CF Financial

[PhillyPhreak54]

Anyone use credit score monitoring services?  Decided to try one out (freecreditscore.com) because I figured if nothing else, it might not be a bad idea for me to review everything since I'll be hitting the unemployment line in 90 days.  I hear that some employers can/do check credit reports for applicants (any truth to that?) so I should probably make sure they are impressed if they check mine. 

Anyway, 7 day free trial and then $15/mo after that.  Is it worth it or should I just cancel after my free trial now that I've gotten to look at my scores and everything?

Yes employers can, and a lot do, perform credit checks.

I have used myfico.com for years now. I am paranoid about having someone jack my identity so having this helps. It's also good because you can buy your Equifax and TransUnion reports on there (Experian doesn't participate any longer - you have to buy it directly from them).

The site runs an ongoing monitor of your Equifax report; any changes (account added, balance increase, etc) and you get an email about the activity. I pay $12.95 a month for it.

The drawback to using freecreditreport.com (and the others offered by CC companies and other businesses) is that its not a true FICO score that you get from them. Credit scores obtained by the other services are commonly called FAKO's because they're known to be different than the actual FICO number. Myfico.com is pretty spot on.

I pull my reports about twice a year and also pulled them before I bought my trucks so I knew what I was looking like before going into the dealership.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

i hear that free credit report website is hard to cancel, kind of scammy.

you're allowed one free credit report a year by the 3 major credit companies (equifax, transunion, something else)

https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp

i usually do it once or twice a year just to make sure no farg faces are using my ss# or anything to open credit cards.

Thanks for the reminder, sir. I do this every January.

[hbionic]

Have we covered this before?: Looking to open a mutual fund...so I can throw like $100 bucks a month at it...any suggestions/recommendations as to where to go....financial planner or investment house like a merril lynch, etc?

Gracias amigos. Vaya con dios.

[Diomedes]

Vanguard or Fidelity.

Former is a non-profit, quite good rates and fees.  Latter is the company I use because it was the one my former company had us with and I like them.  Plus, a certain money lover I "know" spoke highly of them.

You're probably going to have to get a pile of money together before you can buy into a mutual fund.  I think they require a $2k or $2.5k minimum go get into.

edit:  Vanguard is not a non-profit.  The company is owned by the funds, which are in turn owned by the investors...so I don't know what to call it.  But "non-profit" is most certainly not the correct term.

[hbionic]

Thanks...looks like the fidelity commercials pay off.

[Diomedes]

I've never had a single interaction with Fidelity that left me feeling jobbed or spoken down to, or like the person on the other end was anything but competent.

That said, the next fund I open will be with Vanguard.  I want to have piles of money in different places, so when I die it will be like a treasure hunt.  For small piles.  Worthless ones, really.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Don't trust Fido. They hired me. Then I left. But still.

[PhillyPhreak54]

I like Fidelity a lot. We switched our 401k to them and they've been awesome.

I'm thinking of doing a Roth IRA. Good choice?

[Don Ho]

Roth is a great idea.  I believe the max contribution is still $5k per year?  The big plus is if you ever take money out you don't get taxed on it as you would borrowing against your 401K.  Uncle Sam will rape you a new one if you borrow against your 401k.

[PhillyPhreak54]

http://www.bizjournals.com/mobile/nashville/news/2012/04/11/bank-of-america-sues-itself---no-joke.html

[rjs246]

That would but farging hilarious if it weren't so utterly tragic.

[PhillyPhreak54]

About eight years ago my mother purchased the house next door to my grandparents place. The guy who lived here died and the only family he had was a sister who was a nun. She purchased the house from her as executor of his estate. She is now gone as well.

The guy was a hoarder and saver before hoarding was popularized. I am talking serious keeping of everything; wore the same clothes (would go buy new pants and shirt when the two pairs he had wore out) and never spent money on anything.

The majority of his stuff was cleaned out but in the attic there are still a lot of his things (old models, machinery, tools, etc).

I was digging through there the other day and found $50,000 worth of matured/nearly-matured EE series US Savings Bonds. He is listed as the sole owner.

I have spent a few hours looking at the US Treasury site to try and find out what recourse we have and it appears that its a tough shtein deal as they will only cash them to whomever is listed as the owner on the bonds or the executor of the estate.

But what if there is no one? His parents are dead, he's dead, his sister is dead and neither of them had kids (he never married and always lived alone and the sister was a nun).

Anyone have any ideas?

[ice grillin you]

nothing you can do....they are non transferrable....in fact i dont even think if he had family alive they could cash them (unless they were legally willed to a specific individual)...im pretty sure they are non transferrable from the name of the individual on the bond itself to ANYONE

burn them

[Susquehanna Birder]

For $50K, I'd check with an attorney first.

[PhillyPhreak54]

nothing you can do....they are non transferrable....in fact i dont even think if he had family alive they could cash them (unless they were legally willed to a specific individual)...im pretty sure they are non transferrable from the name of the individual on the bond itself to ANYONE

burn them

If he had family they would be able to claim them as part of his estate. But alas there is no one - dude's entire tree is done.

Good idea Sus - I wonder what kind of attorney would handle that? I just found a US Treasury Dept number that I will call tomorrow.

If it wasn't so much cash I wouldn't sweat it but $50k would be a nice hit to eating away at my mother's medical bills from the last year!