Ella Vincent

3 weeks ago | kiplinger.com | Ella Vincent

You may be familiar with prenuptial agreements, which couples can sign before marriage to detail how they would handle their property and assets in a divorce. But if you're already married, it's not too late to outline a similar contract — or to amend a prenup you have in place — with a postnuptial agreement. You can create a postnup anytime during your marriage, even many years after you wed.

1 month ago | kiplinger.com | Ella Vincent

A credit freeze can be a pivotal step to protect yourself from identity theft. When you have a freeze on your credit reports, lenders can’t view them in response to an application for new credit — and that helps prevent criminals from opening credit card or loan accounts in your name. But as long as a freeze is in place, you can’t access new lines of credit either. Subscribe to Kiplinger’s Personal FinanceBe a smarter, better informed investor.

1 month ago | theepochtimes.com | Ella Vincent

If you’re preparing to shop for a loan or credit card, you can temporarily lift your credit freeze. 5/23/2025Updated: 5/23/2025By Ella Vincent From Kiplinger’s Personal FinanceQuestion: I froze my credit last year because I was worried about identity theft after a data breach. But now I want to buy a new car and need to unfreeze my credit report so I can apply for a car loan. How do I thaw my credit freeze? Answer: A credit freeze can be a pivotal step to protect yourself from identity theft.

1 month ago | kiplinger.com | Ella Vincent

If you write a check and later regret handing it off to the recipient — say, because you suspect you’re the victim of a scam, you entered the wrong amount or you mailed it to an incorrect address — you may be able to cancel it with a stop-payment order, as long as it isn’t being processed yet. First, review your account transactions online or call your bank to see whether the recipient has cashed the check. If it hasn’t cleared, act quickly to request a stop payment.

1 month ago | bismarcktribune.com | Ella Vincent

A credit freeze can be a pivotal step to protect yourself from identity theft. When you have a freeze on your credit reports, lenders can’t view them in response to an application for new credit — and that helps prevent criminals from opening credit card or loan accounts in your name. However, as long as a freeze is in place, you can’t access new lines of credit, either.