Credit utilization: how to calculate it and plan a payoff
A practical guide to calculating overall and per-card utilization, reading the result, and building a payment plan without relying on score promises.
4 minute readRead guide
Understand the numbers before you use them.
Practical guides explaining the math, assumptions, tradeoffs, and limits behind common financial planning tasks. Each guide is written for Funding Society, cites primary consumer or government sources, and avoids score or approval promises.
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Debt-to-income ratio explained with a monthly worksheet
Learn the basic DTI formula, which monthly figures belong in a planning worksheet, and why lender calculations may differ.
2 minute readRead guide
A line-by-line credit report review checklist
A careful workflow for reviewing identity details, account status, balances, inquiries, and possible duplicate or unfamiliar items on your own reports.
2 minute readRead guide
Debt snowball vs. avalanche: compare the tradeoffs
A neutral comparison of two common payoff ordering methods, with a worksheet for testing cost, time, and behavioral fit.
2 minute readRead guide
Loan payment basics: principal, interest, term, and total cost
Understand what a standard payment estimate includes, what it leaves out, and how to compare scenarios without mistaking an estimate for an offer.
2 minute readRead guide
Build an emergency-fund target from your own expenses
A step-by-step way to define essential monthly costs, set a first milestone, and create a savings schedule that can adapt when life changes.
2 minute readRead guide
A financial document checklist for clearer third-party conversations
Organize personal or business records into a dated, verifiable package without transmitting an application through Funding Society.
2 minute readRead guide
Statement date, due date, and reporting date: keep the three clocks separate
A practical timeline for reading a credit-card statement, planning an on-time payment, and understanding why a credit-report balance may differ from today's balance.
3 minute readRead guide
Credit freeze vs. fraud alert: choose the protection that matches the situation
Compare what freezes and fraud alerts do, whom to contact, how long they last, and what to record before an application or identity-theft response.
3 minute readRead guide
How long credit-report information can remain: build an evidence timeline
Organize account dates, distinguish accurate negative information from errors, and understand why a calendar estimate is not an automatic deletion date.
3 minute readRead guide
How to evaluate a nonprofit credit counselor before sharing financial details
A due-diligence checklist covering services, fees, counselor training, debt-management plans, privacy, and questions to ask before enrolling.
3 minute readRead guide
APR, interest rate, and fees: build an apples-to-apples borrowing comparison
Use a structured worksheet to compare offers by payment, APR, upfront cost, total cost, term, and assumptions rather than focusing on one advertised number.
3 minute readRead guide
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