These items can be removed from your Credit Report:

These negative items include (but are not limited to):

Late Payments
Charge Offs
Collections Accounts
Foreclosures
Identity Theft
Excessive third-party inquiries
Bankruptcy
Tax Liens
Repossessions
Judgments - Call 1.800.442.1591 for your FREE Consultation

Small Business Health Care Tax Credit and the SHOP Marketplace

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If you are a small employer, there is a tax credit that can put money in your pocket. The small business health care tax credit benefits employers that: Have fewer than 25 full-time equivalent employees Pay average wages of less than $50,000 a year per full-time equivalent (indexed annually for inflation beginning in 2014) For tax years 2015 and 2016, the inflation-adjusted amount is $52,000 Pay at least half of employee health insurance premiums To be eligible for this credit, you must have purchased coverage through the small business health options program, also known as the SHOP marketplace. For information about insurance plans offered through the SHOP Marketplace, visit Healthcare.gov.

Five Ways to Offset Education Costs

IRS Tax Tip 2010-30

College can be very expensive. To help students and their parents, the IRS offers the following five ways to offset education costs.

1. The American Opportunity Credit This credit can help parents and students pay part of the cost of the first four years of college. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act modifies the existing Hope Credit for tax years 2009 and 2010, making it available to a broader range of taxpayers. Eligible taxpayers may qualify for the maximum annual credit of $2,500 per student. Generally, 40 percent of the credit is refundable, which means that you may be able to receive up to $1,000, even if you owe no taxes.

2. The Hope Credit The credit can help students and parents pay part of the cost of the first two years of college. This credit generally applies to 2008 and earlier tax years. However, for tax year 2009 a special expanded Hope Credit of up to $3,600 may be claimed for a student attending college in a Midwestern disaster area as long as you do not claim an American Opportunity Tax Credit for any other student in 2009.

3. The Lifetime Learning Credit This credit can help pay for undergraduate, graduate and professional degree courses – including courses to improve job skills – regardless of the number of years in the program.  Eligible taxpayers may qualify for up to $2,000 – $4,000 if a student in a Midwestern disaster area – per tax return.

4. Enhanced benefits for 529 college savings plans Certain computer technology purchases are now added to the list of college expenses that can be paid for by a qualified tuition program, commonly referred to as a 529 plan.  For 2009 and 2010, the law expands the definition of qualified higher education expenses to include expenses for computer technology and equipment or Internet access and related services.

5. Tuition and fees deduction Students and their parents may be able to deduct qualified college tuition and related expenses of up to $4,000. This deduction is an adjustment to income, which means the deduction will reduce the amount of your income subject to tax. The Tuition and Fees Deduction may be beneficial to you if you do not qualify for the American opportunity, Hope, or lifetime learning credits.

You cannot claim the American Opportunity and the Hope and Lifetime Learning Credits for the same student in the same year. You also cannot claim any of the credits if you claim a tuition and fees deduction for the same student in the same year. To qualify for an education credit, you must pay post-secondary tuition and certain related expenses for yourself, your spouse or your dependent. The credit may be claimed by the parent or the student, but not by both. Students who are claimed as a dependent cannot claim the credit.

For more information, see Publication 970, Tax Benefits for Education, which can be obtained online at IRS.gov or by calling the IRS at 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).

According to the CFPB, TransUnion’s misconduct had occurred since July 2011. It occurred between July 2011 and March 2014 at Equifax.

Neither TransUnion or Equifax have admitted or denied the allegations,Fortune noted.

TransUnion spokesman David Blumberg and Equifax spokeswoman Ines Gutzmer said their companies believe they’ve followed the laws that have been put in place regarding the matter.

TransUnion and Equifax are among several companies that receive a great deal of consumer complaints, according to the CFPB.

According to the CFPB, TransUnion’s misconduct had occurred since July 2011. It occurred between July 2011 and March 2014 at Equifax.

Neither TransUnion or Equifax have admitted or denied the allegations,Fortune noted.

TransUnion spokesman David Blumberg and Equifax spokeswoman Ines Gutzmer said their companies believe they’ve followed the laws that have been put in place regarding the matter.

TransUnion and Equifax are among several companies that receive a great deal of consumer complaints, according to the CFPB.

Mortgage Applications Plunge 12 Percent as Rates Slip

Mortgage applications decreased 12 percent from two weeks earlier as borrowing costs on home loans eased from more than two-year highs, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The results included adjustments to account for the Christmas holiday.

The Washington-based industry group said its Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 12 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from two weeks earlier. The Refinance Index decreased 22 percent from two weeks ago.

Interest rates on 30-year, fixed-rate conforming mortgages, the most widely held type of U.S. home loans, averaged 4.39 percent, down from the prior week's 4.45 percent which was the highest since April 2014.

Conforming mortgages are those with balances of $417,000 or less and qualify for guarantees from federal mortgage agencies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Interest rates on other types of mortgages were unchanged to 0.13 percentage point lower on the week.

Domestic home borrowing costs retreated along with a drop in U.S. bond yields as investors scooped up U.S. government debt at year-end following a global bond market selloff triggered by worries about a surge in inflation and federal borrowing under a Trump administration.

In early trading on Wednesday, the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield was 2.45 percent. It had hit 2.64 percent on Dec. 15, which was its highest since September 2014, according to Reuters data.

A pullback in mortgage rates buttressed refinancing activity at the end of 2016.

MBA's refinancing index was up 1.7 percent at 1,132.0 with the refinance share of overall loan activity rising to 52.2 percent from 51.8 percent the previous week.

The group's measure on loan applications to buy a home, which is seen as a proxy on future home sales, dipped 1.4 percent to 228.0.

DO NOTHING, EXPECT NOTHING... Errors are bound to appear in your credit report. In fact, according to a 2004 report made by the National Association of State PIRGs (Public Interest Research Group) 25% of credit reports contain errors that result in people being denied credit! If you don’t review your report once in a while, you won’t know what’s reported in it. And then, when you apply for credit or employment and find that you are denied because of your credit, well… what do you expect?

The bottom line is, you have the right to do something about it. Don’t expect the CRAs or creditors to make sure that your credit report is up-to-date and accurate. That’s your responsibility. If there’s errors, then you can and should dispute them.

Call our office, we would love to assist you; 1.800.442.1591 - Gaining Financial Stability with Intelligence and Integrity!