Check out the 5 financial tips for the third week of December 2012.

Tip no 1 - Make your home warm to sell your home during winter.

Prospective homebuyers are not interested to live in a cold house.  So, if you wish to sell your home in the chilly winter, then make sure you set the thermostat at minimum 70 degrees. This will enable you to keep your house warm even during the winter. You may have to pay a high heating bill in order to keep your house warm. However, keep it in mind that you’ll win in the long run. You’ll be able to fetch a good price on your house and make a lot of money.

Tip no 2 - Creditor can impose fees on charged-off account. Pay off the debt quickly to avoid them.

When an account is charged-off, it doesn’t mean that you get rid of the debt. You're still legally responsible for the debt. The creditor is entitled to inform the credit bureaus that your account has been charged-off. In addition to that, creditor can charge extra fees on the charged-off account. For instance: creditor can charge late fees for not being able to receive timely payments. On top of that, creditor can ask you pay over-the-limit-fees for crossing the credit limit.

Don’t feel happy if your account has been charged-off. Rather, call your creditor and discuss about the probable payment options. Remember that a charged off account is not at all good for your credit score.

Tip no 3 - Plan the Christmas from now on, and save money as per the plan too.

Christmas is just knocking at the door. If you want to celebrate Christmas with your friends and family, then start planning from now on. Keep it in mind that careful planning is the way to get success. Buy gifts from shops after finalizing your shopping list and budget.  Check out the online offers. Shop early to avoid the rush. Send Ecards to the people whom you want to invite for the Christmas bash. You can register in a website for free and send the Ecards to your friends and family. You’ll also save paper in the process. You’ll be able to save money on the paper too.

Tip no 4 - Review the offers made by the shops before buying a particular item.

Different shops offer products at various prices. So, when you want to buy something, make sure you check out the products offered by the shops. Find out what different shops are charging for the same product. For instance: Shop A may charge $10 for a product. On the other hand, shop B may ask you to pay $20 for the same product. When you go to shop C, you find that you’re getting the product at $9.5. So, the bottom line is, you’ll save a lot of money by purchasing the product from the shop C.

Tip no 5 - You have the right, under the Fair Credit Reporting Act to dispute the completeness and accuracy of information in your credit file.

If your creditor or a collection agency has given wrong information to the credit bureau, then you would have to send a letter to the credit bureau. You need to write in the letter that the information is wrong. State the correct information in the letter. If you’ve any document, then send a copy of the document with the letter. This would help you establish the fact that what you’ve said is correct. The credit bureau will look into your letter. They would conduct their own investigation. If they’re convinced that you’re stating the truth, then the wrong information will be removed from the credit report.