Your Money

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those impacted by Hurricane Helene. The storm stalled above Asheville and dropped a record amount of rain, knocking out power, cell service, roadways, and clean water access.

Lynn and I happened to be in Washington D.C. for the weekend, safely away from the storm. However, we are having trouble returning to the area and are working remotely until it's safe to return.

As of this writing, we are scheduled to return Monday morning. Until cell phone coverage is fully restored, we will only be reachable by email and iPhone. Because we have a working internet service (Starlink) and solar battery power, we are reachable via email, iMessage, FaceTime, FaceTime audio, and WhatsApp.

And here's your money link:
What’s Next for the Markets and Economy After the Fed Rate Cut?
by Danny Noonan

Your Life

Your credit score affects everything from whether your next credit card application gets accepted to how much interest you’ll pay on your mortgage. There are different types of credit scores, but when people talk about scoring models, they usually mean FICO scores. FICO stands for Fair Isaac Corporation and is the largest and best-known of several companies that provide software for calculating a person's credit score. The FICO credit score is composed of five key factors: payment history (35 percent), credit utilization (30 percent), credit history (15 percent), credit mix (10 percent) and new credit (10 percent). Let’s delve into the last category. New credit refers to recently opened credit accounts and inquiries from lenders. Applying for new credit can temporarily negatively affect your score, but it can also improve your utilization and credit mix. Only apply for new credit when necessary, and regularly check your credit reports for accuracy.

How new credit impacts your credit score
by Steve Bucci

Complexity Simplified

Buying online can mean scoring great deals. However, some things are harder to buy online than others, like sunglasses. For those blessed with big heads (therefore, some would claim big brains!), you must go to the stores to try on the ones that will actually fit. Maybe we just need to educate ourselves about how sunglasses are measured. This thorough link shows you frame sizes.

Measuring Your Face to Find Your Sunglasses Size
by Emily Perisin

Trivia