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Choosing a credit card
Chris Farrell Jun 7, 2012
I am a graduate student in my mid-20s who has never had a credit card. While I have been able to get by without one, I have finally reached a stage in my personal and professional life where not having one has become a real inconvenience (when trying to reserve a rental car, for example). I would be grateful for advice on the cards, or kinds of cards, that I should seek or avoid for a first credit card -- as well as whether I'm likely to receive one, and (if not) what I can do to make myself a better candidate. Stephanie, Minneapolis, MN
Time to attack credit card debts
Chris Farrell May 31, 2012
I received a large bonus, and I'm going to use it all to pay down credit card debt. I have many cards. They all have about the same outstanding balances and about the same interest rates. At one time, most of the cards were "maxed out," which was bad for my credit score. Should I pay off a couple cards entirely, or should I make larger-than-usual payments to all of them, bringing down the outstanding balances substantially below the credit limits? Thanks. Henry, Chicago, IL
Getting back to our old (good) credit score
Chris Farrell May 23, 2012
My husband and I gave our daughter $40,000 for a down payment on a condo. She defaulted on the loan and went into foreclosure. Consequently, our credit score has tanked. How can we get our old great credit back? Nobody cares that we were not the ones who defaulted. Please help. Cathy, Redmond, OR
Letters: Creating a paper trail
Paddy Hirsch May 14, 2012
Our weekly dive into the mail bag, and L.A. Times personal finance columnist David Lazarus helps a caller with a question about record-keeping.
Credit card companies compete for mobile wallet business
Eve Troeh May 10, 2012
Credit card companies already get a piece of the transaction when consumers use PayPal or Bango to make payments with mobile technology. But can they really compete in the new world of mobile payment?
Advice on getting a credit card
Chris Farrell Apr 24, 2012
My friend is 24 and a young mother. She has never had a credit card and she wants to build her credit. Her income is somewhat limited at the moment because she has a new baby and only works part-time, but she wants to be able to pay for small daily expenses with a card that she can pay off in full every month. She is not seeking a large credit line. Even $100 would be sufficient. Can you provide some advice on what kind of card and where to start for someone looking to build good credit? Should she try prepaid credit cards? Any advice would be most sincerely appreciated. Esmeralda, Marlborough, MA
Financial innovation and social lending
Chris Farrell Apr 16, 2012
Peer-to-peer lending, also called social lending, is bringing together online individual lenders and individual borrowers for a fee. They cut out banks and other mainstream lenders. The innovation appears to be working.
Credit card trends
Chris Farrell Apr 9, 2012
The credit card business is settling down, and no, the sky didn't fall following the Credit Card Act of 2009.
Credit card numbers stolen: Your guide to freaking out
John Moe Apr 3, 2012
Up to 1.5 million credit card numbers for Visa and MasterCard accounts have been stolen from the databases of a company called Global Payments. Plus, understanding evolution through evolving robots.
Sweating out bad spending habits
Tess Vigeland Mar 16, 2012
Author Charles Duhigg suggests our bad financial habits may be changed by sweating more.
