How to get Business Credit

I am the Corporate Business Manager for a rapidly growing new business. We have gone from zero to 2 million in engineering work overnight. Awesome!

You say awesome? It is. Most new companies are trying to find work. We have work we need employees. We need cell phones, we need computers, we need credit cards and more. We need cash flow. The money doesn’t come in until the work is done.

In order to make it all work we need credit. We need some credit cards, possibly a line of credit. We need a decent credit score so we can get cell phones and computers.

How do we build the credit of a new business? Everyone asks for a social security card number of the owners. The owners aren’t all happy about this. They say use the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN). Sounds easy. It isn’t.

So I am going to be building the credit worthiness of our business. You can follow along and learn how to make a business work and get the credit you need for your business. [Read more...]

Should you use a credit repair company

Let’s be crystal clear, right up front. Paying someone to “fix” your credit is a waste of your time and money, since the negative issues that are temporarily removed from your file will only reappear again in a couple of months.
Be careful with credit repair scams.

Most “credit repair” companies really don’t help. In fact, you can improve your credit more effectively on your own. By using credit repair companies, you may also be opening yourself up to identity theft, unsolicited emails, and direct mailings. Protect yourself; don’t ever share your personal information with strangers or give up your right to handle your own financial affairs as you see fit.

Another important point: credit counselors only promise to get you out of debt, not to improve your credit. Some companies will have you send them a check every month, out of which they’re supposed to pay your creditors for you. However [Read more...]

Home Buyers Facing Higer Credit Report Costs

The Seattle Times Reports that home buyers will now face higher charges due to Experian and Equifax changing the rules and how much is charged when mortgage brokers shop rates for their customers.

Home buyers and refinancers face higher fees for credit reports beginning Jan. 1 — a price boost that has mortgage, credit-industry and consumer-group leaders fuming.

This will amount to $100 – $200 more per home buyer which doesn’t seem like a lot, but when home buyers are already pushed to the limit ever dollar counts.