NEW YORK, March 14, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Credello: A 2022 study of credit trends by the Fair Isaac Corporation found that many of the southern U.S. metropolitan areas had the country's lowest credit scores. Why is that?

Houston, Miami, and San Antonio residents have the lowest credit scores

While the national average FICO score sits at 716, cities in the South are seeing scores that don't even hit 700. Three of the largest cities, Houston, Miami, and San Antonio, averaged credit scores of 696, 695, and 694, respectively. What's causing this trend of lower credit levels south of the Mason Dixie?

Why do these cities have such low average credit scores?

One potential issue is a lack of prioritizing financial education, emphasizing credit report facts and the importance of credit scores. Many schools around the U.S. do not offer basic personal finance courses in their curriculums, making it difficult to set a good foundation for young adults to build strong credit.

Additionally, the cost of living in some southern cities is higher than those earning at the state minimum wage can easily afford, leading to high monthly payments on bills and a lack of available credit. Higher prices also mean that people may not be able to afford to keep up with their minimum monthly payments and end up defaulting on their loans.

There is also the potential issue of how state-sponsored aid could factor into things. Many New England and Midwest states had the country's highest average credit scores, ranging from 734 - 742. Interestingly, some of these states also offer generous state-sponsored care regarding healthcare, Medicaid expansion, and job development programs.

Conversely, Florida opted not to expand Medicaid with the Affordable Care Act, leaving many residents to face the burden of medical costs alone. Texas voted to reduce SNAP benefits (food stamps) recently, making it more difficult for families to afford the cost of food. While these aren't directly linked in the study, it's clear that there's a correlation between government aid availability and credit scores.

In general, the South faces many economic challenges impacting residents' finances. This includes a lack of jobs and lower wages, which can lead to less disposable income available to pay off debts. Southern cities also have a greater percentage of low-income residents who are more likely to need assistance with basic financial tasks like paying rent or bill payments.

What can residents do?

If you're in one of these cities and interested in getting your score above the average number, there are a few things you can do:

1. Learn about personal finance - One of the most important things you can do to improve your credit score is to learn about personal finance. Get involved in your community and find resources to teach you about budgeting, investing, and debt management.

2. Stay on top of your bills - Make sure you are always aware of what you're spending and pay all of your bills on time. This will help build a good credit history and show lenders you take responsibility for your finances.

3. Play by the rules - Don't overextend yourself or take on too many loans you can't afford to repay. Follow the guidelines set out by lenders and stick to a realistic repayment schedule. This will help improve your credit score over time.

4. Monitor your credit score regularly - All three credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) offer one free yearly credit report. But there are other ways to monitor your credit score. Apps like CreditKarma and Mint can do "soft" pulls every week that show you any changes in your report without hurting your score.

The bottom line

Regardless of where you live in the US, the more you understand personal finance and how your credit score affects your borrowing options, the better off you'll be. Take some time to explore what options are available to you and put these steps into practice, and you'll be on your way to building a solid credit history.

About Credello

Credello is a financial tech company offering a personal finance tool that simplifies financial decisions through personalized, on-demand recommendations — so users can borrow, save, or invest with confidence. Credello believes that finding the right financial product should be as easy and interactive as online shopping, and we are on a mission to make that possible. For more information, please visit https://www.credello.com. 

NEW YORK, March 14, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Credello: If you plan on getting married in 2023, you're probably excited about that. You know that weddings can get pricey, though, and perhaps you're unsure about the best method of paying for this significant expense.

Maybe you're thinking about using a credit card to finance a wedding ring. Perhaps you're also going to use the card for the venue, the cake, the catering, and so forth. Many individuals getting married this year can see some significant benefits when they do that. We will talk about some of those right now. 

Credit Card Points

When you get certain credit cards, they'll come with introductory offers. You might sign up for one that gives you double points during the first six months you have that card or even the first year. This incentivizes you to spend more.

If you open a credit card account before your wedding, and you use that card for many of the expenses, you can rack up a ton of points that way. You can then put those points toward anything you need as you start your new life with your spouse, such as some new appliances.

