iQuanti: Your credit score provides lenders a way to measure how likely you're able to pay back a loan or credit card balance. They perform a hard credit check to check your score, also called a hard inquiry.

This slightly dings your credit score temporarily, but responsible use of credit quickly outweighs the damage. The trouble comes when you incur too many hard inquiries at once — this can do a lot more damage and cause credit application denials. This article will explain how hard inquiries work and dive into how to remove hard inquiries from your credit report.

How do hard inquiries work?

Lenders run a hard inquiry on you when you apply for new credit, such as new credit cards or loans. This lets them look over your credit score and history to make a lending decision. Many hard inquiries within a short time may be treated as one hard inquiry for certain types of loans, like auto and home loans. Credit bureaus understand the importance of rate shopping for these loans, so all hard inquiries within a couple of weeks may be lumped into one.

How hard inquiries impact your credit

Hard inquiries temporarily lower your credit score. When you don't have much of a credit history, they can have a larger impact. They also reduce your chances of getting approved for new credit if you apply too soon. For instance, if you apply for a loan one week after getting a new credit card, you may be denied despite having a good credit score.

Hard inquiry effects fade after one year. Each hard inquiry falls off your report completely after two years. So, applying for credit sparingly can minimize credit damage.

In general, having six or more hard inquiries is seen as too many. Having this many hard inquiries can significantly impact your score and make lenders more likely to deny you, even if your score is otherwise sufficient.

How can I remove hard inquiries from my credit report?

As mentioned, hard inquiries are automatically removed from your credit report two years following the date they were run. You can't remove legitimate hard inquiries earlier than that. For instance, if you apply for a credit card on Jan. 1, 2022, it will be removed from your report on Jan. 1, 2024.

That said, errors can happen. The credit bureaus may fail to remove hard inquiries from your report after two years, or you may get a hard inquiry through error or even fraud. Request your free annual copy of your credit report from all three bureaus and look for these errors. 

If you see any you don't recognize, do some research first — sometimes, the card issuer's name doesn't match the name of the company that actually manages the card. For instance, a retail store credit card account might be listed under the partner bank's name instead of the store name. 

If the hard inquiry is truly an error, file a dispute with each bureau immediately. Consider freezing your credit if you suspect fraud and stay in communication with the bureaus until the inquiry is removed.

Keep hard inquiries to a minimum

Hard inquiries may hurt your score temporarily, but the long-term positive credit history you can build is well worth it. Since six or more hard inquiries are seen by lenders as problematic, and hard inquiries fall off your report after two years, wait at least six months between new credit applications. 

Additionally, check your credit every year by requesting your free annual report from the three bureaus and dispute any hard inquiries that look incorrect. Keeping your hard inquiries down and cleaning up your report will allow you to enjoy the benefits of responsible credit usage to the fullest.

Santa Shreds for a Good Cause
In 2019, hundreds of Santas flocked to the slopes of Banff Sunshine to raise money for a good cause. This year, the resort is hoping to raise $10,000 for The Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation.

Get in the festive spirit by giving back. On Dec. 25 (Christmas Day), 2022, dress up as your favorite Christmas character and join us on the slopes of Banff Sunshine Village to carve up Canada's Best Snow for only $75.

This Christmas, when you dress up as Santa, Mrs. Claus, an Elf, a Reindeer, the Grinch or other beloved Christmas character, you'll ski or ride for just $75. All proceeds from the charity ski event will go to support The Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation.

"Christmas is a time to enjoy family and friends while reflecting on what you have to be grateful for (like fresh mountain air and good health); just as it's a time to give back to those in our community who could use a kind hand. With rising hospital demand for pediatric care, this Christmas, giving back to our community by raising funds for the Alberta Children's Hospital just makes sense," says Kendra Scurfield, Director of Brand and Communications for Banff Sunshine Village.

Located in the heart of Banff, Banff Sunshine Village is hoping to welcome over 100 festively dressed Christmas characters for a day of holiday cheer on the Canadian Rocky Mountain slopes.

"As winter sets in, our hearts are warmed by the compassion and generosity of our community and all the amazing ways they raise funds for the kids and families, like Banff Sunshine's Santa Skis for Charity. From The Alberta Children's Hospital, thank you," says Liz Ballendine, Vice President, Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation.

Banff Sunshine's Santa Skis for Charity is an all-ages event. Anyone dressed in Christmas theme can ski for $75 in support of The Alberta Children's Hospital.

