Good Day Atlanta viewer information: September 22, 2015

Atlanta - GOOSEBUMPS will be in theaters nation wide in mid October.   The film is the first film to shoot in Georgia for Sony's Columbia Pictures and was mostly shot in Atlanta and Madison.  The film based on the bestselling GOOSEBUMPS book series by RL Stine stars Jack Black, Dylan Minnette, Odeya Rush and Amy Ryan. Today on Good Day Atlanta the director of the film Rob Letterman stops by to talk to Good Day Atlanta's Karen Graham about the anticipated film.  For more on the movie click here.

JO FROST NANNY ON TOUR: America's favorite Nanny and Global parenting expert Jo Frost (who garnered fame from starring in the hit show Supernanny) joins us on Good Day Atlanta to discuss an important casting call in Atlanta for her new show Nanny on Tour.  For more information click here.

Good Day Atlanta's pet of the day from Angels Among Us Rescue.  For more click here.

FIVE TIPS TO FINANCIAL FITNESS: Real Estate expert John Adams joins us with tips to help boost your credit score.  See tips below.  For more information on John Adams click here.

FIVE TIPS TO FINANCIAL FITNESS

Whether you are buying a house or a car, shopping for an insurance policy, or even looking for a job, you are affected by your credit score.

More so than ever before, your credit score influences a lot more than just your loan rate.

Here to help us make sense of credit scores is John Adams.

*  John WHAT IS A CREDIT SCORE?

It’s a mathematical prediction of how likely you are to pay your financial obligations ON TIME, based on a number of factors contained in your credit report.

There are many variations of credit scores, but the most widely used one is called your FICO score, and it’s used by everyone from employers to landlords to mortgage lenders to decide if they want to do business with YOU.

*  So how do we know if our credit score is good or bad?

Your credit score is a three digit number between 550 and 850. The higher your score the better. Your score is based entirely on information contained in  your personal credit report. You can get that for free from AnnualCreditReport.com.

*  OK, let's say I’m wanting to get a loan to buy a house. What difference does my credit score make?

In Atlanta, lenders say most borrowers seeking thirty year financing will pay one-eighth percent less on their interest rate if their credit score tops 720.

While that seems a small difference, it adds up to more than four thousand dollars over the life of the loan. In addition, if your score is below 620, it may be difficult to obtain home financing at any rate.

*  I’m convinced - I want a GREAT credit score. How can I do just that?

To help boost your credit score, follow these five tips:

1.  Pay your monthly bills on a timely basis.

I know this sounds very basic, but paying "on time" is vitally important to credit grantors. They believe how you have paid in the past is a strong indicator of how you will pay in the future.

Your payment history makes up about 35 percent of your credit score, and it comes directly from information on your credit report, so pay your bills early and check to make sure none are late - ever.

2.  Don't overuse your revolving credit.

In fact, it's best to keep your credit card balances below 25 percent of your limit at all times, even if you pay it off in full every month.

Carrying a balance above 50 percent of your limit indicates to creditors that you may be living off your credit card during a difficult financial time. Keep your utilization percentage low and ask for increased limits if you need to. This factor makes up 30 percent of your credit score.

3.  Keep accounts open to build longevity.

Closing one account and opening another looks to creditors like you are churning your credit, and that scares them. Instead, keep unused accounts open by using them at least occasionally. The length of your credit history accounts for about 15 percent of your score, so strive for long-term relationships with quality merchants and institutions.

4.  Take it easy on new credit requests.

Each application you make generates a credit inquiry, and too many inquiries signals the bureau that your circumstances may have taken a turn for the worse. This factor makes up about 10 percent of your score.

5.  Try to keep a healthy mix of credit types.

A mix of active credit cards, retail accounts, installment loans, and mortgages would indicate a prudent use of credit in your financial life.  Overuse in any one area could indicate a credit dependence. This area accounts for the final 10 percent of your score.

*  John, what’s the most important thing to remember?

Remember that your credit score only looks at information contained in your credit report. That's why it is so important to make sure your information is accurate.

Atlanta's Best Restaurants Join Forces For Taste Of Atlanta; There are a lot of first-class restaurants in Atlanta -- but there's only place you can try them all out at the same time.

Taste of Atlanta returns this weekend for the 14th year, bringing the region's best food to Tech Square in Midtown Atlanta.  The three-day event (September 25-27) features more than 90 restaurants and chefs, from A (Alma Cocina) to Z (Zola Italian), as well as a VIP Grant Tasting Experience with Beer and Wine from Hop City.  Throughout the weekend, visitors can catch live cooking demos on The Chef's Table stage and take part in cooking classes in The Kitchen Workshop. 

Good Day Atlanta's Paul Milliken wanted to get a taste...of Taste of Atlanta -- so we hosted some of the participating chefs at the Fox 5 studios this morning!   

WEB LINK:

http://www.tasteofatlanta.com/