Your Credit Score Decoded

Hi All,

Some time ago - back in late March 2015 specifically - Yahoo! Finance did a piece on credit scores.  Basically they discussed how the final credit score number is generated.  Click on this link for the video - and note that a credit score is composed of 5 parts: payment history, debt balance, length of credit history, new credit applications and types of credit.

The rest of this brief blog post will discuss ways to increase your credit score.

Bankrate.com has an article titled, '7 Simple Ways to Improve Your Credit Score'

Myfico.com has an article titled, 'Improve Credit Score: Tips Repair and Improve Your Credit Score'.

Even Forbes.com got into the act with an article on credit scores...title of the article is '11 Ways to Raise Your Credit Score, Fast'. 

US News and World Reports wrote an article called '10 Simple Ways to Raise Your Credit Score'.

So there you have it...a total of 28 ways to help you increase your credit score - and from different sources.  Finally, the Federal Reserve Bank has a link titled '5 Tips: Improving Your Credit Score' - which can be found at this link.

Finally, if you need to contact individual credit score companies, click the following links:
TransUnion, Equifax and Experian.

We have a whole bunch of books in the library if you are interested in reading a book on increasing your credit score.  Click here for a link to the card catalog for the books on credit scores and how to increase your credit score.

Hope the links help you increase your credit score - and fast!

Regards,
Stu

 

Lists, Lists and More Lists!

Hi All,

TechRepublic is a technology news website.  And more. Much more.  As they say on their 'About Us' page on the website, 'TechRepublic helps IT decision-makers identify technologies and strategies to empower workers and streamline business processes....'

So most of the articles are technologically sophisticated and possibly beyond the ken of some readers - or not.  An interesting article they published back in early August 2015 was titled '10 Of The Best Pieces of IT Advice I Ever Heard'. 

The site has a list of '10 Things' for readers to take a look at - here is the link.

There are 87 pages of '10 Things' for readers to look at.  Many of the '10 Things' articles are for IT (information technology - think database managers, web designers, security professionals, etc), but some of the following '10 Things' are right up the alley of regular users.

10 Things I Miss About Old Technology 
10 Easy Ways to Ruin Your Smartphone
10 Reasons Why Working in the Office Beats Telecommuting
Job Interview Noobies: Avoid These 10 Mistakes
10 Free Android Apps That Are Worth Checking Out

Enjoy the lists and the technology advice!

Regards,
Stu

Learn Something New Every Day!

Hi All,

Answering reference questions at the library means that I get to use the internet A LOT!  I jot down the names of interesting, useful, unique websites in the hopes that I can generate a blog entry just like this one!

Introducing...interesting, useful and unique websites!

Fake Name Generator - your randomly generated identity

My Fonts.com - Have you seen a font in use and want to know what it is? Submit an image to WhatTheFont to find the closest matches in our database. Or, let cloak-draped font enthusiasts lend a hand in the WhatTheFont Forum

Camel Camel Camel - Shows you the price history of anything on Amazon and alerts you when the price drops. You can even upload your entire Amazon wish list directly.

Mailbox Locator - Tells you where the closest USPS mailbox is to wherever you are.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Gives you the history and derivation of any word.

Account Killer - Shows you exactly how to close any social media account forever, not just disable them.

Sky Scanner - Lets you search flights by date, price, and budget — even if you don’t know where you want to go.

Date Duration Calculator - Find out exactly how many days/months/years passed between two dates.

Enjoy the sites!

Regards,
Stu

Good Rx - Save on Prescription Drugs!

Hi All,

A few days ago I went for my annual physical.  In the doctors office I found a small business card from GoodRx.  What is GoodRx? It is a FREE prescription drug savings card where users can save up to 80% on prescription drugs at virtually all United States pharmacies.

Note that:

• the card is not insurance
• the card cannot be used in conjunction with any federal or state-funded program such as Medicaid or Medicare
• users can present the card at the pharmacy to receive up to 80% off prescription drug purchases
• your entire family can save money with this card on prescription drug purchases
• If you have any customer/pharmacist questions, call 866-809-9382.
• Customer service hours are from 8:30am-5:00pm CST. 
• Blog readers can visit the site by clicking here.  
• GoodRx has a mobile app that users can download!
• To learn even more about Goodrx, click here and here (even more GoodRx information).
• Click here for the Goodrx pill identifier - its very helpful.
• Finally, Goodrx is well, good for pets - dogs, cats, etc...click here for more information!

Enjoy the site - I hope its beneficial and useful to you and your family!

Regards,
Stu

Things You Can Do With Your Smartphone...

Hi All,

You've come a long way Mr. Smartphone.  No longer is the smartphone just capable of searching the web or getting email or texting.  Nope...its a whole new world out there of tools, scans, resources, fitness tools, note taking, voice operating tools and much, much more - as you'll see in this post. 

You probably know all this already...but if readers pick up even just one tip...well, then I can consider this post a success.  (But I am shooting for a bit more than just one tip being picked up by a reader!)

Mashable has a link  titled, 'Apps: 10 Things You Didn't Know You Could Do With Your Smartphone'.  Check out #3 and #7...

Techrader.com has its own version of '10 Things You Didn't Know Your Smartphone Could Do' - article is current and interesting - check #6...you'll never need to look outside again for the weather - although that might be easier...

As if you didn't know already, there are a ton of fun things you can do with your smartphone - now this list has been organized for you in this article from Sooperarticles.com. Title of the article is 'Fun Things To Do With Your Smartphone'.

Not to be beat, Techlicious.com has come out with an article on '8 Things You Didn't Know You Can Do With Your Smartphone'.  (I had no idea about detecting leaky windows or that you can check your check engine light, or the fish finder!)

And, not to be outdone, USA Today - a mainstream newspaper - chimed in with an article as well.  They titled the article '5 Things You Didn't Know You Could Do With Your Smartphone'. Clever, eh?

Finally, we have a bevy of books in the library on how to use your smartphone! Click on this link which will link you to the Farmingdale library card catalog and books on the subject of smartphones!

Enjoy the links and the books and your smartphone!

Regards,
Stu