Credit Simple NZ
For most of us, there’s nothing we spend more on each month than our mortgage. So there’s never a month where it’s not worth asking: “Could I be doing better? Could I be getting closer to paying it off? Could I be paying a bit less in interest?” Here are our top tips for making sure you’re putting the least in and getting the most out. Push your bank a bit harder It’s always worth bearing in mind that banks…
read more
A mortgage can easily end up costing you thousands more than it needs to, maybe tens of thousands, if you’re not always looking for the best deal. Sometimes you can do better by refinancing to a mortgage with a lower interest rate. But it’s not something you want to be doing without some careful preparation and homework. What do you need, and what will it cost you to change? Before you start refinancing, find out exactly how much you need…
read more
Keeping tabs on your credit score could be crucial if you have hopes of funding some of life’s biggest purchases, such as a house or car. But what about your credit report? If you’re not sure of the difference, don’t fret, as we’re about to give you a crash course on credit scores and credit reports, including how you can get your hands on them both (for free). Your report contains all the information that lenders have regarding your past…
read more
If you’re a student, or about to head to university, now is the crucial time to start managing your money and finessing your finances. But what’s a student to do? You’re being offered multiple deals, credit cards, and interest-free overdrafts, plus there are those worrying student loans. We’ve pulled together the ultimate guide to student finances. Download it by clicking on the image below.
read more
Being snowed under by bills or chased by a lender or debt collector can feel stressful. Having your bank balance constantly in the red can feel like life is spinning out of control. It can help to talk to someone about what’s happening, get another perspective and put a plan into place. Thanks to Fincap, you can get support for free. Fincap has set up a new helpline, MoneyTalks, which is an easy first port of call for anyone needing…
read more
Is 600 a bad credit rating? How about 500? Or 400? Without context, calculating your creditworthiness based on your score alone can be difficult. Fortunately, we’re here to help you better understand your credit rating, particularly if you suspect you have a bad score. The good, the bad and the ugly Your credit score at Credit Simple ranges from 0 to 1,000 – and the closer you get to zero, the uglier your rating looks to lenders. But at which…
read more
You may not have put much thought into your credit rating before, especially if you’ve avoided credit cards, mortgages and other loans in the past. But there will likely come a day when you want financial help from lenders, so here’s our quick guide of everything you need to know about credit scores. Any score over 500 is good, so your rating may not be as bad as you think. What is a credit score? Organisations use credit ratings to…
read moreBanking is moving into a new high tech universe. Like many other aspects of our lives the digital revolution is about the change the way we bank. We may even use Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram or other social media platforms for our banking with the traditional bank relegated to providing wholesale services. Here is what I think: Banks have got us by the short and curlies. Whichever way we turn there are fees, fees, and more fees. The mainly Aussie-owned banks…
read more
Don’t believe you have to have a credit card. Paying interest sucks. It sucks the lifeblood out of your finances. That’s because unless you clear your entire bill within the interest free days, you pay interest. That interest means you’re paying as much as 22.95% more than your mates at the mainstream banks for the same things, which has a detrimental effect on your finances over time. Other (cheaper) ways to pay Thankfully there are way more credit-free ways to…
read more
It’s entirely within the spirit of this blog that I’m cheating by stealing the title from this excellent post by my former colleague Vikki Cheng. In it, she gives the advice that instead of quitting our days jobs we should instead cheat on them. It’s what the young folks these days would call a “side hustle”: following something you’re passionate about while still turning up at the factory day after day to make widgets or whatever it is Mr Fatbucks…
read more