CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 02/29/04

Fiscal Fitness 2004

By Michael Rupured
University of Georgia

Only serious effort, time and a good debt-repayment plan can help repair bad credit. Unfortunately, many companies want people to believe otherwise.

These companies make false claims about credit repair. People believe these claims, pay the companies money and find themselves with the same bad credit.

In many cases, the credit-repair company may encourage you to commit a crime by asking you to create a federal ID number. Basically, they're asking you to create a new identity, which is illegal.

Targeting desperate people

Credit-repair companies target people who desperately want a car, a house, insurance or even a job but have bad credit. These people are lured by ads claiming, "We can erase your bad credit -- 100-percent guaranteed."

They wrongly claim they can erase information from your credit report.

If you feel you need to seek repair for your bad credit, keep in mind:

  • Credit-repair companies are not allowed to make false claims about their services.
  • They can't charge you until services are complete.
  • They can't perform any services until they have your signature and have completed a three-day waiting period.
  • Inaccurate information can be removed at no cost by reporting the error to the credit-reporting agency.
  • It's illegal to create a new identity to get credit.
  • Sometimes self-help may be the best option.

There is a simple, free solution

The secret to improving your credit rating is simple and free. First, pay your bills on time. Next, report discrepancies to the credit bureau, reduce the amount you owe and close unused lines of credit.

And remember to get a copy of your credit report at least once a year. You can do so by contacting the three national credit bureaus: Equifax, 1-800-685-1111; Experian, 1-888-397-3742; and Transunion, 1-800-916-8800.

In some states, including Georgia, you can request two free reports a year from each bureau.

Sharon Omahen is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Michael Rupured is a financial specialist with University of Georgia Cooperative Extension.

Experts/Sources:
Michael Rupured
The holiday season can be a time of anticipation and joy, but balancing multiple commitments and personalities across families and friends can be a source of stress for hosts and visitors alike. Like preparing parts of the meal ahead of time to spend more of the holiday with guests, taking time ahead of the day to set expectations can go a long way to ensuring enjoyable gatherings, said Ted Futris, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension specialist and professor of human development and family science in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. CAES News
Manage holiday stress with kindness, boundaries 11/21/24 Maria M. Lameiras
The holiday season can be a time of anticipation and joy, but balancing multiple commitments and personalities across families and friends can be a source of stress for hosts and visitors alike. Much like preparing parts of the meal ahead of time allows you to spend more of the holiday with guests, setting expectations ahead of the celebration can go a long way to ensuring enjoyable gatherings, said Ted Futris, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension specialist and professor of human development and family science.
Conner Hall CAES News
CAES welcomes 2024 cohort of Rural Scholars 11/20/24 Maria M. Lameiras
The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences welcomed its fourth cohort of students chosen for the CAES Rural Scholars Program this fall just weeks after celebrating the program's first graduation. Georgia Orman, one of four inaugural Rural Scholars in CAES, graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education. The new scholars for 2024, all from Georgia, are Ela Ash of Ocilla, Lauren E. Coley of Cochran, Amelia Housley of Canon, and London O’Steen of Ambrose.
Women play a vital role in rural American farming, but much of that work is "invisible," like raising children or household chores, according to a new UGA study. (Getty Images) CAES News
The women and stress behind rural farming in America 11/19/24 Leigh Hataway
Recent research from the University of Georgia suggests the unique stresses from farm life may be taking a toll on one of the pillars of the families that make your dinners possible: the women who keep farming families running. “If we don’t control our food sources, we don’t control our health and safety,” said Anna Scheyett, lead author of the study and a professor in UGA’s School of Social Work. “It’s a matter of national security that farmers survive in the United States. And one of the big factors in helping farms survive is women.”
Mergoum at Creature Comforts CAES News
That's the spirit! 11/18/24 Maria M. Lameiras, Claire Sanders Kinnard
Wheat breeders spend years meticulously crossing varieties to coax the best traits out of each species, carefully propagating plant varieties that are healthier, heartier and better suited for the environments where they are grown. Professional brewmasters are equally painstaking when choosing the components that will give their beers a specific flavor profile.
Contest-winning concept becomes viable business for alumnus who developed solar-powered, self-propelled chicken coop as a student. CAES News
Poultry in motion 11/14/24 Sean Montgomery
Chris Ayers emerged from his orange and black rough-terrain vehicle with an ear-to-ear grin. “This is Chiktopia,” he said, sweeping his arm wide to indicate the back half of a 3,600-square-foot warehouse on his family’s farm in Ball Ground, Georgia. “This is where I manufacture and assemble the chicken coops. Everything is done entirely from over here.”
UGA Grand Farm Site Plan web CAES News
UGA Grand Farm wins stage two of 2024 Growth Accelerator Fund competition 11/13/24 Jordan Powers
Startups in the agricultural technology sector face significant barriers on the path to establishment, including access to training and capital. These barriers are heightened for underrepresented entrepreneurs seeking to start new companies. The University of Georgia Grand Farm, part of a historic partnership between the University of Georgia and Fargo, North Dakota-based Grand Farm, aims to change that.