Lifestyle – Inclusion Magazine

Why You Should Get Three Credit Reports Simultaneously – and Not Just One

By : Katie Berry

YOU MAY KNOW THAT FEDERAL REGULATION ENTITLES YOU TO OBTAIN ONE FREE CREDIT SCORE REPORT EVERY YEAR FROM THE THREE MAIN CREDIT BUREAUS: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. However have you learnt the easiest way to take action, and the best way to stay on high of your credit all year lengthy?

To get your credit score stories at no charge from the credit bureaus, simply log onto Annualcreditreport.com, the website maintained by the three credit reporting agencies. When you request your credit score files, you will have the choice of getting these reports in certainly one of two ways: abruptly, or over an interval of a number of months, maybe even up to a year.

Some experts advocate that you get a single credit report at a time, staggering them every 4 months or so, to see your credit information throughout the year. Below this state of affairs, you would possibly retrieve your Equifax report in January, your Experian report 4 months later in May, after which your TransUnion report in another four months, in September. The following yr you’d repeat the cycle, picking up those respective credit stories again in January, Could and September. Advocates of this technique counsel that, to execute this technique, you need to arrange email notifications, text alerts or different calendar reminders that will help you preserve tabs on your credit and when to subsequent request a credit score file throughout the year.

Whereas this course of can work, I strongly suggest a distinct method. Specifically, I feel you will be much better off getting all three credit score reports at once, and signing up for a worthwhile credit monitoring service. (FreeCreditReport.com has a very good credit monitoring service, because it tracks all three credit score bureaus, and can provide you with a warning to any activity in your credit score files, such as inquiries, newly-opened credit score accounts, or late payments reported by creditors).

So why it’s most advantageous to get all your credit stories simultaneously as opposed to waiting and getting these credit score information in a staggered trend over the course of many months? It boils down to those four major benefits:

Speedier Decision of Errors – If something is fallacious in any one of your credit files, you need to know about it and get it corrected, pronto. Once you pull all three of your credit studies, you are capable of immediately tell if one, two or your whole credit score recordsdata have inaccuracies about your credit past. If so, you may start disputing those errors immediately. If you happen to waited to get your credit experiences, months might go by with damaging, faulty info on your credit files without you even understanding it. And remember, should you’re looking for any loans, errors in your credit information could trigger your application to be rejected, or may power you to pay larger interest rates than you should.
Readability About Differences and Discrepancies in Your Credit Information – By taking a look at all three credit stories in concert, you will acquire readability and insight into a bunch of potential differences and discrepancies contained in your numerous credit files. For example, does one in every of your stories show that that student mortgage you paid off, however the other two lack that data? If so, you may want to have that constructive cost historical past (i.e. a file of your successful mortgage payoff ) added to those two other credit score files. And what about different discrepancies? Are you listed as an authorized consumer or a certain bank card account in your TransUnion report, however as a co-signer of that very same credit score account on your Equifax file? The difference could seem refined, but it could influence your credit rating. Additionally, have you ever pulled your credit score scores and not understood why the scores linked to the Experian report came in at seven-hundred, whereas the score primarily based in your Equifax file was a 675, and the TransUnion-linked score was simply 658? These rating discrepancies can steadily be defined by the disparities in your credit files; disparities akin to inquiries listed, amount of debts proven, or the payment monitor record reported in each of your credit score files.
Higher Credit score Schooling – Maybe the chief good thing about viewing all your credit score reports together is the amazing amount of monetary schooling you will assuredly get about your credit profile just by wanting at the highlights of every credit file, and the best way that related info is presented differently in every credit score report. Each one in every of us learns otherwise, and you will find that you simply perceive some aspect of your credit better (or not as nicely) from the experiences generated by Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. For instance, after pulling my most up-to-date TransUnion report, my first thought, in all candor, was: Yuck. Not because I had low credit; my credit is actually excellent. However I merely didn’t like the best way the data was presented in my TransUnion file. The tiny print on the file was exhausting to read. There have been complicated images.
All my accounts have been listed alphabetically, making it troublesome to find out or see which accounts were closed versus which ones had been open. It reminded me of an engineering report with little containers and issues I needed to somehow decipher. All in all, the supply of knowledge from TransUnion wasn’t enticing or particularly enlightening to me. In contrast to the TransUnion credit report, I actually appreciated the visual presentation on my Equifax and Experian reports. My Experian report was easy to read, offered in a clear summarystyle format, and clued me in to salient points proper methods, such as the number of open and closed accounts in my file, and the truth that all my accounts were in good standing with no delinquencies. With my Equifax report, I appreciated that Equifax did loads of evaluation work for me. It too informed me the variety of Open Accounts I had, gave me balances, available credit and credit limits on each, after which calculated my debt to credit score ratio. My Equifax report additionally tallied my month-to-month fee quantities in each category (mortgage, installment and revolving debt), and informed me of how many accounts hade a balance. So my point is solely this: each credit report had one thing invaluable to offer; had I solely checked out one report, I wouldn’t have realized as much. To conclude, simply because the TransUnion report did not wow me, doesn’t suggest it won’t be discernible or precious to you. Some of us wish to see data presented in a textual content-heavy manner, with numerous words and explanations. Others want charts and graphs to clarify issues to you. And still others like photos or snapshot summaries.
No matter what your desire, you’ll be all the more educated about your credit for those who take the time to look at the information contained in each of the three reviews together. As proof of this, I ought to observe that despite my previous feedback about my TransUnion report, I nonetheless did learn several useful takeaways courtesy of that report data I would not have instantly grasped had I solely pulled my Equifax or Experian reports. For instance, TransUnion was the only bureau to provide me an abstract of the length of my credit score history. On the high of my TransUnion report was an announcement that mentioned: “You will have been on our files since 02/1987.” This was good to know, particularly since the length of credit score historical past counts in computing one’s credit score. The TransUnion report moreover defined just a few mysterious codes that are generally contained in credit score stories, however not always explained. To be precise, my TransUnion report said: “If any item on your credit score report begins with ‘MED1’, it consists of medical data and the data following ‘MED1’ shouldn’t be exhibited to anybody however you besides where permitted by law.” Although I had no medical debt, this is able to be good information for those trying to interpret that MED1 code.
Extra Complete View of Your Overall Credit Standing – Whenever you get all three of your credit score reviews without delay, you’re giving your self the identical comprehensive, birds-eye view of your credit profile that many lenders use. Especially when banks are evaluating you for a significant mortgage, resembling a mortgage, a lot of them will pull a so-known as tri-merged report, or a three-in-1 credit file containing info from TransUnion, Equifax and Experian. There’s a purpose that lenders need to have a look at all three of your studies: and it is to have all of the facts about you, and the broadest attainable look at your credit score rating. If lenders and collectors take that full scale strategy to examining your credit score, then so ought to you. A few of you might ask: However what if I am not in search of a mortgage? Do I really need to know what’s in all three experiences? The answer is a powerful yes. Regardless that you is probably not available in the market for a mortgage, is it potential in the close to future you will apply for any form of credit in any way say a bank card, a car mortgage or some kind of a line of credit? If so, you obviously know that a financial institution is going to pull your credit. But the issue is: you don’t know exactly which credit file they’re going to examine. That’s why you need to already know what’s in all three of those reports. Don’t take the chance of being ignorant about one thing lacking or inaccurate being in your credit score file, and having that data harm your possibilities of getting the credit you need or need.

As you possibly can see, there are a bunch of causes to get all of your credit score reviews directly, especially during the world credit score crunch we are experiencing. A simultaneous examination of all three recordsdata from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion is without doubt one of the most sure-fire methods to get a real image of your credit status. Given these info, it’s virtually unthinkable that many individuals both consciously or unconsciously select to not pull their credit score files regardless that they’ll get them rapidly, free of charge, and even conveniently online.

Gender Differences: Men want sex and women want to talk.

by Hara Estroff Marano

WHAT BEWILDERS ME, AND MAYBE OTHERS, IS DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN. It seems to me, that most often men’s driving force (conscious or unconscious) is sex but a woman’s driving force is emotional exchange. Women want to receive things like recognition, validation, feeling needed and wanted and of course, to be loved. When do a man’s emotions come into play beyond sexual desire? What makes the crossover from sexual desire to something more?

Sad but true, some men don’t know how to emotionally connect with anyone, including women. Unfortunately, some also were raised according to such a double standard that they can’t countenance sex and affection in the same package. Many men want to emotionally connect with a woman, and to connect with their own children, but it’s also true that many don’t know how to be vulnerable, which is what intimacy demands. They’re often caught in a bind, wanting more emotional depth to their lives but not knowing how to get it because boys are taught from a young age that emotional stuff is girls’ stuff. Truth is, emotional stuff is human being stuff. What’s a poor woman to do?

