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[ad_1] The post How to Get Paid to Code: Make Money Online appeared first on Millennial Money. Cutting-edge software is used almost everywhere you look. It’s in the smartphone that you carry around in your pocket, in the products that you buy on Amazon, and even in your car’s dashboard.  Of course, all software starts with code. If you want to learn how to get paid to code and make money online, you’ve come to the right place. Keep reading to learn more about how you can start making money with your coding skills — whether you work for an established enterprise, become a freelance coder, or start your own small business.  Table of contents Programming: An Overview What is coding?  Why get paid to code? The future of coding  Types of programmers Front-end developer Average salary: $100,825 Back-end developer Average salary: $118,033 Full-stack developer  Average salary: $103,655 Web developer Average salary: $67,559  Mobile developer  Average salary: $120,651 Game developer Average salary: $71,295 How to Learn to Code  1. Chart a course  2. Take an online course  Top online coding courses for 2022 Codecademy Pluralsight HarvardX CS50: Introduction to Computer Science 3. Attend a boot camp Best coding boot camps for 2022 Nucamp Flatiron School Code Platoon How to Make Money Coding Get a full-time job  Freelance as a developer Create WordPress plugins Teach an online course Sign up for contests Frequently Asked Questions Is programming a good career?  Is it hard to learn how to code? Can you make a lot of money programming? The Bottom Line Programming: An Overview What is coding?  If you’re new to the topic, here’s a quick primer on coding. Feel free to skip to the next section if you’re already familiar with this stuff. In a nutshell, coding is all about feeding computers instructions. After all, computers can’t understand words and numbers like humans. Getting a computer to take a specific course of action requires giving it commands that it can process.  At a high level, the process of feeding computers information is called coding. Breaking this down further, computers can understand various programming languages. A programming language is a set of symbols that a computer can recognize. Some examples of languages that coders use include HTML, Python, Java, JavaScript, Golang, C#, CSS, PHP, and Objective-C. Picking a computer language is a bit like learning a foreign language — and it helps to have a specific reason for learning your chosen language.  Most programmers don’t know all computer languages. Rather, they learn basic coding principles and then learn the languages they need to solve specific problems based on the tools they use and the tech stacks they’re operating with.  Why get paid to code? If you love technology and learning new tasks, coding might not feel like work. Depending on the type of work that you’re doing, coding can be fun. It can enable you to build programs and watch them come together and develop into working solutions. Plus, you can gain a much deeper understanding of how the digital services you use on a daily basis operate. Of course, not all programming jobs might be a good match for your coding skills. For example, some programmers don’t like working in Java because it requires writing a lot of code for even the simplest tasks.  It’s important to explore the various options that are available to you so that you gravitate toward an area or language that aligns with your interests and coding skills.  One of the best aspects of coding is that you can work remotely. Many millennials are using coding as a means of traveling around the world and living digital nomad lifestyles. If you’re the type who would like to live in France for three months and then jet over to the Philippines, coding can fund your adventures.  It’s also possible to make good money online, especially if you work independently or specialize in a niche area. For many people, coding is their livelihood. It’s a means to a decent paycheck and a better quality of life. If you can master coding, you can open some exciting doors and enjoy a lucrative and rewarding career.  The future of coding  Young people who are picking careers today need to take automation into account. Automation is impacting just about every industry, and programming is no exception.  That doesn’t mean programming is going away — quite the contrary. Over the next few years, programmers will increasingly use artificial intelligence to automate low-level, time-consuming tasks. For example, services like Kite help programmers speed up production with artificial intelligence.  Still, the world will need programmers to work with code and bring software to market. Software doesn’t write itself (at least, not yet). In all likelihood, the immediate future remains bright for programmers. While there’s no telling what the future will bring, software development is an in-demand, well-paying, and stable profession. Types of programmers Here are a few of the most common programming roles to explore as you look for ways to make money coding.  I want to note that the salaries you see below are just an average. Experienced coders who live in high-cost areas can earn significantly more money. Front-end developer Average salary: $100,825 Front-end developers create the graphical interface of a website or application. In other words, this is what the user sees when using a digital service. It’s like web design, just for software. Back-end developer Average salary: $118,033 Back-end developers are responsible for creating the underlying technology that powers an application or website. Full-stack developer  Average salary: $103,655 A full-stack developer is an engineer who can work with both the front and back ends. Web developer Average salary: $67,559  Web developers specialize in creating websites for businesses.  Mobile developer  Average salary: $120,651 Mobile developers write code for applications that run on mobile devices like Android and iPhone. Game developer Average salary: $71,295 Game developers write code specifically for digital games on mobile devices, computers, and consoles like PlayStation and Xbox.

