Making the Most of Your Credit Card Rewards

  5 Peaceful Paint Colors If you plan to repaint your interiors this year, don’t forget to pick a hue that will positively impact your mood. While bright red or neon green may be fun, they can subconsciously create stress in the body. Below are five peaceful paint colors to up the “ahhh” factor of your favorite spaces. Violet A dusty purple can promote balance and inner peace. Make sure to pick a shade with more blue tones and less black for a relaxing vibe. Green While a neon green can be alarming, a less bright shade (think forest or grass) can be calming and refreshing. Gray While some may think gray is dull, it actually has been shown to be a soothing, stress-free color. Plus, it goes with nearly any accent hue, so you can get creative with accompanying colors. Blue Choose a gentle ocean blue in the bedroom for a restful night’s sleep. Known to reduce tension, opt for a lighter shade when choosing your blue. Yellow A rich, buttery yellow can brighten your spirits. Perfect for b...

  How to Sneak in More Veggies Trying to munch more veggies on the reg, but sick of salads and steamed sides? Below are a handful of simple ways you can up your veggie count with ease. Blend them.  If you’re a smoothie fan, you’ll be thrilled to know that adding a handful or two of baby spinach to your morning blend won’t alter the flavor or texture of your favorite drink. It will, however, give you an added vitamin punch and a bright color. Juice them.  Dust off that unused juicer and aim to make a fresh juice at least once a week. Enlist the help of your family to prep veggies and wash the juicer when you’re done. Unsure of what blend to go with? Try green apple, spinach, cucumber and fennel. Chop them.  Skip the chips! Keep chopped celery, peppers and carrots in the fridge for dipping into salsa and hummus. Shred them.  Shred carrots, broccoli or cabbage and toss them into soups, stir fries, salads or casseroles, or toss them together with your favorite herbs...

  Your Credit Card: What's in it for Thieves Online security breaches where retailers are hacked and customers’ credit card information is stolen are becoming a regular part of the news cycle. Cybercriminals can sell the data online to other criminals, who can then use the information to open bogus accounts in the names of legitimate customers, run up charges on the stolen credit cards and commit other acts of fraud. The going rate for a U.S. credit card number and a software-generated card verification number is worth $5 to $8, according to a report by Intel Security called “The Hidden Data Economy.” If a bank ID number or date of birth is included, the black market price rises to $15. Add in other details, such as a cardholder’s full name, address, mother’s maiden name and Social Security number, among other things — called Fullzinfo — and it can sell for $30. For information stolen from an ATM card, the report says that U.S. cards with PIN numbers sell for $110 each. Some thieve...

  Four Ways to a Higher Credit Score Improving your credit can take time, often many months. But there are some things you can do to raise your credit score quickly, even if only by a few points. Pay Bills on Time Payment history is the most important factor in FICO scores, accounting for up to 35 percent of a credit score. Paying your bills on time—regardless of whether it’s a credit card bill or a utility bill—can significantly improve your score. Late payments stay on a credit report for seven years. The longer ago they happened, the less they affect credit scores. If a bill goes unpaid long enough, the debt can be sold to a collections agency and will get reported to credit bureaus. Maintain Low Balances Keeping a low balance lowers your credit utilization rate, which is the amount of credit you’re using. Also called credit usage, it is the second most important factor in credit scores and accounts for 30 percent of a score. Your credit usage is calculated by dividing the total...

5 Reminders to Keep In Your Wallet Your purse or wallet can be more than just a place to pull your money out of so you can spend it. It can also store a few things to remind you to use less money, or at least use it well. Here are five things to keep in your wallet that can help you use your money well: Cash If you follow the rule of only spending the amount of cash you have on you, then you’ll never have to pay credit card late fees or interest rates on charges, or pay to withdraw your money from an ATM not connected to your bank. Studies  have shown that people spend less money when using cash instead of a credit card. Cash is tangible with value attached to it, while a plastic credit card may not seem like actual money. That said, using only cash should be a reminder to keep within your budget and not to return to the ATM to withdraw money again and again. Reward credit cards Credit cards can get you to focus less on the cost of what you’re buying, which isn’t a good thing. But ...

ATTOM released its Q1 2022 Home Equity Report   This Week in Real Estate  finding 44.9 percent of mortgaged residential properties are considered equity-rich, up from 31.9 percent in the first quarter of 2021. According to OJO Labs, 52 percent of homes in the top 50 metro areas sold for above the list price in April, up from 42 percent a year earlier. Below are a few newsworthy events from the second week of May that influence our business:  *  52% of Homes Sold Above List Price in April.  Competition abounds in the real estate market, and buyers are continuing to bid up home prices this spring. Fifty-two percent of homes sold above the list price in April, up from 45% in March and from 42% a year earlier, according to OJO Labs, a real estate technology company. Seattle tied for the fourth most-competitive metro area with 66% of homes sold above the list price and at an average of $58,275.20 higher (2 nd  highest). Portland, Washington D.C., ...