Credit Scores. It can be one of those touchy topics depending on how you see it. Your score can take years to build up and just months to destroy. We’ve all suffered from credit mishaps; from forgetting to make a payment to utilizing all of your credit. Sometimes, a bad score can be result of something out of our control- divorce, medical bills, and bankruptcy. Simply, maintaining your credit is a way of life. Since almost all big purchases require credit, A low score will make everything more expensive. You’ll have to pay a higher interest rate on loans over time.A score Is used to show credit history, on-time payments, responsibility and discipline. A low credit score will improve naturally over time, so don’t lose sleep over it. However, if you have upcoming equipment financing or leasing needs in the near future. It’d be smart to try raising your score beforehand. That can be the deciding factor between boosting you into the next tier and saving money.Let’s be realistic. There’s no miracle method to raise your credit score 100 points in a month. Some Credit Repair “Experts” will try to fool you into believing this can be done, but it’s simply impossible. You hear it all the time in advertisements – ” 1-2% APR for excellent credit “, but you’re never sure what exactly is excellent credit. Let’s break it down, There are 4 tiers of credit.Tier 1 (Excellent Credit): 700 and aboveTier 2 (Good Credit): 660-699Tier 3 (Fair Credit): 620-659Tier 4 (Poor Credit): 619 and belowCredit scoreTier 1 and 2 typically get the best rates. Tier 4 is usually the most difficult to get approval for. Even if you have a Tier 3 score, it’s still advisable to try and improve your score. It’s a important part of your life and business. If you’re a newer business without cashflow statements, it can be hard to obtain financing. Many Lenders will use your score to assess you. That’s why it’s important to improve your credit score when you can.Here are our 4 best hacks for quickly improving your credit score. The improvement can be anywhere between 10 points to 40 points which should be enough to bump your credit score up. Note: These are quick tips to boost your score up, we will have a more comprehensive guide on maintaining your credit later.Dispute the negative marks – We get it. It’s hard to pay your bills on time sometimes. Between juggling your business and family, paying your bill sometimes slips your mind. There’s 3 major credit reporting bureau: TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian. Your credit report with all of them will vary a little bit. Contact them and dispute whatever you can. Write as much as you can with your dispute and make copies of everything.NOTE: Spend time and be thorough – This can make a huge impact on your scores.Open A New Secured Credit Card – According to Credit Karma: People with a credit score of 800 and above typically have 7 open credit cards. While you don’t want to open more than 1 a year, 7 is just a guideline number to aim for. No matter how bad your credit score might be, you can still get approved for a secured credit card. Secured Credit Cards are the best way to rebuild your credit. You’ll have to put a deposit down, but the lender will give you a line of credit. To pick a good secured credit card to use, we would use this Guide by Magnify Money.NOTE: You want to keep your credit utilization under 30% usage, so monitor your usage accordingly. Only open 1 credit card as doing more may hurt your score.Raise your Credit Limits – Call your existing card companies and ask for your limits raised. If you’re not at 100% credit utilization, it’ll be helpful to get your limits raised. Even if it’s just a 10% increase, It’ll help your overall report health.Become an Authorized User – This one is a little tougher to do. You’ll need someone who is in good credit standing. They’ll add you onto their existing credit card accounts. You’ll be provided a card linked to their account and responsible for charges spent. Family members and Close friends are going to be the people you ask. Understandably, It’ll be difficult convincing someone to add you, so don’t take it personally. Becoming an authorized user can cause a boost in score up to 50 points!TIP: Don’t use the card when you get added. Shred it so you won’t have any temptation.Leveraging your credit is important to getting the most out of your money. Hopefully with these 4 hacks, you’ll get the score improvements that you need. The usual advice applies, don’t overspend with your new increased credit limits and pay your bills on time! Many people have success using the autopay feature to eliminate late payments. Feel free reach out to us and let us know how this has benefited you!

Planning to get into the finance industry? Well there is a lot you will want to know about the much hyped industry before you actually join in. It is indeed one of the most popular career choices today and finance careers are indeed looked upon as golden careers. Finance jobs today pay the best salaries in the job industry and you should stop worrying about the recession coz it is almost over. The finance industry has almost completely recovered from the recession and is back to making a steady progress. Fresh investment is flowing in and finance seems to be thriving like the good old times.There are many avenues to finance jobs today. Government finance jobs promise you job security and are still a popular preference for many. In fact there are many government institutions which have a good intake for finance jobs. Except for government banks and financial institutions almost every government office does need a finance department.Now if you are really ambitious and have huge set goals for the future the private sector is where you must concentrate. It’s not that one cannot develop in a government organization but there are many limitations to this growth which are absent in the private sector. There is a huge requirement for corporate finance jobs owing to the big scale corporatization of the business industry. Be it multinational companies or small local companies almost every organization is heading towards corporatization which again is a great advantage for finance aspirants.Now how to begin a career in finance? The first thing you need is a strong educational background. Make sure you do your academics well and score the best of grades coz these are the only things which will help you in the initial years in finance. You firstly need to graduate from a reputed college for which you will need excellent high school grades. If you are still in high school this is the right time. Start getting serious about your education today itself.After this you will need to get into one of the best finance internships available. Internships are one of the best ways to learn more about the finance industry. On the job training at an internship will groom the finance professional in you. You will also get a chance to interact with some of the big guns in the finance industry this way. It helps with developing a network in your industry which is very essential to grow high. This network not only helps you with job opportunities in finance but also ensures that your work moves on smoothly no matter where you are.After the internship you should get into an entry level finance job. It is very essential that you give your 100% in these jobs as the competition is humongous and to leave an impression you have to prove your worth. Do not dream of reaching the skies in a day rather work to achieve your ambitions in a slow and steady way.