[ad_1] My older sister, Brigette, shares her shopping trips and menu plans every week! You can go HERE to see all of her weekly menu plans and you can go HERE to read all about her family! Aldi 2 loaves Sandwich Bread – $1.00 2 bags Spinach – $2.38 1 Seedless Cucumbers – $1.19 1 3-lb bag Sweet Potatoes – $2.19 1 Pineapple – $1.69 1 bag Mini Sweet Peppers – $2.79 2 bunches Bananas ($0.49/lb) – $2.10 2 3-lb bags Pink Lady Apples – $6.58 1 bag Radishes – $0.99 1 pkg Zucchini – $2.82 2 bags frozen Riced Cauliflower – $3.90 1 carton Artisan Lettuce – $2.89 2 bags frozen California Veggie Medley – $1.50 3 dozen Eggs – $5.17 1 32-oz carton Egg Whites – $2.95 1 32-oz carton Half and Half – $1.49 1/2 gallon Unsweetened Organic Almond Milk – $2.99 1/2 gallon Chocolate Almond Milk – $1.49 1 gallon Whole Milk – $1.69 1 12-oz bag Chocolate Chips – $1.19 1 large container Quick Oats – $2.39 1 box Rice Squares – $2.29 1 family size box Honey Crisp Oats – $2.39 1 family size Frosty Flakes – $2.19 1 box Raisin Bran – $1.99 1 box Golden Round Crackers – $1.99 1 pkg Oyster Crackers – $0.89 1 5-lb pkg Flour – $1.49 1 32-oz carton Greek Yogurt – $3.25 6 single-serving cartons flavored Greek Yogurt – $3.54 1 24-oz carton Cottage Cheese – $1.69 1 8-oz pkg Deli Sliced Cheese – $1.25 1 jar Garlic Powder – $0.97 1 jar Paprika – $0.97 1 jar Cinnamon – $0.97 1 jar Oregano – $0.97 1 jar Onion Powder – $0.97 1 jar Baking Cocoa – $1.79 1 jar Salsa – $1.15 1-lb Sausage – $1.89 1 16-oz pkg Turkey Bacon – $2.19 1 16-oz pkg Deli Meat – $2.99 1 pkg Chicken Breasts, thinly sliced – $4.13 2 boxes Macaroni and Cheese – $0.68 1 pkg Butter Quarters – $2.48 1 pkg Rice Cakes – $1.99 1 bag Tortillas Chips – $1.25 1 bag Nacho Chips – $1.19 1 box Fruit and Grain Bars – $1.35 Grocery Total for the Week: $102.56 Harris Teeter An anonymous person at church gifted us with a $100 Harris Teeter gift card, which was such a sweet surprise! I figure I’ll stop in weekly since it’s right on the way to Aldi and see what deals I can score. 2 bags frozen Cauliflower – $3.00 (Aldi doesn’t sell frozen cauliflower or okra, and we love both!) 2 bags frozen Okra – $3.00 1 bag Carrots, reduced – $0.50 2 pkgs Mushrooms – FREE (mushrooms were on sale for $1.00 each, and these had reduced stickers on them because they were expiring soon – which actually made them free!) 5 8-oz pkgs Shredded Cheese (B2G3) – $6.78 1 Cantaloupe – $1.00 1 Kraft BBQ Sauce – $0.85, used $1.00/1 evic coupon – FREE 1 2-ct Deep Dish Pie Crust – $1.24 1 Kraft Big Bowl Macaroni and Cheese, reduced – $0.50 Total: $16.02, free with gift card Grocery Total for the Week: Weekly Menu Plan Breakfasts Oatmeal, Toast, Cereal, Scrambled/Boiled/Fried Eggs, Fruit, Yogurt, Cottage Cheese, Veggie Omelets, Smoothies Lunches Deli Meat/Cheese Sandwiches, Banana, Carrots, Chips x 2 Rice Cakes/Crackers with Peanut Butter, Peppers, Apples, Chips x 2 Leftovers x 3 Dinners Chicken Stir Fry, Steamed Rice, Fried Cauliflower Rice, Pineapple Venison Meat Loaf with Gravy, Sweet Potatoes, Steamed Mixed Vegetables Pancakes, Bacon, Scrambled Eggs with Cheese Chicken Pot Pie, Tossed Salad, Cantaloupe Biscuits and Sausage Gravy, Roasted Cauliflower Date Night Out (kids eat macaroni and cheese at home) Leftovers [ad_2] Source link

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[ad_1] March Madness: North Carolina Ousts Top-Seeded Baylor in OT  The New York Times North Carolina Tar Heels overcome ejection, blown lead to knock off Baylor Bears in overtime  ESPN Former NBA Player REACTS to UNC VICTORY over Baylor in Round of 32 | CBS Sports HQ  CBS Sports HQ Baylor’s NaLyssa Smith erupts, drowns Hawaii, 89-49 | Baylor | wacotrib.com  Waco Tribune-Herald North Carolina’s Brady Manek ejected for throwing elbow vs Baylor  Fox News View Full Coverage on Google News [ad_2]

[ad_1] Today, the U.S. Census Bureau released their construction report for February, showing a positive trend in housing construction data with a lovely print in housing permits at 1,859,000 and housing starts at 1,769,000. The previous months of housing data have been positively revised higher as well, so this is a solid report on all fronts. Of course, that’s until you look at the housing completion data, which hasn’t gone anywhere in years. In fact, considering the drop in builders’ confidence, now we have to watch for whether some people will cancel their building contracts because rates have jumped so much while they’ve been waiting for their new home to be built. Housing starts data, like new home sales data, can be wild month to month, so the trend is always more important