Finance

I am FIRED UP because none other than the famous Tony Morgan just came over to my office and handed me a copy of his new book, "Killing Cockroaches"!

Here are five reasons I am PUMPED about this book:

• Tony's blog [you should subscribe to it] is one of very few blogs that I read every single day.
• Tony is smart.  Crazy smart.
• Tony likes technology and provides great reviews (with examples of practical application).
• Tony is a great leader.  I don't have to work for him to know it.  All I have to do is observe his team and see the quality of their work and their interactions with each other.  As a matter of fact, Tony's team has had a direct part in the development of every print piece produced for I Was Broke. Now I'm Not.
• An cartoon intro to the book has been produced, and it made me want to obtain the book immediately!  You should take a couple of minutes and watch it right now and then go purchase Killing Cockroaches.

I am off to start reading!  Look for a review within the next week! 

"How do I build my credit?"

This is one of the most common questions I am asked.  In this series, I will be sharing various ways that one can build credit while still winning with money.

Part Two – Swipe Purchase And Immediately Pay Off

A great way to boost one's credit score is to obtain a department store credit card.  Here is how it works.

1. Ensure that a small purchase from that store (something you truly need) is included in your monthly budget.
2. Pull the money planned for that purchase out in cash and head to the store.
3. Purchase the item with the department store credit card.
4. Immediately after being given the receipt, tell the cashier that you want to make a payment on your credit account and give them the cash for the purchase to bring your credit account balance to EXACTLY ZERO.
5. Do this once each month.

Your credit score will soar as the length of the credit relationship increases and as the balance remains at zero.  It might be helpful to go back to Part One to see what comprises of your credit score.

NOTE:  If you do not trust yourself with a credit card and controlling your spending using a written monthly spending plan, then DO NOT use this method!

Read the entire series 

"How do I build my credit?"

This is one of the most common questions I am asked.  In this series, I will be sharing various ways that one can build credit while still winning with money.

Part One – What Determines My Credit Score?

It is important to first understand how one's credit score is calculated.  There are some key characteristics that are used by credit monitoring companies (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) to determine your credit score.

• Type of Credit  There are two key types of credit.  Installment (car payment, house payment) or Revolving (credit card, line of credit)
• Total Available Credit  This is the total of all credit limits.
• Total Credit Utilized  This is the total of all current debt.
• Length of Credit Relationship  The longer the credit relationship, the better.
• Payment Timeliness  Obviously, payments need to be paid on time to achieve the highest scores!
• Requests For Credit Made For Potential Purchases
• Public Records  Bankruptcies and judgments are not helpful to one's credit score!

You can check out some of the related articles/links below to learn more about credit scores.

Related Articles/Links

• Experian's "What's In A Credit Score?"
• TransUnion's "Credit Scoring 101"
• Equifax's "Keeping Score On Your Credit Score"

Welcome to the latest series at JosephSangl.com – "Helpful Real Estate Sites".

It is my hope that this series will equip you with new information that helps you make excellent real estate decisions!

Part One – Your Local Agents

In every community, there are fantastic real estate agents.  Fantastic agents who are focused on serving you and helping you find the real estate you are looking for.  These agents have web sites that are community-focused and typically have way more detail about their community than any of the previous sites that I have mentioned in this series.

Typically, these sites will have information about schools, neighborhoods, local trends in the community, and more detailed information that you simply will not find on national real estate sites.

I have pulled a random selection of some local real estate agents in my home town for you to check out and see in general what they are offering via their web sites.

• Xtreme Team Re/Max Real Estate
• Century21 Real Estate
• Re/Max Real Estate
• Prudential Real Estate
• Real Estate By Ria

What are some other reasons you have benefited from using your local real estate agent's web site? 

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Welcome to the latest series at JosephSangl.com – "Helpful Real Estate Sites".

It is my hope that this series will equip you with new information that helps you make excellent real estate decisions!

Part Three – CNNMoney.com's Real Estate Section

CNN has partnered with Money Magazine to provide helpful and very timely information about real estate – both on the macro level and the personal level.

Some specific reasons I like this site are:

• Timely Articles – Helps me keep up with national trends in real estate
• Calculators – I love all of CNNMoney's calculators – not just the real estate section.  In the real estate section, you can find calculators for renovations, refinancing, cost of living comparisons, and shop for a mortgage.  You can check out their calculators HERE.
• Real Estate Tips – Whenever you learn something new regarding real estate, it has the potential to save you thousands of dollars!  I like saving money!

Those are some of the reasons that I love CNNMoney's Real Estate Section.  Have you used this resource before?

Visit CNNMoney's Real Estate Section

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