Blog
Stay informed with the latest articles, tips, and insights about credit and financial wellness.
March 21, 2026
Use CFPB Decisions in Your Dispute Letters: Updated Templates & Tactics for 2025
Leverage recent CFPB enforcement and guidance to strengthen credit dispute letters. Updated templates, timelines, and tactics to win corrections in 2025.
March 18, 2026
Avoiding 'Phantom Debt': Practical Budgeting for BNPL, Subscriptions & Gig Income
Practical budgeting strategies to prevent missed BNPL, subscription and gig‑income surprises. Build buffers, automate payments, and create a variable‑income safety net.
March 14, 2026
Rebuilding Credit After Chapter 7 or 13 in the Age of Open Banking
Step‑by‑step strategies to rebuild credit after Chapter 7 or 13 using secured cards, rent/pay reporting and modern open‑banking tools while protecting privacy.
March 11, 2026
BNPL & Medical Collections: Settle, File Bankruptcy, or Negotiate? A Practical Guide
Practical guide to decide whether to settle BNPL or medical collection debts, file Chapter 7/13 bankruptcy, or negotiate — credit, legal, and tax effects explained.
March 6, 2026
How 2025’s Late‑Fee Legal Changes Affect Your Card Strategy: Fees, Retention Offers & Credit Risk
2025 late‑fee legal changes and the CFPB vacatur: what cardholders should know about fees, retention offers, and credit risk plus practical steps to protect your score.
March 3, 2026
FICO 10 BNPL Explained: What Weighting Changes Mean for Your Score
Learn how FICO Score 10 BNPL incorporates buy‑now‑pay‑later data, what weighting changes mean for payments and utilization, and see practical score examples.
February 27, 2026
Where BNPL, Rent and Utility Payments Appear on Your Credit Report — And How to Monitor Them
Learn where BNPL, rent and utility payments show on credit reports, who reports them, and practical steps to monitor, verify and dispute entries.
February 26, 2026
When a Secured Card Reports Same‑Day Payments: Fast Ways to Move Your Score (and What to Watch)
Learn when secured‑card same‑day payments can lower reported utilization, how to time payments for fastest score gains, and risks to avoid to protect your credit.
February 22, 2026
Open Banking, CFPB and Your Credit: How Data Rights Could Help You Build Credit
Learn how CFPB open‑banking rules and alternative data (rent, utilities, payroll, BNPL) can help build credit — and what consumers should do to protect their data.
February 18, 2026
FICO’s New BNPL Scores: How (and When) Buy‑Now‑Pay‑Later Could Affect Your Credit in 2025
FICO now includes BNPL data in new Score 10 BNPL models. Learn who is affected, which BNPLs report, and how to protect or build credit in 2025.