than any one report and the revisions are critical. We can have one monthly report with an extremely positive or negative print that is revised higher or lower the next month. The fact that the headline number on this report was good and the revisions were positive is a good sign. So far, housing construction has done well during 2020-2022 considering the economic drama. The housing sector has had to deal with a global pandemic, shortages of products and skyrocketing lumber costs, but in the end, mother demographics wins. Housing starts From Census: Privately‐owned housing starts in February were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,769,000. This is 6.8 percent (±14.9 percent)* above the revised January estimate of 1,657,000 and is 22.3 percent (±14.3 percent) above the February 2021 rate of 1,447,000. Single‐family housing starts in February were at a rate of 1,215,000; this is 5.7 percent (±11.8 percent)* above the revised January figure of 1,150,000. The February rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 501,000.  As we can see below, slow and steady wins this race. We had more housing starts during the bubble years because from 2002 to 2005 that demand curve was higher, but it was facilitated by unhealthy credit growth. The homebuyers of new homes today are very solid, but since we don’t have a credit boom in housing, housing starts will move up slowly. This is a very positive thing because it’s real. When you have a speculative credit bubble, you’re prone to a massive correction. Remember that back in 2018, the new home sales and housing starts sector had a slowdown when mortgage rates got to 5%. It wasn’t a crash in demand but a slowdown for sure. Since the previous expansion was slow and steady, we weren’t ever working from an overheated new home sales sector, so the slowdown never created a crash. Since then, housing starts have been increasing as new home sales have been growing. Housing permits From Census: Privately‐owned housing units authorized by building permits in February were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,859,000. This is 1.9 percent below the revised January rate of 1,895,000, but is 7.7 percent above the February 2021 rate of 1,726,000. Single‐family authorizations in February were at a rate of 1,207,000; this is 0.5 percent below the revised January figure of 1,213,000. Authorizations of units in buildings with five units or more were at a rate of 597,000 in February. I see a similar story here with housing permits: the trend is your friend and slow and steady wins the race. The big difference for me in the years 2020-2022 from 2008-2019 is that the low bar in housing starts is gone. The previous economic expansion had the weakest housing recovery ever; new home sales and housing starts were working from deficient levels and didn’t have the boom that many people had hoped for. It looked pretty normal to me; I didn’t anticipate housing starting a year at 1.5 million until 2020-2024 because then the demand for new homes would warrant that much construction. People forget that housing construction is built on the need for new homes, which are more expensive than the existing home sales market. So the meager inventory in the existing home sales market has benefited the builders because it makes their products more valuable. Housing completions From Census: Privately‐owned housing completions in February were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,309,000. This is 5.9 percent (±13.3 percent)* above the revised January estimate of 1,236,000, but is 2.8 percent (±12.0 percent)* below the February 2021 rate of 1,347,000. Single‐family housing completions in February were at a rate of 1,034,000; this is 12.1 percent (±14.7 percent)* above the revised January rate of 922,000. The February rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 266,000. As you can see below, we haven’t gone anywhere for years now. It’s a shame that the housing market has to deal with so much drama while the U.S. has the most prolific housing demographic patch in history. Here is where we can talk about some risks looking out to the housing market. Mortgage rates have risen since the lows we saw last year. You can make a case that a few people, not many, might not want to buy their expensive new home now that rates have just moved higher. However, I will give a personal take on this after talking to a friend who sells new homes. The buyers are frustrated beyond belief with how long the process is taking while they watch rates rise. However, what my friend said was: What else are they going to do? The fact that total existing inventory is at all-time lows and it’s been a madhouse trying to buy a house has kept some new home buyers in line. The recent builder’s confidence data took a noticeable fall, and there is some concern about future sales. I believe the homebuilders confidence index showing you the directional changes in the housing market landscape is critical. In 2020, we had an abnormal surge in housing data which was just showing make-up demand toward the end of the year in 2021. Naturally, the housing

