This man raised his credit score from 550 To 800. Here's how.

Plus, how to tell if you're middle class No Images? Click here       Here’s some unsettling news: The economic expansion we enjoy just entered its 10th year, which means we’re due for a downturn at some point relatively soon. The last recession hit many retirement accounts hard, so take a look at this Yahoo Finance guide to investing for the next recession. Your age will help determine the steps you take to protect yourself. On the plus side, if you’ve been worried about how President Trump’s wild tweets about trade affect the markets, don’t fret: The markets don’t care, for the most part.   Keep reading for a crucial travel tip, credit score help, how to tell if you’re middle class and more. Janie   Take back your life   One thing I neglect to tally while traveling is the international transaction fees my bank charges each time I use an ATM or card abroad. I mean, I know the fees are charged, but I don’t usually look to see what they total until I get home – at which point I need a large glass of wine to recover from the horror.  Turns out you can ask your bank for a waiver that exempts you from fees over your travel dates. It helps if you’re a longtime customer with solid balances, reports Jeanie Ahn of Yahoo Finance, but she suggests that if your bank declines to issue a full waiver, you still try to negotiate the fee from 3 percent to 1 percent.   GET THE DETAILS   Deal with it Working to improve your credit score can be tedious – sometimes it seems to take forever to move the needle! – but there’s almost nothing more rewarding in the realm of personal finance. If you’re down in the dumps about where your FICO score stands, take heart from the story of Sam Price, a former landscaper who took his score from 550 to 800. One of Sam’s tips? Pay your credit cards before the due date. That’s because creditors often report your balance to the credit bureaus on a different date than your payment due date. If you run up a large balance during the billing cycle, your credit utilization ratio could be too high even if you pay down the balance to $0 on the due date. It’s best to keep your credit utilization under 30 percent to maintain a healthy credit score, and one way to keep it as low as possible is by making payments throughout the billing cycle. SAM'S CREDIT TIPS Pro Tip: Instagram is introducing a new feature that will show your followers when you’re online using a big green indicator light. Ugh. Thankfully, there’s a way to hide your status from others, as Lifehacker reports. Using the gear button on your profile to access your privacy and security settings, select the “activity status” menu and toggle it to “off.” You won’t be able to see when others are or were last online with Instagram, but no one will be able to see that for you, either. Want more practical magic? Where do you fall in the American economic class system? [U.S. News] 6 reasons people love to hate homeowners associations [HuffPost] Your handy guide to officespeak in 2018 [HuffPost] 9 common student loan myths that can cost you big-time [HuffPost] Where should you keep significant short-term savings? [Lifehacker]    .     HuffPost is now a part of Oath and a part of Verizon. On May 25, 2018 we introduced a new Oath Privacy Policy which will explain how your data is used and shared. Learn More. No moon dust. No B.S. Just a completely essential daily guide to achieving the good life. Subscribe here. Like what you see? Share it. Can't get enough? You'll also love HuffPost's Entertainment newsletter. ©2018 HuffPost | 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 You are receiving this email because you signed up for updates from HuffPost Feedback | Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe      . - - Preferences  |  Unsubscribe