Recent entries by Dinna

How has your summer been? I have been enjoying little weekend trips and taking some great pictures of locations around the San Francisco Bay Area! I took some gorgeous photos in front of the Palace of Fine Arts when I visited the Exploratorium.

One weekend, I walked across the 1.7 mile span of the Golden Gate Bridge ... something I had never done even though I grew up in the Bay Area. And for the Fourth of July I visited the California Academy of Sciences and checked out the new Earthquake exhibit!

Everywhere I've gone I've taken some fun photos to remember the moment. And I've actually put a couple of my faves on my Wells Fargo Credit Card and Debit Card by using the Card Design Studio® service! I can't wait to use my personalized cards to remind me of the fun I've had and also to do a little showing off when I pull out my card pay for purchases

Where have you gone this summer, and what pictures would you put on YOUR card?

I had a chance to go out to lunch today and when I pulled out my credit card to pay for my food, the cashier gave me a big smile and let out an "Awwwwwww!"

Why such a reaction from seeing a credit card? It's because I've customized mine with a picture of my two little girls dressed as Cinderella and Aurora at Disneyland. The comments that usually follow are "Are those your girls?" (Uh, yep!) and "I didn't know Wells Fargo does this! I should do it with my card!"

If you have a Wells Fargo credit or debit card and haven't customized your card, check out the Card Design Studio service. You can personalize your card by uploading your own photo of yourself, your pet, friends, car, favorite ice cream – or choose one from a gallery of photos. (BTW, Wells Fargo reserves the right to deny certain images). It's fun and easy and doesn't cost anything to make your card your own. Plus, it's a great conversation starter. Check out this demo to learn more.

I was curious what's on the other Student LoanDown bloggers' cards. Here's the scoop:

Barbara
I have a picture of my cat Bill on my debit card. She passed away after I customized my card, but every time I pull it out to pay for something I get to think of her and say, "Bill's got this."

Yasmine
I've got a picture of my college football field on my debit card, a picture a friend of mine took of the football stadium lit up at night with the team on the 30-yard line. It's college football pride all the way. Go Card!

Kathy
I have a picture of my son as an infant on my credit card. Of course I love to see his face when I use my card, but I am amazed by the reaction I get from cashiers and other customers in stores! I almost always get a lovely comment on how cute he is and how neat it is to have a personalized photo on what is usually just a piece of anonymous plastic. It always brings a smile to my face.

How about you? What would you put on YOUR card?

Just as we know it's almost impossible to succeed without the ability to read and write, we now know it will be difficult to succeed in the present-day financial system without receiving financial education and learning how to manage credit responsibly.

As part of Get Smart About Credit Day—which is tomorrow!—here are some resources you can use to learn more about how to manage credit effectively and succeed financially. The information is presented with college students in mind so it's fun and easy to understand.

• Hands On Banking® for Young Adults
• Get the credit basics
• Pick up financial skills from Visa
• Get links to sites you should bookmark now at whatsmyscore.org
• Create an avatar and learn about money on Stagecoach Island®

Hopefully you can visit one or more of these resources to get some credit knowledge tomorrow, or anytime you're looking to get smart about credit.

Any competitive swimmer knows I'm not talking about an airline promotion! Butterfly, backstroke, and freestyle are three of the four swim strokes—breaststroke is the fourth.

Why all the swim talk? Well, my summer has been all about swim meets. My daughters have one every Wednesday and weekend. They're totally fun and I get a great tan being out in the sun, but it's quite a time commitment—not to mention exhausting! So I've found that it's very easy to put off the not-so-fun things to do, like paying bills.

But making payments on time consistently is key—especially if you have a loan or credit card.

One thing I've done to make sure I make my monthly payments on time is to sign up for payment reminder alerts to my mobile device. It's been soooo helpful to help me stay on top of due dates and maintain good credit too!

What's been keeping you busy this summer? And how have you stayed on top of paying your bills?

Yesterday, I told you about my conversation with my niece regarding the difference between debit and credit. This reminded me of what my parents taught me when I entered college and got my first credit card: It was three simple steps that helped me stay out of financial trouble and in fact, helped me build good credit.

1. Spend only what you can pay back. Of course, this meant I had to know my income, which at that time, was a combination of my allowance from mom and dad, and my paycheck from leading a writing workshop.
2. Always pay on time to show you are consistent and reliable.
3. Stay well below your credit limit in case of emergencies. This took a lot of self-control—because let's face it, the temptation is there to buy things. But by taking a moment to think about whether what I'm buying is a "want" or a "need", I usually steered myself in the right decision.

Following these three simple rules helped me build good credit while I was in school.

As a result, after graduation I was able to purchase my own car, which I affectionately called "Corry" (it was a Toyota Corolla). Corry got great gas mileage and had very limited maintenance issues, which meant I got to keep more of my hard-earned money!