[ad_1] The post Best Side Hustles for Teachers appeared first on Millennial Money. Teachers tend to love what they do — even if they don’t love their salaries. That’s why many teachers work a second job to make more money. Whether you could use the extra income to help pay off your student loans or credit card debt or want to start saving for retirement, there are plenty of side hustles you can do during the school year or as a summer job. In this post, we’ll look at some of the best side hustles for teachers… and anyone else who wants to earn extra money. Table of contents What Are the Best Side Hustles for Teachers? 1. Take up freelance writing or editing 2. Become an adjunct professor 3. Get hired as a virtual assistant 4. Sell lessons on Teachers Pay Teachers  5. Teach summer school 6. Return to summer camp 7. Coach sports 8. After-school and online tutoring 9. Teach English as a second language 10. Raise money on Classful.com The Bottom Line What Are the Best Side Hustles for Teachers? Some folks are content to use survey sites like Survey Junkie to earn gift cards or a few extra bucks here and there. But in this side hustle list, we’re going to focus on lucrative side hustle ideas that make the best use of your talents. 1. Take up freelance writing or editing If you’re a teacher with wordsmith experience, freelance writing can be a great option for making money. Companies are always looking for help building out content on their websites or social media accounts. And highly skilled writers can charge a high premium for freelance writing And if you’re very knowledgeable about grammar and content structure, you might find editing to be a great side hustle for you. Freelance writing and editing are popular teacher side hustle ideas because you can often do these jobs on your own time, from anywhere. You can write or edit on the weekend, after school, or even while you’re on vacation with your family. A great way to start finding gigs as a freelance writer or editor is through online platforms like Fiverr or Upwork. 2. Become an adjunct professor When I was getting my master’s degree in business administration, many of my adjunct professors were full-time school teachers who worked for the college part-time. Being an adjunct professor is even easier today, because there are options to teach as an online course instructor. These jobs tend to pay quite well, and you can still enjoy your weekends and holidays off! Check your local community college or university to see what part-time opportunities might be available to you. 3. Get hired as a virtual assistant If you’re great at getting other people organized (and let’s face it, that’s a large part of teaching!), becoming a virtual assistant could be the perfect side hustle for you. Many small businesses are often looking for a virtual assistant. This usually entails doing odd jobs like answering emails and scheduling appointments. Virtual assistants might also get hired to manage a company’s social media presence. This is a great choice if you’re looking for a work-from-home job. However, note that you may be expected to work during normal business hours, when you may be teaching a class. 4. Sell lessons on Teachers Pay Teachers  Teachers Pay Teachers is a platform that lets teachers sell their original lesson plans and classroom materials to other teachers and homeschool parents. This is a great way to make passive income. Just upload your lesson plan, activity instructions, bulletin board designs, etc. — and get paid whenever someone makes a purchase. Because you’re selling digital files, there’s no need to ship anything. 5. Teach summer school During the summer months, why not continue doing what you love and teach summer school? Many public school systems and private schools offer classes year-round for students who need extra time in the classroom. 