A “Charge Off” is an accounting term that creditors use when they assume after a period of delinquency that they are not able to collect on a debt that is owed to them. Creditors write that debt off as a loss against their income taxes. Just because a debt is charged off (or written off) does not mean the debt is forgiven. The money is still owed. The creditor will usually sell or assign the debt to a collection agency or a lawyer to effect collection.

Few financial figures are as important as a credit scores. The three-digit figure has a major impact on daily life — dictating what consumers can buy, how much credit they can obtain and even where they choose to reside.

If you need a credit card but have a poor credit history, don’t despair — bad credit credit cards are available that can meet most needs and this is not common knowledge. No doubt you have had people tell you that if you have bad credit, no lender will touch you but this is not the case for most people. As long as you have the income to repay the debt, lenders will usually be prepared to loan to you.

In the past several years, medical debt has become more burdensome for many families. So much so that medical bills have become a major cause of personal bankruptcy. It’s not that people have no health insurance. Many individuals who cite medical debt as the cause of their bankruptcy were actually covered under a health insurance plan at the time the medical expenses were incurred. The problem is that certain medical expenses are often uncovered. Debt settlement may be an alternative to bankruptcy for dealing with your medical expenses.

It may sound like the stupidest financial move ever: getting credit cards after bankruptcy. But done right, it may be one of the smartest moves you can make for your credit. The main purpose for getting new credit cards after bankruptcy is to help boost your credit scores, which most likely took a hit when you filed.