Financial insights
Guides and useful information to help you make informed financial decisions.
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Hard Pull vs Soft Pull: What Costs You Points and What Costs You Nothing
A hard inquiry follows an application and fades in a year. A soft one only you can see. The rate shopping window, the five point rule, and the inquiry that means fraud.
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Credit Utilization: The 30 Percent of Your Score You Can Move This Month
You pay in full and the score sits still. The reason is the balance your issuer reported on the statement closing date, not the one you paid three weeks later.
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APR vs APY: One Is the Price You Pay, One Is the Money You Keep
One is quoted before compounding and charged by the day, the other already did the math. The daily rate on a card, the grace period that cancels it, and why prime moves both.
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Why Your Credit Score Dropped After You Paid Off a Loan (and When It Comes Back)
You did the responsible thing and lost 14 points. Here is the mechanism, the timeline, and the one case where the dip is a real warning.
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