6. Return to summer camp That sounds like a cheesy horror movie, right? But in reality, you can have a lot of fun working at a summer camp or other outdoor program. Working at a YMCA summer camp, serving as a lifeguard, and leading kids into the wilderness with Outward Bound are popular summer jobs for teachers. You could also consider becoming a local tour guide and teach visiting youngsters about what your area has to offer. Learn More: 16 Best Online Summer Jobs for Teachers Top 27 Side Hustles for Teachers 7. Coach sports When I was in high school, many of the teachers taught sports throughout the year. The science teachers coached tennis and football. My English teacher also coached softball. A friend of mine’s father was a high-school administrator as well as a football coach.  8. After-school and online tutoring There are plenty of online teaching jobs that you can look into. There are options for after-school tutoring, public and private online or offline tutoring. Just a quick Google search returns more than 471 million results for tutoring.  Often students and parents of students will seek out tutoring services for test preparation. Higher test scores can be a competitive advantage for college admissions as well as possible job opportunities. This means that parents or students may be willing to pay a premium to work on earning a higher test score.  Wealthofgeeks.com mentions 23 online tutoring services for $20 – $100+ per hour. Some tutoring jobs are English-specific, but other opportunities range from different subjects. The article suggests tutoring as a Kaplan Test Prep Instructor or using PrepNow.  Iliketodabble.com states that the average pay for tutoring is around $25 per hour but can be up to $7,500 per month.  On the other hand, you can become an online teacher with a platform such as Outschool. I know a number of teachers who use this site to make quite a lot of money doing what they love best. But you have to hustle… the most successful online

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[ad_1] The rate volatility created by fast-rising inflation, now approaching 8% annualized, and the opposing flight to quality sparked by the war in Ukraine, is complicating an already challenging execution environment in the private-label securities market.  Into March of this year, according to multiple market experts, the nonagency secondary market has been digesting a large backlog of mortgage collateral that was locked and originated last year during a much lower-rate environment than exists today. Most of the mortgages securitized in January and February and into March of this year, according to those observers, were originated last year at rates in the high 2% to low 3% range but are hitting the market this year at a time when rates have been climbing, reaching past 4% recently.  If that sounds like a perfect storm, add yet another jolt in the form of a 0.25% increase to the Federal Reserve’s benchmark federal funds rate announced this week, lifting it off near zero — with some six additional rate hikes planned yet for the balance of this year, until the benchmark rate reaches nearly 2%. (And three more hikes are planned for 2023.) These multiple market pressures have fueled rate volatility and accompanying pricing-execution pressures that have led to a difficult beginning of the year for the private-label securities (PLS) market, according to market experts, and, as a side effect, sparked a more robust market for whole-loan sales — with loans often being sold at a discount. Additional pressure on the PLS market has been created by the increase in agency conforming loan limits for 2022, a change that has pushed more high-balance loans toward Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and away from the private label securitization market. Similarly, the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s [FHFA’s] suspension of the cap on agency purchases of investment properties and second homes this past September has continued to create a drag on those deals flowing into the PLS market. Atlanta-based MAXEX, a major aggregator of loans for secondary market offerings, in its March market report describes a challenging scene for the nonagency securitization market. “Rapidly rising rates and widening spreads limited securitization volume in February for both investor [investment property] and prime jumbo issuance,” the report states. “… And, as we noted in last month’s report, the price for loans traded through the exchange has fallen again as well.” The MAXEX report notes that residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) deals backed by investment properties decreased “significantly in February,” in large part due to the removal of the agency limit on