on how to do that.
From accepting a new job to having a new baby, major life milestones often come with a change of address. Whether you’re moving across town or to another state, getting your personal items from here to there in a reliable yet inexpensive manner is always the goal. Here’s how to relocate without breaking the bank.
Itemizing has the potential to make a big difference on your income taxes. Itemizing refers to listing certain tax deductions as their own line items, rather than opting for a standard deduction on your tax return. There are scenarios where this extra step can be worth the pain. And though you may have already filed this year, here are the three things you need to know about how tax deductions can impact your tax refund next year.