Are young children well suited to the use of technology? Modern technologies are very powerful because they rely on one of the most powerful genetic biases we do have – the preference for visually presented information. The human brain has a tremendous bias for visually presented information. Television, movies, videos, and most computer programs are very visually oriented and therefore attract and maintain the attention of young children. When young children sit in front of television for hours, they fail to develop other perceptions. But the technologies that benefit young children the greatest are those that are interactive and allow the child to develop their curiosity, problem solving and independent thinking skills.Technology plays a key role in all aspects of American life which will only increase in the future. As technology has become more easy to use, the usage of it by children has simultaneously increased. Early childhood educators have a responsibility to critically examine the impact of technology on children and be prepared to use technology to benefit children. Children educators must be more responsible in bringing a change in the lives of children and their families.There are several issues related to the use of technology by young children:• the essential role of teacher in evaluating in evaluating appropriate use of technology.
• the amalgamation of technology in early childhood programs
• stereotyping and violence in software
• equitable access to technology
• implication of technology for professional development
• role of teachers and parents as advocatesA teacher’s role is critical in making good decisions regarding the use of technology in order to achieve potential benefits. Choosing the correct software is quite similar to choosing the perfect set of books for a classroom. Teachers should take the advantage of computers to introduce new teaching and development strategies. Computers are intrinsically compelling for young children. The sound and graphics attract a child’s attention. An appropriate software engages children in creative play, mastery learning, problem solving, and conversation. Children control the pacing and the action. They can repeat a process or activity as often as they like and experiment with variations. They can collaborate in making decisions and share their discoveries and creations. Well-designed early childhood software grows in dimension with the child, enabling her to find new challenges as she becomes more proficient. Appropriate visual and verbal prompts designed in the software expand play themes and opportunities while leaving the child in control. Vast collections of images, sounds, and information of all kinds are placed at the child’s disposal. Software can be made age appropriate even for children as young as three or four. This shows that technology can enhance a child’s cognitive and social abilities. It provides a window to a child’s thinking.Every classroom has its own guiding philosophies, values, themes and activities. Early childhood educators should promote equitable access to technology for all children and their families. Modern technologies are very powerful as they rely on one of the most powerful biases we have. The problem with this is that many of the modern technologies are very passive. Because of this they do not provide children with the quality and quantity of crucial emotional, social, cognitive, or physical experiences they require when they are young.Unfortunately, technology is often used to replace social situations but it should be used to enhance human interactions. During the current decade, research has moved beyond simple questions about technology. Very young children are showing comfort and confidence in handling computers. They can turn them on, follow pictorial directions, and use situational and visual cues to understand and reason about their activity. Typing on the keyboard does not seem to cause them any trouble; in fact, it seems to be a source of pride. Thanks to recent technological developments, even children with physical and emotional disabilities can use the computer with ease. Besides enhancing their mobility and sense of control, computers can help improve self-esteem.Thus the exclusive value of technology is no more in question. Research shows that what is solid for children is not merely what is physical but what is meaningful. Computer representations are often more manageable, flexible, and extensible. To add more there are a number of specialized programs that allow children with certain information-processing problems to get a multimedia presentation of content so that they can better understand and process the material. Even now there are a number of good software programs with a primary educational focus on mathematics or reading. These programs, which are very engaging, motivate children to read better and learn how to solve math problems. When information is presented in a fun and way, it is a lot easier than looking at a single page that has a bunch of columns of numbers you’re supposed to add up.We are always in search for the magic wand that vanish and solve all our programs. And today the magic wand in our life is technology. It not only increases academic skill, reduce dropout rates but also diminishes the racial divide in academic performance. The danger, however, is that computers will be used only to reinforce the national trend toward earlier and more academic skill acquisition, and that other important developmental needs will be ignored. Moreover the fear will remain that developmental needs not met through technology will be ignored or radically compromised: physical play, outdoor exploration of the community and of nature; art, music and dance; learning specific social skills and moral values, and experiencing diversity in a myriad of ways.In most of the early childhood programs and schools, technology will be part of the learning landscape of the future. To make sure this new technology is used effectively, we must assure that teachers are fully trained and supported, and that the programs and internet sites used are developmentally appropriate, non racist, non-biased against people with disabilities, and respect religious differences.