Travel Rewards

You might also use a credit card to pay for your wedding expenses because you plan on taking your honeymoon right after, and you can use the points you built up for travel perks. If you're flying to Bermuda for a couple of blissful weeks with your new spouse, you can fly first class with some of your points. You might also upgrade your standard hotel room to a luxury suite.

Take Advantage of No-Interest Introductory Offers

Say that you open a new credit card account right before your wedding, and you get one with no interest on purchases made during the first six months or a year. You can put many wedding-related expenses on there, like paying for the venue, the DJ, the caterer, and the wedding cake.

Then, you don't have to worry about accumulating interest on what you charged to that card during the introductory period. You have six months or a year to pay everything off. That takes a lot of financial pressure off of you during that time.

If you do this, you also avoid paying the interest that you would if you got a loan through a bank or credit union to pay for the wedding expenses instead. If you did that, you would have to submit to a hard credit pull before the lending entity granted you the loan. A credit card is a much more attractive prospect.

Credit Cards for Wedding Expenses Make Sense

Individuals who use credit cards to pay for their weddings in 2023 have very compelling reasons for doing so. If you get a card with an introductory zero percent interest rate for the first six months or a year, you have that entire time to pay off your wedding expenses. You won't have to pay the interest rates you would if you got a personal loan from a credit union or bank.

You will also accumulate a lot of credit card points. You can cash those in and buy some appliances or other necessities that you and your spouse will need as you start your married life together. 

You can also get a credit card that gives you travel rewards. The wedding expenses you pay for with the card will translate to a ton of points you can use on your honeymoon. You can upgrade your flight, your hotel room, and anything else you feel is appropriate. 

You must always be responsible with your credit card spending, but your wedding is one time where using one for most or all of the purchases makes sense. Make sure to pay off the debt on your card when the payment period concludes, so you do not have to pay interest on your wedding-related expenditures.  

About Credello

Credello is a financial tech company offering a personal finance tool that simplifies financial decisions through personalized, on-demand recommendations — so users can borrow, save, or invest with confidence.

Credello believes that finding the right financial product should be as easy and interactive as online shopping and we are on a mission to make that possible. For more information, please visit https://www.credello.com. 

NEW YORK, March 14, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Credello: Studies show that Millennials often have debt. The average amount is almost $30K. Some have more, while others have less, but it's a sobering number.  

There are actions you can take if you're a Millennial and you're carrying this much debt. We'll talk about some strategies right now.

Get a Personal Loan

Many Millennials are paying for things with credit cards. This is tempting, but it can backfire. Credit cards can have interest rates close to 35%. 

If you have several outstanding debts, how much of a personal loan can I get should probably be the question you're asking. If you approach a bank or credit union and get a personal loan, you can use that money to pay off your debts. 

Why Are Personal Loans So Attractive?

Getting a bank or credit union loan simplifies your life. If you do this, you only have one loan to repay, rather than owing several different credit card companies and other entities. 

Also, when you get a personal loan, you're liable to pay much less in interest when you're repaying it than you would if you're paying off outstanding credit card debt. We mentioned that credit cards can charge as much as 35% in interest, but you usually pay far less with personal loans. 

You can sometimes get interest rates of 8% or lower with personal loans if you have excellent credit. If your score isn't the best, you might still get an interest rate of 15% or lower. That's much better than the 30-35% you'd likely pay with credit cards.

What Else Can You Do?

As a Millennial dealing with debt, you'll know a set amount you must pay each month once you have a personal loan. The next step toward financial responsibility is to pay all your other bills on time. 

With a personal loan in place, you owe money to one entity as a set payment amount each month. You will also have monthly expenses such as rent, utilities, groceries, and car payments. 

If you set up a household budget and stick to it, you can stay on top of those other bills while you pay off the personal loan. You can create a spreadsheet showing how much money you're bringing in and the cost of your expenses. 

Improve Your Credit Score

When you make payments on your personal loan and on-time payments of your bills, that will gradually improve your credit score if it isn't so great. Making on-time payments raises your VantageScore and FICO scores. That's always to your benefit.

You should not open any new credit card accounts if you can avoid it. That way, you won't be tempted to use one of your new cards and spend beyond your means. 

