Here are a few tips for creating a laid-back living space that captures the essence of Scandinavian style.Neutral and NaturalTypically, a Nordic-inspired home utilizes a neutral color palette, with earthy materials like wood, stone and natural fibers to warm up the atmosphere.Modern TouchesModern light fixtures, geometric prints and clean lines are synonymous with Nordic style.Mix and MatchThe farmhouse aesthetic is also commonly paired with Scandinavian design to achieve just the right balance between modern and rustic.Keep It Clutter-FreeFunctionality is key when it comes to Nordic design, with the goal being to create an environment that feels warm while encouraging simplicity in your life.Published with permission from RISMedia.

A business credit card can be a big help to business owners. But if not used properly, they can cause credit scores to drop, affecting personal credit.There are a number of ways cardholders can negatively impact their credit score. The biggest culprit? Carrying too much debt on their business card which raises their debt-to-credit ratio. To calculate this ratio, divide the total amount of debt by the total amount of credit youve been extended"for both personal and business. Keeping this number at 30 percent is a good way to improve your credit score. Much higher and lenders may consider you more of a risk.Because business and personal credit card balances are combined to calculate a debt-to-credit ratio, having a large balance on a small business card, or even a balance near the middle of your credit limit, can have a huge impact on your credit ratio.Other Business SpilloversMost small business credit cards require the cardholder to personally guarantee the debt. If the balance isnt paid off through the business, the owner must pay the entire amount out of pocket.If theres a problem paying a business credit card bill, the card issuers may report it to the cardholders personal credit reports. Some card issuers will report all activity, negative or positive.This isnt a problem if you pay your business card on time and avoid high balances. Such habits on a business credit card may even help boost a credit score when combined with a personal credit report. But using a business credit card too often could hurt your personal credit.Too Many Credit ApplicationsHaving too many recent applications for credit, including for a business credit card, can cause your score to drop. Two credit applications in a short period of time isnt a big deal, but more can be interpreted as a sign of financial distress and that you owe a lot of money.When applying for a small business credit card, dont apply for several at once. If youve recently applied for a few personal credit cards, then wait a few months before trying to get one for your business.Dont Seek a Home LoanIf you’re applying for a business credit card, avoid a home loan. Or wait until your home loan closes before applying for new credit cards. A new inquiry into your credit can delay your home loan.Also avoid applying for a small business credit card when applying for other types of loans, such as a small business line of credit, auto loan or other type of major loan.Published with permission from RISMedia.

So a babe is on the way? Congrats! Along with the chaos of, well, everything that is to come, your finances are about to experience an upheaval, as well. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it will cost upwards of $245,000 to raise a child born in 2013 to the age of 18"and this does not include college. Feeling that bank account burn already? Below are five tips for rocking your budget as a new mom or dad.1. Tweak the budget.Your new little one is going to cost a pretty penny. From hospital costs to diapers and child care, budgetary stress is an added strain on you as a new mom or dad. Look for any unnecessaries you can slash to make room for more baby dollars. The more prepared you are, the better.2. Track your spending.Don’t just make that budget and set it aside. Set a monthly meeting with your spouse to look over your spending, make sure you’re on track, and identify any problem areas or potential saving pockets.3. Learn your tax credits.I bet you didn’t see this one coming. Being a parent has some advantages at tax time, so talk to your tax professional about what you may be eligible for.4. Automate, automate, automate.Not only can automation help you avoid bouncing bills, but by having money withdrawn from your account, you can pad up your savings, too. Figure out how much you can part with every month and automatically squirrel it away into an emergency savings account, a college savings account, or both.5. Set financial goals.While creating a budget and savings plan is great, setting goals for your family can help you stay on track. Looking to have a set amount in a college account by the time your kid hits 18? Do the math and decide how much you need to save monthly to hit it. Is an annual family vacation a must? Figure out how to stash some cash for that, and then make it happen. Also, stay well informed on real estate market trends if you’re looking to buy a home or move up to a larger one.Above all, don’t forget to be realistic, and forgive yourself if it takes some time to get on track. Parenting is a lifelong adventure!Published with permission from RISMedia.

