Category Archives: Credit & Debt

Ask 1mil: How Can I Establish Credit with a Low Credit Score

Back in 2005 I had a dismal credit score, but a year later after I made some smart moves my credit score skyrocketed from around 500 to 744. Since I’ve been on the market to buy some real estate property having my credit score so fresh and so clean is of the utmost importance and so I’ve written about my score woes quite a bit. My most popular post (10 Ways to Improve Your Fico Score) gets a lot of questions from readers, here’s my answer to 3 questions from isotruth:

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Ask 1mil: How Can I Increase My Credit Score?

Some of you might be aware that I am trying to buy a rental property sometime this coming Fall, and so I have been obsessed with my credit score. Recently, a reader ran across one of myincreasing credit score articles and decided to share the story of her identity theft and credit issues with me. In her email she asks, “Why is my credit score so terrible, and what should I focus on to raise it up…?”
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CSF Syndrome: Credit Score Fears

Checking my credit history wasn’t an issue until I went to buy a house. It hadn’t really crossed my mind to do it before, well it had but there wasn’t a real need to. I’ll admit that I was scared. I mean I have been an over-achiever all my life and I really didn’t want to be graded in another aspect of my life. But eventually I realized that I needed to come to terms with whatever number was attached to my identity. I had had some financial trouble back in college when a best friend ditched me with his end of the rent by not showing up at school our senior year-but that’s a blog in itself. So I was kinda fearful. Continue reading →

How I Lost Weight and Gained Control 2

Last time I shared with you the spark that led me to lose 25 lbs in two months and in my journey I unlocked an inconceivable truth. It always seemed like dieting and hard work was the answer to my getting fit. Since eating has served a multipurpose of enjoyment and fulfillment over the length of my lifetime, it was beyond me to consider any other perspective as an acceptable one. The instant I let a new idea creep into my mind, my initial reaction was to reject it. It seemed absurd. “Eat the same thing everyday?” No way. This simple thought coupled with an ounce of self-reflection rippled its way through my life and into my pocket. By eating the same thing everyday as I explained in Part I, I was able to turn my metabolism into a nuclear force.
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How I Lost Weight and Gained Control

I’ve been working out for nearly 5 months now, and while I have seen gains in my strength and endurance, I didn’t really start seeing the kinds of results I’ve wanted until recently. And even though the gains I saw were modest it was enough to almost completely overhaul my thought process. I started thinking differently about my health and my eating habits, and almost by accident my financial thinking has changed too. Eventually I discovered that the same problems that affect people with weight loss issues, affect people with debt loss issues as well. (Revised 2/7/07)
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The Best Gift You Can Get.

There are few times I can remember when I got any good gifts from my dad. He didn’t celebrate birthdays, he didn’t give Christmas gives, and well he didn’t do much of anything that required money. There’s one thing that I’ve gotten from him, and no it sure the hell wasn’t love.
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