First and most important— choose the right guy. Someone with whom you establish a conversation and rapport before you jump into bed. And then recognize that men often do express affection through sex. Further, the closeness they feel after sex presents a great opportunity for conversation that contains the “emotional exchange” so satisfying to women (and to men, too). But women sometimes demand too much emotional talk from men. Women need to recognize that men often express affection best through actions (changing a light bulb, fixing the VCR) rather than words.

The Man in the Mirror

by Raynard Jackson

The Church used to be the mirror that society looked into to see it’s reflection. But, now the church has become the reflection that mirrors society. Unfortunately, the church seems to have lost its way and can no longer be counted on to provide light in a dark world. Last month, embattled preacher Eddie Long made an out of court statement of the sexual charges made against him by 4 teenage parishioners. The settlement is reported to have been for $ 15 million (to be split between the four accusers). The accusers were: Anthony Flagg, Maurice Robinson, Jamal Parris and Spencer LeGrande.

The suit accused Long of using his position as pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church to coerce the men into having sexual relationships with him while they were teenage members of his congregation (they were said to have been 17 years old). The acts included massages, masturbation, and oral sex. The age of consent in the state of Georgia is 16. The accusers were all over the age of consent when the acts occurred; therefore law enforcement had no grounds for criminal charges. New Birth is one of the largest churches in the Atlanta area, with a membership estimated to be around 25,000. As to be expected, members are leaving the church in droves, including one of their assistant pastors, Bernice King, youngest daughter of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

To add salt to the wound, Creflo Dollar has shown his arrogance in his attempted defense of Long (a long time friend). According to Dollar’s sermon from last Sunday (seen on YouTube): “That preacher’s still anointed to do what he was called to. He just had a wreck (the sexual coercion charge)… The blood (of Jesus) will take care of his issue just like it will take care of yours. And I can’t believe that people would leave their preacher because he had a wreck, instead of praying for him. So he had a wreck. You’ve had some wrecks. And I’m thinking, ‘Man, the mercy of God showed on you, but you couldn’t show it to the preacher?… He had a wreck, [but] here’s the good news. He’s got insurance. If you’re from that church that you know I’m talking about, you trying to join here, I don’t want you to join here. You need to go and join where you’re supposed to be.”

Dollar is pastor of World Changers Church in Atlanta. They have an estimated membership of 30,000 people. Long and Dollar are both advocates of the “prosperity gospel”. This is basically a belief in the modern church that God wants everyone to be millionaires. All you have to do is obey preachers like Long and Dollar, give them your money, and God will give you a big house, an expensive car, and any other material possessions you want. They should know. Long drives a Bentley, has a 9 bedroom house, and has a $ 1 million salary. Dollar (what an ironic name) has a $ 3 million house in Atlanta, $ 2.4 million condo in NY, 2 Rolls-Royces, and a private jet. These preachers have basically made God into a personal ATM! According to their theology, if you don’t have material riches, you must be doing something wrong! These mega churches have become the “Wall Street” of religion (as in the movie) where “greed is good.” These preachers depend on “the cult of personality” to expand their empires. People tend to join these churches because of the preacher, not the message that is being preached.

These preachers are nothing but celebrities with robes on. But, when you pull back the robes, most of them are naked—both literally and figuratively. Like in the movie, “The Wiz,” when you go behind the curtain, you find a big ole phony!

I am a graduate of Oral Roberts University, one of the preeminent Christian schools in the country. I have worked around many of the biggest names in the “prosperity theology” movement. These preachers have absolutely no sense of the damage they are doing, not only to the church, but also to people’s lives. Proverbs 14:7 states: “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof the ways of death.” Dollar’s berating of those who left Long’s church is the epitome of arrogance. They have prostituted the church for their personal gain. The damage these types of preachers have done is incalculable. For every ill we see in society, from politics, business and entertainment, we now see reflected in the church. The church is no longer the mirror, but the reflection. Just look at the man in the mirror!

How To Stop Aging: A Surprising Remedy

By : Carol McMahon

Are you aging unnecessarily?

Answer these questions and find out:

Do you see gray hair as loss of youth (as opposed to loss of pigmentation)? Do you describe how you feel as “young” or “old,” rather than “energetic” or “tired” for instance? Do you see an “age spot” on your hand or face where you once saw a “freckle?”

If you answered “Yes,” take warning! You are aging unnecessarily. The culprit here isn’t passing years. It is thoughts that arise from deeply engrained concepts of “age” and “aging.” Our “age” concept is a set of beliefs and expectations that dictate thoughts and actions. In a sense, we run an age program the way computers run programs. More than half of what we experience as aging is due to this concept. Let me explain the problem, then the solution.