"Back in 2019, our Santa Skis for Charity event brought over 200 jolly-dressed skiers and riders out for a Christmas ski. This year, our ambitious goal is to raise $10,000 for The Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation," says Scurfield.

Not able to visit Banff Sunshine on Christmas Day, but still want to donate? Click here.

Alberta's Children's Hospital Foundation funds crucial programs, technology and expertise so that every child can benefit from world-class care. The Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation proudly serves Child Health & Wellness Research at the University of Calgary to help invest in innovative science for new therapies and cures for a healthier tomorrow. With the support of our generous community, we can help every baby, child and teenager live to their fullest potential.

Banff Sunshine Village is the premier ski and snowboard destination in the Canadian Rockies. The resort is known for its all-natural snow, its stunning alpine vistas, and its long season, spanning from early November to late May. With a seven-month-long ski season, Banff Sunshine Village is home to Canada's Best Snow.

For more information about Skiing for Charity, contact Kendra Scurfield at [email protected] or call 403-830-7946.

Bidtellect, a leading demand-side platform and advertising technology company, announces its successful sponsorship and speaker session at Adweek Nextech Conference, held from Dec. 6 to 7 in New York, New York. Bidtellect's senior leadership team was in attendance, and its VP of Product, Arthur Hainline, took the stage alongside the founder and president of Jounce Media, Chris Kane, to break down the future of sustainability in advertising and how companies can manage their own carbon footprint.

The team spoke on the lack of transparency in the programmatic supply path. Specifically, how the redundancy of supply chains causes supply and carbon inefficiencies. There are three ways in which buyers and sellers have redundant supply chains: auction duplication, multi-integrations, and reselling or rebroadcasting. On average, resold supply chains account for 40% of display auctions and 58% of video auctions, according to Jounce Media. 

These same three causes of redundant supply chains (auction duplication, multi-integrations, and reselling) are the major contributors to supply path emissions. They take up extra energy, extra compute time, and release excess carbon emissions. This includes the scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions data of each party involved per impression.

According to Sharethrough, Scope 3 emissions account for over 90% of an organization's CO₂ waste, and 60% of people were unaware that browsing the internet generates carbon emissions. The newest tools to the market will be able to track the carbon cost of a company's media, offering a new level of transparency into the impact of its dollars and advertising.

The pair spoke on new tools and methods for advertisers to begin to reduce their carbon waste. Bidtellect recently teamed up with Scope3 to track total carbon emissions directly in their DSP, so that users can take action to reduce waste immediately. Users can alter the pacing rate to participate in fewer auctions artificially, optimize towards supply tiers, block domains with high emissions, as well as target sellers.json. Together, advertisers can ultimately begin to reduce carbon waste and initiate a shift to a more efficient supply path for all.  

Kane founded Jounce Media in 2015 and was previously Chief of Staff to the CEO and CFO at AOL. Before AOL, he managed a portfolio of enterprise accounts at Turn, a pioneer in demand-side platforms (DSP), enabling wider reach and ad buying. He started his career as a management consultant at Oliver Wyman, focusing on the converging media and technology sectors.

Jounce Media is the industry leader in programmatic supply chain management and is trusted by the world's most prominent marketers, media companies and advertising technology platforms to enable high-efficiency programmatic trades. They specialize in supply path optimization education, research, and data. 

Arthur Hainline is the Vice President of Product at Bidtellect, overseeing Bidtellect's product team, product enhancements and technology. Hainline has been with Bidtellect since 2015 and is an integral part of the team's competitive technology advancements, bringing greater bidding efficiencies and performance wins for advertising clients.

To watch the session and gain access to more information, click here.

About Bidtellect

Bidtellect is a performance-driven DSP specializing in context-first optimization, cookieless solutions, and quality programmatic. With roots in native, we built our platform on context-driven technology and optimization down to the placement level, ensuring readiness for the cookieless future while achieving performance goals, now across ad formats and video.

iQuanti: Throughout 2022, the Federal Reserve has been hiking interest rates at an unprecedented rate. While this is intended to curb inflation, many economists expect that it will eventually have a negative impact on business and cause the economy to slow and unemployment to rise. If you're worried about this happening, then here's how to prepare for a recession and get your finances in order.

1. Don't panic

The first thing to remember about recessions is that they're normal. The economy is cyclical, moving from boom to bust and back every few years. While things like high unemployment and a falling stock market can be scary, they don't last forever. Since 1950, the average recession has been about 17 months long. During a recession, you should hold tight and ride out the storm until it passes.

