This past weekend when no one was looking, the U.S. Treasury revealed how much in interest the government is paying on the ballooning national debt. With higher interest rates, the numbers were eye-popping. It will have the some of the following repercussions going forward for all Americans.

Over the last several years, there has been a substantial movement to allow consumers to miss payments, judgments and tax liens deleted form their report. Two states have now passed laws that create an unfair and uneven assessment with consumer credit reports. What is fairness? That some are treated one way and others are treated another way? That is unamerican.

It seems like year after year, auto, home and other insurance premiums keep going up. How can you fight back and lower your insurance premiums? There are a few steps to follow to try and lower the pain.

The housing market has been going through a substantial reset in most parts of the country over the last year. With interest rates high, is this a good time to purchase a home?

In a recent survey on credit scores, those between the ages of 25 and 70 graded themselves as having a “B” grade understanding about credit scores. When they took a subsequent questionnaire, their passed rate was 29%. Do consumers really think they are much smarter than what they really know about credit scores? The correct answer is a resounding “Yes” and this costs every such consumer a lot of money.

For many years, Mr. Dave Ramsey, debt solutions guru, advocates a position that no consumer needs a credit score. He claims that you can purchase a house or anything else without a credit score. He basically tells his followers that a credit score is a bad thing. Since he doesn’t understand FICO® credit scores, he pushes a position that is financially illiterate.

I recently walked in another loan officer’s office when I overheard his conversation with a client he was on the phone with. He was trying to tell her how to raise her FICO® Scores. However, the information he gave was inaccurate. After he finished the call, I asked him about his incorrect credit score comments to the client. He responded, “It doesn’t matter. She won’t know the difference.” he didn't care. It was not his money at stake. This is not out of the ordinary. Loan officers too often give bad advice that end up hurting their clients. Why does this happen?

Bank failures have captured the headlines over the last few weeks. Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank along with a few others have been taken over the U.S. government. How does that impact you when you have an account with one of these failed banks. It can have a huge impact – almost always lower – on your lender’s FICO Scores.

When you purchase a home, agents will usually sell their clients on a Home Warranty. Unfortunately, I often hear horror stories of consumers trying to file a claim with a home warranty company. It can be a roof, an appliance, or a pipe, home warranty companies find every way to NOT cover the costs of repairs. There are more claims that are never covered. Why?

Over the last three months, first time homebuyers have canceled new construction contracts, have canceled existing home contracts and basically no longer engaged in purchasing a home. They are MIA. It has gone from bad to worse with rates jumping so high. When are the first time homebuyers going to come back?