You can also set up autopay for your bills. You can set up a service that monitors when you pay your bills and reports that to the major credit bureaus.

You Can Chip Away at Your Debt

If you're a Millennial with tens of thousands of dollars in debt, you can consolidate the entities to which you owe money by getting a personal loan from a reputable lending entity. You can use that money to pay off your credit cards and other debt. 

You'll likely pay far less interest on your personal loan than credit card interest. You'll have one entity to pay each month, and you'll know the amount that's due.

In addition, you can budget by setting up a spreadsheet and calculating how to spend the money you have coming in on your monthly bills. If you don't miss any payments, you'll stay on top of those bills, and you'll raise your credit score.

You should have excellent credit by the time you've paid off the personal loan. You're now in a position to keep your credit score high and avoid getting deep into debt through frivolous spending habits.

About Credello

Credello is a financial tech company offering a personal finance tool that simplifies financial decisions through personalized, on-demand recommendations — so users can borrow, save, or invest with confidence.

Credello believes that finding the right financial product should be as easy and interactive as online shopping and we are on a mission to make that possible. For more information, please visit https://www.credello.com. 

NEW YORK, March 13, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Credello: You might be nervous about paying your taxes, but it's a straightforward process if you keep specific dates in mind. Let's run through some of the key dates regarding tax filing in 2023.  

Can You Use Personal Loans to Pay for Your Taxes?

Before we get into the important tax dates for 2023, we'll briefly discuss how you might pay if you have a tax burden. If you owe the IRS money, you can pay with cash you have in savings. You might also borrow some money from a family member if that's an option.

Knowing how to apply for a personal loan can help as well. Getting a personal loan from a credit union or bank and paying your tax obligation that way might make sense. If you do this, make sure you get a loan with a reasonable interest rate.

Tax Day

Every year, there's a date officially known as "Tax Day." In 2023, that day is Tuesday, April 18th. We're still a few weeks away from when most Americans must file their taxes.

Tax Day is usually April 15th, but this year, that's a Saturday. Also, the federal government has elected not to make Monday the 17th Tax Day since Washington D.C. recognizes that as Emancipation Day. 

Are There Any Exceptions?

Almost every year, certain citizens are exempt from needing to file taxes on Tax Day. This year, California storm victims have longer to file their taxes. That is a much-needed action since California storms have devastated part of that state.

The California residents the storm impacted have until May 15th to file. If you're trying to wait until that date, you must prove that you're in one of the areas designated by FEMA as needing aid. You can get on the FEMA website if you're in California and you're unsure whether you qualify or not. 

Are There Any Additional Exceptions?

The IRS is also pretty lenient about letting you have an extension if you feel you can't get all the necessary paperwork together by April 18th. You can ask the IRS for an extension, and they will automatically give you one for an additional six months.

When you hear this, you might be overjoyed. If you can get a six-month extension, that takes you all the way into October. Why would you bother filing on April 18th?

The reason is that just because the IRS has granted you additional time to file, that doesn't mean you don't still owe money on April 18th, assuming you owe money and are not due a refund. If you fail to pay the taxes you owe on time, and you file after April 18th, you'll not only still owe that money, but you'll also likely have to pay a lateness penalty.

What About State Taxes?

There's no national day when state taxes are due. You must check out the day taxes are due for your individual state. Some are due on April 18th, the same as your federal taxes. Others have later deadlines.

Nine states do not levy income taxes, and if you live in one of them, consider yourself lucky. You just saved yourself some money.

The Tax Dates to Know

For most Americans, Tax Day is Tuesday, April 18th. You have an automatic extension till May 15th if you live in a part of California impacted by the storms earlier this year. You can check the FEMA website to see if you're eligible.

You can also ask for a six-month extension on your taxes, but if you owe money, you'll still owe it if you file later, and you'll also get hit with a lateness penalty. You should pay on time if you can.

Only forty-one states collect taxes, and if you live in one, you should check to see when your taxes are due. Many states use the federal deadline, but some will allow you to file later.

Pay attention to these dates. If you don't, lateness penalties are likely in your future.