Credit scores are an indicator of how you manage your money and repay your debt, based on personal and financial information kept in your credit record. When you apply for credit or a loan, lenders use credit scores to determine whether to approve your application or to lend you money. Knowing your credit score can help you negotiate better credit deals or understand why a credit application may have been declined. If you’re unsure what your credit score is, or how to access your credit report, here’s a helpful guide.

The post-holiday season can be a tough time for many Australians, as credit card statements arrive and a true assessment of Christmas overspending is made. If you’re facing a Christmas Debt Hangover after overspending during the holidays, the next few months will be critical to ensuring you get your finances back on track again. To help you manage your Christmas debt, and to ensure you avoid overspending this year, here are 3 tips from Mortgage Express.

Every time you apply for credit, spend using credit, or make (or miss) a repayment on a loan or a utility bill, you influence your credit score. In turn, your credit score is used by lenders to determine whether or not to give you more credit. That’s why keeping a good credit score is so important. It can mean the difference between an approval or a decline next time you apply for a loan. So, when did you last check your credit score? And do you know how creditworthy you are?

The world is reeling from the impact of Covid-19: Not only can it make us sick, it can threaten our very livelihood too. Already, there are Australians concerned about meeting their financial commitments, dealing with a drop in income as work hours reduce or facing total job loss. If you have been impacted by these events due to the current crisis, there are options that can help.

While you won’t find this expression in a mainstream dictionary, it’s a feeling that’s all too real for anyone who’s overspent at Christmas. A Christmas Debt Hangover usually kicks in around the middle of January when the credit card bills start rolling in. Symptoms include stress, trouble sleeping and an aversion to checking the mailbox! Here’s how to cure it.

It’s been called the next big thing to hit Australia – a “buy now, pay later” scheme that doesn’t cost you anything. Or does it? Operating like a lay-by system, Afterpay lets you buy something now and pay it off in four instalments over eight weeks. Since July 2018, 2.2 million people have already used Afterpay. We ask the question, “what’s the catch with Afterpay?”.

Bad credit happens for all sorts of reasons: illness, divorce, redundancy, causing you to miss payments and end up with a black mark against your name. Even if you do manage to pay the overdue bills, clear your debt, or fix up a default on a loan repayment, your credit history may still be impaired. Read on to find out what bad credit is and what your options are when it comes to securing a home loan with bad credit.

As your biggest expense, keeping track of your home loan and any changes to the market or your own situation makes good financial sense. An annual home loan review could lead to significant savings, give you access to better home loan features, or let you tap into your home’s equity to fund other expenses. Read on to find out why a home loan review could help you save money.

Online shopping means spending money has never been easier. The convenience of never having to leave home to buy everything you need comes at a price though, as it’s just as easy to overspend and end up in debt. The good news is it is possible to break that cycle of overspending and be debt-free. We share a few simple steps to help get you started.

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the busy-ness of the season and end up spending far more than you intended at Christmas time. From buying extravagant gifts to decorating your home to the endless entertaining: Christmas spending quickly adds up. Which is why creating a Christmas budget makes perfect sense. Here are some key steps you can take to set a budget for Christmas that won’t break your bank.