2. Make sure your budget is in order

During a recession, money could get tight. There's a chance that your investments may not do very well, and your employer may not be giving out any raises or bonuses. Before this happens, it may be a good idea to start trimming the fat from your spending wherever you can. Check any bank and credit card statements for anything that could be eliminated. If you have any major purchases upcoming, consider delaying them too.

3. Build up your emergency fund

Part of what makes a recession scary is the fact that it generally results in higher unemployment. Even those who get to keep their jobs may be forced to take unpaid time off to help the business alleviate its losses.

If this happens, then you're going to need money to get you through the next couple of months. Many financial experts recommend that every household builds up an emergency fund. An emergency fund is a cash account worth three to six months of living expenses. By having this available, you won't have to turn to high-interest debt to get by.

4. Raise your credit score

Even with a lean budget and fully stocked emergency fund, what do you do when a major unexpected expense comes along that you're not prepared to handle? The answer is that you may have to apply for a loan, so you'll want to make sure that your credit score is in good shape.

Start by checking your FICO Score for free using a service like Experian and looking over your report to make sure it's error-free. At the same time, commit to practicing good credit-building habits such as:

• Paying your bills on time and in full
• Keeping your credit usage lower than 30 percent of your limit
• Not closing your oldest accounts
• Not applying for too many credit cards or loans at once

5. Stick to your investment plan

When the stock market drops right before and during a recession, your natural reaction may be to stop contributing to your retirement plans altogether. But don't do this. Remember that the classic investment mantra is to "buy low, sell high." While the market is down, this is a great time to take advantage. You'll effectively buy shares of great companies at a discount. And when things finally turn around, and those investments rise in value, you'll be glad you did.

The bottom line

Recessions can be a scary time for your money, but you can take steps to prepare. Start by taking a hard look at your budget, building up your emergency fund, and boosting your credit score. Remember that recessions don't last forever and that this can be a great time to buy good investments while they're at a discount.

iQuanti: If you're a poor-credit borrower, you may worry that you'll need to jump through extra hoops to get approved for a loan. Luckily, there are many personal loans out there designed for borrowers who don't have good credit. Let's dive deeper into how personal loans for bad credit work and how long it can take to apply for one. 

How do poor-credit loans work?

Poor-credit loans are loans available to applicants with poor or fair credit scores. With these loans, borrowers will consider additional factors like your employment history and debt when deciding whether to approve you. Keep in mind that interest rates may be higher for these loans and there might be additional fees. 

Here are some types of poor-credit personal loans: 

• Cash advance: A cash advance is a poor-credit loan that can give you a few hundred dollars. These loans are designed to help you cover expenses until your next payday, and you'll typically repay what you owe in two to four weeks.
• Installment loan: With an installment loan, you can receive a lump sum of money all at once. You can then repay what you owe in fixed monthly installments over a few months or years.
• Line of credit: Lines of credit are personal loans that give borrowers access to funds up to a set credit limit. You can draw on these funds as needed, and will only pay interest on what you borrow.

It only takes a few minutes to apply for a poor-credit loan, and approval often happens almost instantly. Once approved, you can receive the funds in your bank account as soon as the same day you apply or within 24 hours. This allows borrowers to start meeting their financial needs immediately.

How to apply for a poor-credit personal loan

Here are the steps borrowers need to take to apply for a poor-credit personal loan:

1. Gather the documents you'll need

The fastest approvals will often come from online lenders, so gather the documents you'll need and make digital copies of them. This can be done easily with the camera on your smartphone. You'll need proof of ID, proof of employment, and proof that you have a bank account. Read the requirements on the lender's website to get a specific list.

2. Fill out your application

Start filling out your application for a poor-credit personal loan, providing all necessary financial and personal details. This should only take a few minutes and can be done online from the comfort of your home.

3. Submit the final loan application

Double-check your loan application to ensure all the information you filled out is accurate, and then submit it. Many lenders can give you an approval decision in minutes.

4. Review and sign the loan agreement

The final step is to review the loan agreement. Make sure the interest rate, loan terms, and any fees are reasonable. If everything looks good, sign the loan agreement and the funds will be transferred to your checking account. 

iQuanti: Health is a top priority for many. However, healthcare can be one of the most significant expenses households face. Unexpected medical bills can drain savings or cause people to incur debt. Fortunately, there are numerous tips and tricks to saving money on medical costs. Many of them are quite simple, too. This article will dive into five ways you can cut your medical bills so you can stay healthy without breaking the bank.

