08
August
2013
|
12:08 PM
America/Chicago

TransUnion Survey Finds Nearly a Quarter of Americans Have Abandoned New Year's Financial Resolutions


CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwired - Aug 8, 2013) - While many consumers are enjoying last-minute summer vacations before the kids go back to school, TransUnion finds that more than half of Americans are focused on fun in the sun instead of their financial resolutions they set back in January. TransUnion reminds consumers to take time this summer to conduct a mid-year checkup and evaluate their financial goals for 2013.


According to a recent Google Consumer survey commissioned by TransUnion, nearly a quarter of Americans surveyed (22 percent) say they have abandoned their financial resolutions for 2013. Additionally, nearly a third (29 percent) of those surveyed said they were less than halfway to their 2013 goals. 


"A mid-year checkup is the perfect time for consumers to appraise their current financial situation and make goals for where they want to be at the end of 2013," said Julie Springer, vice president at TransUnion responsible for consumer education. "TransUnion offers tools to help consumers understand their credit information, assess their current spending habits, set monthly budgets, manage their debt load, protect their identity -- and most of all, help them achieve their financial goals for this year. It is never too late to start down the path to a financial goal."


TransUnion provides the following five tips to help consumers get financially fit and reach those financial resolutions for 2013:




  • Check your credit reports frequently: The first step to robust credit health is to recognize which bad financial habits, such as late payments, you have and how they are represented on your credit report. Regular check-ups will also help you guard against identity theft. 




  • Know your score: Understand what affects your credit score and take the necessary steps to reaching healthier credit. The higher your score, the better rate you are likely to receive.




  • Create a monthly spending plan and stick to it: Determine your current spending habits, and set a monthly budget to determine just how much disposable income you have so you can manage it wisely. TransUnion Plus is a new tool that allows you to input all of your information about your bank accounts, 401(k), loans and any other accounts that influence how you budget. By examining your spending habits during the past few months and inputting monthly payments and deposits using this tool, you can get a better idea about where you can cut spending and increase savings.




  • File a dispute. It is your right to question information on your credit report that you don't recognize or that might not accurately reflect your credit history. Online dispute forms can be found on TransUnion.com. 

     

  • Guard against identity theft: To help minimize your risk against it, sign up for a credit monitoring service that will quickly alert you to any changes in your report.



About TransUnion


TransUnion Interactive, Inc. is a consumer subsidiary of TransUnion. As a global leader in credit and information management, TransUnion creates advantages for millions of people around the world by gathering, analyzing and delivering information. For businesses, TransUnion helps improve efficiency, manage risk, reduce costs and increase revenue by delivering comprehensive data and advanced analytics and decisioning. For consumers, TransUnion provides the tools, resources and education to help manage their credit health and achieve their financial goals. Through these and other efforts, TransUnion is working to build stronger economies worldwide. Founded in 1968 and headquartered in Chicago, TransUnion reaches businesses and consumers in 33 countries around the world. Follow us on Facebook. www.transunion.com