Suze has taken the FICO® Kit to a whole new level with the new and improved – Platinum – version. She makes it easier than ever before to take control of your credit and save money!

The Suze Orman FICO® Kit Platinum Version still comes standard with many of the features you have come to know and love: including 3 personalized credit reports and 3 FICO® scores (from your choice of Equifax or TransUnion), plus many NEW AND EXCITING features.

Getting started is as simple as 1-2-3.

1. Click
Your FICO® Score

Click once, answer a few questions, and get your personal credit reports and FICO® scores. The Suze Orman FICO® Kit includes an at-a-glance explanation of your personalized FICO® score health. See yourself as lenders do and learn how your FICO® scores affect the interest rates you pay.

2. Quick
Action Planner

Based on your financial goals, FICO® scores and credit report information, the FICO® Kit Action Planner will walk you through a step-by-step process to help you take control of your credit and harness the power of your FICO® scores.

3. Get Ahead
Debt Eliminator

Learn how to get out of credit card debt with your own personalized debt analysis and repayment plan. Discover if you’re paying too much in interest and follow the personalized guide to negotiate the interest rates you really deserve.

Day-to-Pay Bill Reminders
Paying your bills on time is easy with our email bill payment reminders.

InfoVault
Online InfoVault
Store your important information in the online vault and access it online anytime.

Online Home and Car Coaching
Save money on your home and car loans by learning the interest rates you may qualify for. This could save you thousands of dollars in interest payments over the life of your loan.

FICO® Score Simulator
The FICO® Score Simulator shows how your score can change when you:

• Pay your bills on time for many months
• Miss a payment
• Pay down your debt balances right away or every month
• “Max out” your credit cards
• Get a new mortgage
• Get a new auto loan
• Get a new credit card
• Get instant credit at a department store
• Apply for a new credit card and transfer balances to it
• Declare bankruptcy
• Error Detection and Correction

We highlight potential errors on your credit reports and give you the tools you need to update inaccurate information.

Other Information
Active for one year after purchase
Accessible from either PC or Macintosh with an Internet connection and with Internet Explorer 6.0 or later, Firefox 1.5 or later, or Safari 2.0 or later
Online product – no CD-ROM included
Suze Orman’s FICO® Kit Platinum
Instant Online Access
Price: $49.95

Associated Press

What’s better, a low interest rate or generous rewards points? Does it matter where you use your credit card, or is it how much you debt you have available that’s important? Take this short quiz and find out some important information about using and managing your credit cards.

1. What’s more important for your credit score?

a) Your payment history

b) How many credit cards you have

c) How long you’ve had your cards

d) How many times you’ve applied for credit cards

2. True or false: Studies have shown that people spend more when they use credit cards than when they’re shopping with cash.

a) True

b) False

3. The typical American carries a balance of $3,000 in credit card debt. If you make no more charges and pay only the minimum payment due each month, how long will it take to pay that debt off at 10 percent interest?

a) 2 years

b) 8 years

c) 18 years

d) 29 years

4. Once you open an account with a certain interest rate, the bank may raise that rate:

a) If you miss a payment on that card

b) If you miss a payment on another card or loan

c) If you lose your job

d) At any time

5. True or false: Credit card issuers always give you a “grace period” to pay your purchase in full before finance charges are applied.

a) True

b) False

6. If you pay off the balance on a high-interest credit card, the best thing to do is:

a) Close the account

b) Leave the account open but don’t use it again

c) Leave the account open and use it once in a while

d) Charge up the balance again

7. True or false: You can judge whether banks think you’re a good credit risk by the number of credit card offers you receive in the mail.

8. Rewards or points on your credit card are a good deal only if:

a) You get free airline tickets

b) You get cash back

c) You carry no balance on the card

d) The card has no annual fee

9. Credit card issuers look at the following when deciding whether to change your credit limit:

a) Your payment history

b) The limits on other cards you hold

c) The types of places you use your card

d) All of the above

10. How is the interest charged on your account each month calculated?

a) The annual percentage rate (APR), multiplied by your balance

b) APR divided by 12 months, multiplied by your balance

c) APR multiplied by your new charges

d) APR multiplied by the balance left unpaid the prior month

Answers

1. (a) Paying your bills on time accounts for 35 percent of your score.

2. (a) True. It’s tougher to take cash out of your wallet.

3. (c) With an initial minimum payment of 2 percent, or $60 per month, it will take just over 18 years, with some $1,935 in interest charges.

4. (d) Banks can change your interest rate for any reason at any time.

5. (b) False. While credit card issuers are legally allowed to wait 25 days before charging interest, it is becoming more common to reduce or eliminate these periods.

6. (c) Paying off a balance and then using a card occasionally will provide the biggest boost for your credit score. If you close the account, particularly if it’s one you’ve had for a long time, your credit score may go down.

7. False. The offers that come in the mail are based on a range of different factors, like what magazines you subscribe to.

8. (c) It is worthwhile to chase rewards points if you carry no balance on the card, because the rewards cards typically charge higher interest rates.

9. (d) Banks will look not only at your payment history and total available credit, but also your money spending habits.

10. (b) The method used to figure the amount that rate is applied varies, but is usually based on your unpaid balance plus new charges, minus payments.

Score Card

If your score is between 0-3

Learn more about using the credit cards you hold and track your credit score and you’ll likely save money in the future.

If your score is between 4-7

You’ve got the basics down, but you could benefit by keeping on top of credit card trends.

If your score is between 8-10

You’ve got a clean credit report — but make sure you use this knowledge to your advantage by managing your cards wisely.

Source: http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090428/BIZ/704289938