“Gradual Deterioration:” Running The “Age” Program

I once heard a sixty-year old man describe his life as “gradual deterioration.” That was two decades ago. For twenty years he’s run a “gradual deterioration” program. That program is his concept of age. Our concepts decide what we think and do, and even what we see and feel. To see how this works, consider another concept. “I need to lose weight” is the concept dominant in anorexia. This concept defines reality for the anorexic. Where others see thin and emaciated, she sees a body that needs to lose weight. The concept (not reality) is in charge here. In the same way, “age” has us under its spell. The age concept sets us up for gradual deterioration. It determines our thoughts and actions and even what we see in the mirror (“aging” in grey hair; “age spots” in freckles). The concept exerts control unknowingly and automatically, deciding even sensations we feel. Aches and pains taken in stride at eighteen, meet with: “Just as I thought, old age!” Doctors tell us no one dies of old age. Our concept, however, dictates what’s real, and we see otherwise. Some dentists suggest duller yellow teeth for elderly patients. Under the spell of the concept we accept them. “Own up” to age and age owns us, but the problem goes far beyond negative thinking. The program tells us what to do. It tells us: “act your age,” and we obey with grave consequences for health.

“Act Your Age!” Health Damage Caused By The Age Concept

Not long ago a finding that people in their nineties can build muscle made front page news. Why did the finding surprise us? It surprised us because it violates our concept of aging. “Gradual deterioration” sets up expectations of irreversible loss in muscle mass, bone density, lung capacity, balance, flexibility, etc. Obedient to the concept, we “act our age,” sitting sedentary, deteriorating according to plan. Inactivity precipitates decline in a vicious circle, but no matter how limiting and self-destructive, we conform and age to the letter. We succumb more to the concept than to age itself, even though all the while, the concept is mistaken.

The Error In “Aging”

Age as gradual deterioration is a self-fulfilling prophesy. The concept itself however, is mistaken. Ancient wisdom offers a more realistic view. It maintains that disuse, not “age,” is the cause of deterioration. In this view: “that which is used thrives. That which is not used wastes away.”This more enlightened view sets up different expectations. Attribute muscle loss to disuse (instead of age) and the news about building muscle at ninety isn’t news at all. “Gradual deterioration” becomes a matter of “letting yourself go” – something you need not necessarily do. You might trade workouts for sitting helplessly, acting your age. Just knowing a concept is in error however, doesn’t free us from its grip. We can’t expect to snap out of aging any more than the anorexic out of the need to lose weight. Getting free of age takes something more. It requires awareness – more awareness than we’re used to. Here’s how awareness sets you free.

How Awareness Frees You From “Aging”

Spiritual teacher Ram Dass helped an elderly Quaker woman who’d been terminally ill a long while. She told him she wasn’t afraid to die but was bothered by the boredom of slowly dying. He suggested: “Couldn’t you die, say, twenty minutes per hour?” With these words she saw through the concept she was stuck in. In reality, she was living. All the “dying” she’d experienced was born of concept, an invention of the thinking mind. Dying was a program she’d been running. Getting free of the concept was like waking from delusion; coming out from under its spell. In anorexia, aging, and dying we see problems caused by the thinking mind in the absence of awareness. Awareness simple contact with reality sets us free. Contact with reality shuts programs down. Then thoughts and actions emerge, not from preset beliefs and expectations, but from awareness itself. How do you build awareness? The trusted tool is meditation.

Meditation And Liberation From Age

Meditation quiets thinking; concepts lose their solid grip. Present moment awareness replaces toxic thoughts like “I am old.” A burden lifts from shoulders bent by auto-suggestions of aging. The more you quiet thinking the more awareness is restored. With enough awareness you clear your slate completely. Tibetan Buddhist tradition expresses what happens then. Coming to awareness “is like taking a hood off your head. What boundless spaciousness and relief! This is seeing what was not seen before… everything opens, expands, and becomes crisp, clear, brimming with life. All limitations dissolve and fall away.” Go deep enough into awareness and you’ll be free of age limitations. You’ll discover your essence is timeless, ageless and eternal. Then for you, even death holds no threat.

Learn more about freedom from aging in STRAIGHT LINE MEDITATION: HOW TO RESTORE AWARENESS AND WHY YOU NEED TO by Carol E. McMahon, Ph.D.