Are you following the same rules? Do you have your own guidelines to keep building credit and stay out of financial trouble? Share them with us!

I recently asked my niece if she could tell me how a credit card works. She's a pretty smart cookie, but she's also not old enough to have a credit card yet. So it wasn't a surprise when she described how a debit card works instead.

Because she has a checking account with a debit card, she understands that the money associated with using her card is her money coming out of her account—hence the term debit card because it "debits" her account.

I explained to her that a credit card account is a loan, or "credit" that's extended to you. In other words, it's money provided by the bank or card issuer that you need to pay back. It was a great teachable, "Aha!" moment for her.

All this got me thinking about our high school and college readers. When did you learn the difference between the two? Did anyone explain it to you?

We've talked before about banking on your cell phone. Mobile banking lets you set up text alerts and do things like check the balance on your account.

But what about getting alerts sent to your cell phone for activity on your credit card? I'm happy to say that for consumer Wells Fargo® Visa® Credit Cards, Rapid Alerts is now available to do just that!

The reason I'm so excited is because I participated in the 2009 pilot for the program, and have learned how valuable it is to get these alerts first-hand. It's a convenient and easy way to monitor activity on your account, and for me, it's as close to real time as you can get.

For example, I have recurring payments on my credit card account for my kid's meals at the school cafeteria, monthly daycare fees and swim class fees. Whenever a charge comes through, I'll get an alert on my phone to let me know. Pretty awesome!

I can see when authorized charges are hitting my account, but I also have the security of knowing that if unauthorized charges are made, I'll get a Rapid Alert!

There was also an unexpected benefit when I lost my credit card. Since my account number was being shut down and replaced with a new one, those recurring charges started getting declined. Because of Rapid Alerts, I found out about the declines right away and was able to contact my kid's school and give them the correct account number to charge going forward.

I can't say enough about how cool this feature is. And it's free with a Wells Fargo Credit Card! Wells Fargo credit card customers can learn more and sign up online. If you're already using Rapid Alerts, tell us about it!

Hello, Student LoanDown readers! I know it's been a while since you've heard from me on the blog. I've been pretty busy this past year working on a project related to new regulations for the credit card industry.

You might've heard about the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act which was signed into law by President Obama  in May of 2009. The CARD Act outlines a series of new regulations on open-ended consumer credit accounts that are meant to strengthen consumer protection in the credit industry.

Why should you care? Well, there are specific regulations that apply to consumers under the age of 21. These regulations apply to any financial services company that issues open ended credit card accounts. Here's what you should know:

• If you are applying for open-ended credit (such as a credit card) and are under 21 years old, you must show proof that you can independently repay your debt. Otherwise, you'll need a creditworthy co-applicant who is 21 years or older on the account with you.
• If you are under 21 with a joint accountholder on your credit card account, the joint accountholder who is 21 or older must provide written authorization for any credit line increase that you request.
• Giving college students "inducements" or giveaways to apply for a credit card is not allowed. This applies to all students attending an institution of higher learning, regardless of their age.
• If you are under 21, you must submit a written application that contains your signature and the signature of your co-applicant (if applicable).

As I mentioned, the CARD Act has many other new regulations meant to protect credit card consumers. If you want to learn more, head over to the Federal Reserve website.

If you are a Wells Fargo credit cardholder, you should've received a notice in December or January outlining how Wells Fargo is complying with the CARD Act and what it means for you. And if you have any specific questions, please let us know!

Did you know that October 16 is Get Smart About Credit Day? 

We've talked about it here on the blog before, but just as a refresher, it's an event sponsored by the American Bankers Association to help bankers teach students about using credit responsibly.

Wells Fargo is participating for the third year in a row, and I've been fortunate enough to be part of the working team. With the rising concern about the economy and increasing credit card debt, it has never been more important to help educate new users of credit cards and other credit products about their wise use.

Our team has planned all sorts of valuable credit-education events: in-store seminars, presentations at schools and college campuses, and even some workplace sessions. And we especially want to encourage productive conversations about credit-card readiness between parents and teens. Wells Fargo bankers have lots of great resources at the ready — all you have to do is ask!

In the meantime, if you want to check how credit smart you are, take this knowledge quiz. Or if you have credit questions, ask them here!

A few weeks ago Staci blogged about back-to-school spending and how students and parents will spend less this year than in previous years. Sounds like everyone is trying to save money these days!

If you're among them, did you know that if you have a Visa card, you can get exclusive savings, tips, special discounts, and more on the Visa website? 

Just click on "Personal" and select "Visa Student" to find:

• Student savings, discounts, and offers from online places you love to shop

• Helpful credit management tips

• Advice on planning and living within a budget

Go check it out — you might find yourself a deal and learn something besides!