How I Simplify Retirement Planning

I am a big fan of Vanguard funds. I was first attracted to their low fees and index-fund approach. As I started researching what kind of asset allocation to use for my IRA, I was thrilled to discover Vanguard target retirement funds. Vanguard has created retirement funds that are comprised of an assortment of their index funds, properly allocated based on your target retirement date. The asset allocation within the fund is adjusted for you as you near your retirement date. You never have to rebalance your money.

If you are interested in learning more about the Vanguard target retirement funds, visit the Vanguard website and review the prospectus.

$45 Giveaway from CSN Stores

The people at CSN Stores have provided me a $45 gift certificate to give away to one of my lucky blog readers. CSN operates numerous websites that offer a variety of products ranging from shoes, furniture, and cookware to briefcases. I was recently shopping for a suitcase on one of their sites. But to be honest, I haven't gotten around to buying it yet. I would be interested in knowing if any of my readers can share their experiences with CSN Stores.

Anyway, I have decided to hold a random drawing for the gift certificate. You can have up to three chances to win the prize:

1) Any reader can enter by posting a comment below.
2) For an additional entry, web site owners can link to this post, to let other know about this contest.
3) Lastly, my fellow bloggers can add Seattle Simplicity to your blogroll (must be accessible from blog's main page) for one more entry in the drawing.

There is one more step. Since Blogger does not automatically collect contact information, you will need to send me an Email message letting me know that you posted a comment, created a link to my post, and/or added Seattle Simplicity to your blogroll. (My E-mail address is in the sidebar of my blog.)

The drawing is limited to US residents. The certificate will be in the form of a promo code, and does does not cover any shipping costs. The code can be used on any product from any one of the CSN Stores. A winner will be randomly picked from among the qualified entries received by December 10, 2010. I will contact the winner by Email. Good luck to everyone who enters!

Guest Post: 7 Smart Tips On How To Improve Your Credit Score

Are you having a tough time in procuring loans due to poor credit score? Well, you are not alone. A considerable number of people are entangled in the same web. Though this is a pretty serious problem, it is not impossible to fix it. You might find the following tips useful in case you have wrecked your credit:

• Pay off your credit cards: The smartest and quickest way to improve your credit rating is to pay off your credit cards as soon as possible. Creditors are fond of seeing a huge gap between your credit limit and the credit amount you have used. Getting your balances at least 30% of the credit limit on each card can be really helpful. While most authorities on debt opine that it is better to pay off the high rate cards first, a better strategy is to pay off the cards that are closest to your monetary limits.
  
• Use your credit cards lightly: Accruing large balances can be quite injurious to your credit score, irrespective of whether you pay your bills in full every month. What is reported to the credit bureaus and pitched into your credit scores are the balances reported on your last statements. But that definitely does not mean that clearing your balances every month is not a good decision. You can boost your credit score by limiting your balances to 30% (or less) of the cards limit.
  
• Track your limits: your credit score might be apparently lowered if your credit card issuer is showing a lower limit than you actually have. Most credit card issuers will quickly update this information if you request them to do so. But, if it is a policy with your user not to report consumers’ credit limit, then the credit bureaus will use your highest balance on the card as a proxy for your credit limit. An easy solution would simply be to pay off your balance before your statement period ends. It will not give a hike to your reported limit, but it will widen the gap between the credit limit and your closing balance, which should increase your credit score.
  
• Don’t stop using an old card: If you stop using your oldest credit cards, the issuers may stop updating those accounts at the credit bureaus. The account will appear on your credit report anyway. But they will not give any boost to your credit score as your active accounts will do. So, it is always advised that you use your oldest accounts at least once in a few months. But take care not to accrue a large balance and pay off the balance in full when you receive the statement.
  
• Make use of goodwill: If you have been a good customer throughout, then you can request your creditor to simply erase one late payment from your credit history. You need to make the request in writing and your creditor is likely to grant your request. If an account is still open, the creditor might delete the previous delinquencies, provided you make a series of timely payments. And that will help you improve your credit score.
  
• Avoid applying for new credits: As long as you are in the process of credit score repair, try and avoid applying for new credits. New credits will open up possibilities of new defaults and you may end up damaging your credit score even more.
  
• Seek professional help: It is important to manage your debts properly if you want to improve your credit score. And if you are having trouble managing your debts by your own, then you can seek professional help. Go for services credit counseling and get enrolled in programs such as debt settlement, debt consolidation etc to pay off your debts.

So, it’s explicit that improving your credit score is not that difficult. All you need is some financial discipline. But remember, your score was not spoiled overnight. So, do not expect your credit score to get repaired overnight. Be patient and be regular with your payments and your credit score is sure to improve over time.

About the Author
This guest post was written by "David Brown". If you are interested in writing a guest post, please contact Seattle Simplicity at the Email address listed in the sidebar.