purchasing those loans. “The removal of the FHFA cap in September allowed many originators to sell these loans directly to the agencies at a better execution than the nonagency RMBS market,” the report states. David Pelka, head of RMBS business and a principal at Minneapolis-based CarVal Investors, said his firm is active in both the residential whole loan and RMBS markets, with 30 years of experience buying, managing and trading nonperforming, sub-performing and reperforming loans. CarVal has acquired some $10 billion in whole loans over the past decade and a half, he added, and securitized $5 billion in residential mortgages across some 14 offerings. Pelka agrees that the PLS market is under pressure. “In terms of prime jumbo residential mortgage-backed securities, I expect volume to be challenged due to interest rates and bank portfolio bids,” Pelka said. “Credit, such as non-QM [nonprime mortgages], is under pressure from rates, spreads, and extension risk. “While there is increased interest from originators to access the non-QM market, this short-term period is very challenging.” Pelka also points out that the rate volatility plaguing the market predates the war in Ukraine — unleashed late last year by the emergence in the U.S. of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. “The conflict [in Ukraine] is escalating the problem in RMBS, with continued weak execution on new deals, uncertainty around the path of interest rates and probably some concern with new-origination credit performance due to inflation,” Pelka said. John Toohig, managing director of whole loan trading at Raymond James in Memphis, said his firm had a record month in February trading mortgages, adding that “it’s exceedingly rare that we get to see a lot of loans trade at discounts, and there was a pretty wide range of discounts, from 95 to par.” “The loans that are coming online right now [in the PLS market] are the loans that were originated back in November and December [2021], as they’ve worked their way through the pipeline,” Toohig added. “So, the coupons back then were quite a bit lower than market coupons [now].” He explained that part of the backlog in the securitization market is attributable to the ongoing underwriter shortage in the due-diligence review sector, resulting in many loans “waiting to get diligence and also underwater.” “That’s not a good combination,” Toohig added. Another industry executive, who asked not to be named, said some clients have commented on the underwriter shortage, but “it has not significantly slowed the deal steamrollers I’m seeing.” The executive added, however, that “some folks are taking back more bonds than they expected to, and pricing on some deals has not met expectations.” “I worked one deal last month [February] that basically broke even,” the executive added. Echoing the market woes, Justin Grant, director of investor services at Mortgage Capital Trading in San Diego, said at the start of this year, high-balance (HB) loan production was off by 25%. “I believe it is mainly due to the new conforming loan-limit increases, [which are] allowing some of that market to now fall into a regular-balance [agency] product,” he explained. “That being said, rates from the nonagency lenders on HB loans were already right there with the agencies, so the new price adjustments from the agencies will only help to make a nonagency product more attractive for borrowers.” That’s the larger takeaway here: the resiliency of the PLS market and its ability to ride out rough patches in the rate environment. Even with the challenges facing it, PLS securitization volume is

[ad_1] Your credit score can have a dramatic impact on your life, and that’s true regardless of your age, your gender, and where you live. After all, a good credit score can make it possible to purchase a home or finance a car so you can get to work. Bad credit or poor credit, on the other hand, can make it difficult to qualify for a loan you truly need, and especially not one with the best rates and terms. This is part of the reason it’s smart to care about your credit early on — well before you need it. If you’re hoping to build credit now so you can live the life you want when you’re ready, read on to learn how credit scores work and the best ways to build credit that lasts. Key Takeaways Your credit score can impact your ability to buy a house, finance a car, or take out a personal loan. The most common credit score is the FICO score. This type of score is used by 90% of top lenders. There are five main factors that make up your FICO score — your payment