7 Things College Freshmen Don’t Need — and 10 They Do
Those ubiquitous checklists of “dorm room essentials” for college freshmen are filled with items that will be ditched by the end of first semester. Some parents “go to the store…
Bev O'Shea
Bev writes about credit scores and credit reports for NerdWallet. Her work has been featured in USA Today, the Christian Science Monitor and MSN Money. She mostly follows her own advice about not worrying about a perfect score (although she had one for at least a few minutes). In her free time, she enjoys music, fitness, murder mysteries and dark chocolate.
Posts by Bev O'Shea:
How to Get Your Credit Disaster-Ready
Planning ahead not only positions you to recover; it also helps shore up your finances in general. Your effort will not be wasted. Those most at risk If your finances…
Credit Scores Are Rising — Is Yours, Too?
Credit scores are creeping upward for most Americans, according to the latest “State of Credit” report from credit bureau Experian. The average U.S. credit score hit 680 in 2018, up…
Does Getting Married Affect Your Credit?
Marriage is a legal union, and it brings financial benefits like tax-free inheritance, sharing of employer and government benefits, and more. But getting married does not affect your credit; there’s…
When Is Your Credit Score High Enough?
Easy access to free credit scores has helped many Americans improve their credit. But at a certain point, chasing every possible point gets you nothing except bragging rights. How do…
Does Divorce Show Up on My Credit Report?
Your credit report contains a wealth of personal data — your name and Social Security number, birthdate, phone numbers and past addresses — but your marital status is not included.…
How I Ditched Debt: Kicking Frugality Into High Gear
In this series, NerdWallet interviews people who have triumphed over debt using a combination of commitment, budgeting and smart financial choices. Responses have been edited for length and clarity. …
How Your Tax Refund Could Improve Your Credit
Money can’t buy you a good credit score, but you might be able to use your income tax refund strategically to polish your credit. How to go about it depends…
What Is a Thin Credit File?
If you have a thin credit file, it means that there’s not enough information in your credit reports to generate a credit score. A thin file makes it difficult to…
Why Do I Have So Many Credit Scores?
Now that it’s so easy to get your credit score for free, you may have checked it several times in several places — personal finance sites, credit card issuers, your…