1. Use in-network care providers

If you have a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plan, you can get coverage for out-of-network providers, but you'll still be responsible for most of the bill. On the other hand, your plan will cover a much larger portion of the cost if you stay in-network. Research in-network providers so you can save money while finding the provider who meets your needs.

2. Negotiate your bills

Believe it or not, you can negotiate your medical bills to a certain degree. Here are some quick tips on how to negotiate medical bills:

• Try before treatment: You'll have more negotiating power if services haven't already been performed.
• Ask for a cash discount: Providers may charge less if you pay in cash.
• Request an itemized bill: This lets you scan the bill and look for potential errors to be fixed.
• Ask for a reduced fee: If the provider is a non-profit hospital, they may be required to have certain programs that cut medical costs for qualifying patients.

3. Use generic prescriptions

Generic drugs are much cheaper than name-brand drugs. According to Consumer Reports, generic drugs are just as safe as name-brand drugs as well. If you have regular prescriptions, switching to generics can save you decent money regularly.

4. Establish a health savings account

Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) have a "triple-tax advantage." This means that:

1. Contributions are tax-deductible.
2. You can invest your funds into various assets, and all the accounts' earnings are tax-deferred. 
3. Withdrawals are tax-free for qualifying medical expenses, such as deductibles, copays, and prescriptions.

These tax advantages help you set aside more funds for taxes, and the investments help your funds grow for the future. Plus, you can withdraw HSA funds for any purpose after retirement with no penalty — although you may owe income tax. If you have a high-deductible health plan (HDHP), you can get an HSA.

5. Reevaluate your plan

The more you pay in premiums, the lower your deductible and copays. The same is true vice versa. So, you should evaluate your coverage needs and pick a plan that more closely aligns with them.

For instance, if you see a provider regularly for a chronic issue, you may step up to a plan with higher premiums. This could cut your deductible and similar costs, saving you money in the long run.

On the other hand, if you're young and healthy, you might consider a plan with lower premiums. Your deductible will increase, but you may save money since you won't need frequent treatment. As mentioned earlier, you could qualify for an HSA if you end up with an HDHP.

Save money on medical treatment

Although medical bills can be expensive, there are numerous ways to cut those costs and stay on budget. Start by staying in-network if you have a PPO since your insurer will cover more of your costs. Negotiate bills where possible and opt for generic prescriptions over name-brand drugs. Finally, re-evaluate your plan — and if you pick an HDHP, open and fund an HSA. By following these tips, you could put a real dent in the cost of medical care and keep yourself out of medical debt.

Most Popular Deserts

The travel app Visited by Arriving In High Heels Corporation has published a list of the top 10 most visited deserts worldwide. Red Desert, Mojave Desert and Great Salt Lake Deserts are all found in the United States and make the top list.

Visited, available on iOS or Android, is a travel app that allows users to mark off places they've traveled. Users can check off famous places such as deserts, mountain ranges, lakes and ancient sites, to name a few. 

The top 10 most visited deserts in the world according to Visited are:

1. Sahara Desert is the largest hot desert in the world, with popular tours of the desert in Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco. 
2. Arabian Desert includes sandy dunes stretching across Iraq, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. 
3. Red Desert is a high-altitude desert in Wyoming named for the brilliant red sandy landscape in one of the last high-elevation deserts in the U.S. 
4. Mojave Desert in California is nestled below the Sierra Nevada Mountains and includes the famous Joshua trees that are unique to the region. 
5. Great Salt Lake Desert is a large dry lake in Utah with white salt deposits that evoke a surreal, magical look.
6. Highlands of Iceland are a picturesque plateau of expansive volcanic desert that stretches across most of the interior of Iceland. 
7. Negev Desert is a desert in Israel that includes the famed Dead Sea, one of the saltiest bodies of water in the world. 
8. Judaean Desert is a desert in Israel and the West Bank located east of Jerusalem that has religious significance for Christians. 
9. Atacama Desert in Chile is the driest non-polar desert in the world and offers breathtaking scenery including geysers, lagoons, thermal pools, volcanoes, and salt flats. 
10. Namib Desert is a dry coastal desert in southern Africa that is 55 to 80 million years old. 

To see the complete list of the most popular deserts and over 50 top 10 lists of the most visited travel destinations in the world, download Visited on iOS or Android. 

To learn more about the Visited app, visit https://visitedapp.com. 

About Arriving In High Heels Corporation

Arriving In High Heels Corporation is a mobile app company with apps including Pay Off Debt, X-Walk, and Visited, their most popular app.