history, the amounts you owe, the length of your credit history, new credit, and your credit mix. Building credit from scratch can be a challenge, yet there are several credit-building financial products that can help. How Credit Scores Work Before you learn how to build your credit score, you should have a basic understanding of how credit scores are determined in the first place. When it comes to FICO scores, you should first note the fact that your score can fall between 300 and 850, with higher scores showing better credit health. Within that broad range, there are different tiers of scores to strive for. With the FICO scoring method, credit score ranges are as follows: Exceptional: 800+ Very Good: 740 to 799 Good: 670 to 739 Fair: 580 to 669 Poor: 579 or less According to Experian’s 2021 State of Credit Report, the average VantageScore (another type of credit score that works similarly to the FICO score) is currently at 695, which is up from the average score of 688 reported in 2020. Regardless, it’s best to shoot for a score of 670 or higher, mostly because this is the threshold where lenders believe you have a good credit score. Knowing credit score ranges can help you find a goal to shoot for, but you also need to know the factors that come into play. The FICO scoring method considers five different factors when determining your score:  Payment history (35%): This factor looks at how often you pay your bills early or on time, as well as whether you have any late payments. Amounts owed (30%): This factor looks at how much debt you owe in relation to your credit limits. Length of your credit history (15%): This factor looks at the average length of all your credit accounts combined. New credit (10%): This factor considers how many newer hard inquiries and credit accounts you have, Credit mix (10%): Your credit mix considers the types of credit you have, including revolving credit, installment credit, and more. 6 Ways to Build Credit Fast If you want to know how to build your credit score, taking a look at the factors we outlined above can help. However, there are some specific steps you can take to build your credit score fast, including the following: Get a Secured Credit Card Building credit can be a challenge when you have none, mostly because it’s difficult to get approved for any type of credit card or loan. However, secured credit cards help you sidestep that issue altogether — that is, if you’re willing to put down collateral. With a secured credit card, consumers typically put down a cash deposit of $49 to $200 or more. This collateral secures their line of credit, which gives them a small amount of purchasing power. Many secured credit cards don’t require an annual fee, and some even let you earn rewards. Also note that the cash deposit you put down is fully refundable when you close your account or upgrade your card in good standing. The most important benefit of secured credit cards is the fact they report to the three credit bureaus — Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. This means that, as you use a secured credit card for small purchases and pay your bill on time, your secured credit card can add depth to your credit history and boost your credit score. Apply for a Credit Builder Loan Another option for building credit involves applying for a credit builder loan. With this type of loan from Self, for example, consumers take out a “loan” of sorts that allows them to make payments to a savings account. While a small amount in fees and interest is charged along the way, the loan user gets the money they pay toward the loan back in the end. More importantly, the payments they make are reported to the credit bureaus, giving them the chance to build their credit score quickly. While credit builder loans aren’t free by any means, they don’t have to be costly, either. As you can see from the screenshot below, a credit builder loan from Self can cost as little as $46 over 12 months. Try Credit-Building Apps Also consider a handful of free apps that can help you build credit without much work on your part, and without taking out any type of loan. With Experian Boost, for example, consumers can download the app and start getting credit for streaming services they pay for, utility bills and more. Experian Boost is entirely free, and you can even get a free look at your FICO® Score 8 just by downloading the app. However, it’s worth noting that you need six months of credit history to get a FICO credit score and to better assess your creditworthiness over time. Look Over Your Credit Reports Another