In your home or in your vacation cabin, a handsome stone hearth is often the gatheringplace for comfy family evenings. But accumulations of dirt, soot and ash can make yourfireplace less efficient and ruin the lovely patina of natural stone.You can help maintain its beauty and safety with this once-yearly facelift routine:Clean the firebox. At least 12 hours after extinguishing the last fire, or preferablybefore lighting the first fire of the year, lay drop cloths around the fireplace area toprotect against airborne particles. Put on gloves and a dust mask and use a smallshovel to scoop any remaining ash from the firebox. Place the ashes in a metalcontainer with a tight-fitting lid and store it outside, away from flammable materials,until youre ready to discard it. Run a small vacuum cleaner in and around the fireboxand surrounding area.Scrub the stone. Dilute a quarter cup of dish soap with hot water in a bucket anduse a small scrub brush dipped in the solution to clean the stone surface fromtop to bottom. You may be surprised at how much trapped dirt and grit you can scrub out.Gauge the need for deeper cleaning. If the fireplace has not been used for a longtime, you may find that soapy water is not enough to remove old smoke stains. In thatcase, dissolve a half-cup of TSP cleaning powder in three-quarts of hot water and try againwith a stiff brush. TSP is both a de-greaser and a heavy-duty cleaner, making it moreeffective than soap alone for eliminating stubborn stains and creosote.Rinse it down. Empty the soapy water and refill the bucket with cold water. Use aclean rag to make one or two passes over the entire stone surface, wiping away anysoap suds and loosened dirt. Go over it again with a dry rag, then let the surface air-dry before lighting a fire.Published with permission from RISMedia.

For $600 or so a year, plus a service fee of around $75 every time you ask for repair, a home warranty can be an inexpensive way to have peace of mind as a new homeowner.Home warranties cover breakdowns in a home, from HVAC systems to appliances. A broken water heater can be repaired within hours, but if it cant be fixed, a home warranty can pay for a new one to be installed.For homeowners with an older house, they may want more things covered than a newer home would need"such as older appliances"and will likely pay more for it. If you just bought new appliances and have a manufacturers warranty for a year or more, you wont need this coverage. You may be able to exclude new appliances from a home warranty to cut down on costs.Things that can be covered by a home warranty include ductwork, electrical, plumbing, dishwashers, refrigerators, ovens, stoves, clothes washers and dryers, and water heaters.Things that are unlikely to be covered include expensive items such as septic tanks, wells, heating systems, pools, garage doors, windows and doors, sprinkler systems, pre-existing conditions, and walls. Coverage for such items may cost more. Roofs may also be exempt, though some home warranty companies sell plans to fix leaking roofs.Consider CostA big factor in deciding if a home warranty is worth buying is cost. Basic coverage can start at about $300 and go up to $600 or more.Some home warranties charge for a service call, such as $75 or so, while others allow unlimited service calls. Contractors are screened and sent out by the company.To determine if a home warranty cost is worth it, start by learning how old your appliances and home systems are and if the original equipment manufacturer warranties still cover them. Find out what the expected lifespan of each item is to help you figure out if a home warranty is needed.Some home warranty companies require annual maintenance on appliances and home systems to keep the warranties valid. Some may ask how long youve had them. Dont expect the home warranty company to pay for the annual maintenance of your appliances or home systems.Read the contract carefully to make sure that old appliances are covered in the home warranty. Some dont cover old appliances, such as anything more than 10 years old.Any home, whether old, new or somewhere in between, will have things break sooner or later. Appliances and home systems only last so long. For $50 a month or so, a home warranty can provide peace of mind when things eventually fail.Published with permission from RISMedia.

Everyone needs calcium for strong bones.Calcium is especially important for older women, who are at higher risk for osteoporosis.The best way to get enough calcium is to eat foods with the nutrient in them every day.That includes dairy products, certain vegetables, and food products fortified with calcium, including some orange juices, tofu and cereals.When shopping, check food labels to find products with a daily value of calcium of 10 percent or higher.Vitamin D helps you absorb calcium, so consider adding good sources of the vitamin to your diet, including certain fish and milk.Before making changes to your diet, though, consult your doctor.Published with permission from RISMedia.

If you’ve recently moved into a new home, you might decide to change out the carpets in the house either to expose the wood flooring underneath or to add in a newer rug or carpet design.The challenge is, once you start ripping out the carpet, you’ll notice glue marks that are stuck due to years of working to keep the carpet in place. These problematic remnants are often more challenging to get rid of than the actual carpet itself.Thankfully, some elbow grease combined with the following basic DIY instructions will help.Are you an expert on glue? Probably not, which is why you need to figure out the type of glue you are dealing with before you begin. You see, there’s a bunch of different carpet glues and removing the various kinds requires different solutions and steps.In the simplest terms, tar-based adhesives are dark brown or tan, while yellow-looking adhesives signify a carpet was glued down with a more general adhesive. Knowing the difference will make your job much simpler.With that in mind, go to your local Home Depot or hardware store and buy the best materials to get the job done. For tar-based glues, mineral spirits are required, while general adhesives are best removed with some basic adhesive remover. Both will require some hard scrubbing.However, the process itself is easy. Simply begin by scraping off any spots you can, but don’t dig in too deep as you can damage the floor. Next, add the adhesive remover, spreading it out evenly. Read the instructions carefully to ensure you keep it on the correct amount of time. Also, since many of these can be toxic, be sure to wear gloves and keep the windows open to allow ventilation inside the room.Next, take a plastic putty knife to scrape any glue away as this won’t scratch or scuff thefloor like a metal tool will. If the glue isn’t completely wiped away, follow the instructions again and add more remover to the spot. This time use an old towel to wipe away the remaining glue.Once all the glue is gone and the floor has dried, vacuum the area so no glue particles remain. Buy some floor cleaner and polish up the wood floor and you’ll have a floor to remember and make new memories on.Published with permission from RISMedia.

Overspending is easy to do with a credit card – way too easy – and can often lead to debt.Researchers have found that even for people who dont carry a balance each month on their credit card, they overspend when using a credit card instead of cash. Credit cards can make people more willing to spend twice as much for something than they would when using cash.A simple solution can be to keep your credit cards out of your wallet or purse so that you dont conveniently have them at hand when youre shopping. But there are other ways to keep credit cards out of sight, and hopefully out of mind:Freeze them, literallyPut your credit cards in a plastic, ziplock bag, and then put that bag in another bag. Put the bag into either a bowl of water or another ziplock bag full of water, and put it all in the freezer.To get your credit cards out, youll have to thaw the block of ice. That may give you enough time to reconsider your purchase.Freeze usageIf putting your credit cards in a freezer is too extreme, consider freezing the usage of them through your credit card company.Some credit cards can be turned on and off, such as through an app, allowing you to turn access to them off when you dont want to use them for a while. This can help deter thieves, but also requires you logging into your account to turn credit card access back on. Again, the point here is to create another step before you can use your credit card, giving you time to think about what youre about to buy.Set a budget and carry cashHaving a weekly or monthly budget can help keep spending in control, but not so much if you use a credit card. If you want to be faithful to your budget, try for a month to only buy things with the cash you have on hand.Go to your bank and withdraw the amount of cash you have budgeted to spend that week. Once that cash is gone, youll have to come up with creative ways to do things. Walk instead of taking a taxi. Empty out your refrigerator to make lunch instead of eating out.If you prefer not to walk around with a load of cash in your pocket, then put the money in a checking account and use a debit card to withdraw it as needed.Hope you found these tips helpful! Contact me for more insights and info.Published with permission from RISMedia.

For desk jockeys, or anyone who spends long hours staring at a screen, it’s important to pay mind to your vision. And while it can be hard to undo eye damage once it’s done, you can try to stay abreast of eyesight deterioration with the following tips:Eat for eye support. While diet can’t better your vision once it’s impaired, you can eat for eye support. Focus on foods with essential fatty acids, minerals like copper and zinc, beta-carotene and vitamins A, C and E.Roll your eyes. Turns out, a sense of sarcasm might help you see better. To strengthen your eye muscles, stop your desk-work three times a day and do the following eye roll exercise: Look up, then slowly circle 10 times clockwise and 10 times counterclockwise.Practice focus. Staring at a screen all day can impair your eye’s range of focus. To help, hold an item like a pencil or pen an arm’s length away. Train your eyes on it, and then slowly bring the pencil closer, keeping your gaze locked on it, until the pencil is six inches from your nose. Then reverse the direction. Do this exercise five times, two to three times per day.Pick a point. Once every hour (set your timer for this!) look away from your desk and stare at a point six or more feet away for twenty to thirty seconds.Published with permission from RISMedia.

The typical credit card charges about 16 percent interest per year on balances, effectively adding $16 to each $100 in expenses that are left on a credit card. Some charge as much as 29 percent if youre late on a payment and have to pay penalty interest.Avoiding a credit card balance by paying the bill before the due date each month is the best way to avoid such extra charges"but thats rare. For every five credit card accounts, more than three carry a balance from one month to the next, according to a Federal Reserve payments study.Here are some ways to avoid paying credit card interest:Know the Grace PeriodMost people think they only have a month to pay off a credit card bill. By knowing their cards grace period, they can see how much more time they have. A grace period is the time allotted to pay off your credit card bill without incurring any interest. It starts on the last day of your billing cycle and runs through the due date for that cycle.Knowing what your credit cards billing cycle is can give you about three more weeks to pay off purchases. The key, however, is not forgetting what the payment due date is and paying the full amount by that due date.For example, a credit cards billing cycle may start on the twenty-third of one month and end on the same day a month later, such as May 23 " June 23. The payment due date could be July 17. In this case, the grace period might be June 24 to July 17"about three weeks long. Instead of having a month to pay the bill off, you now have about seven weeks.Pay as You BuyIf you really want to be diligent about avoiding interest charges, pay off charges on your credit card as soon as you make them.Credit card companies are happy to accept payment at any time, even multiple times in a month. So, every time you make a purchase with your credit card, immediately transfer money from your bank to the credit card company for the same amount. You can often do this through your credit cards app on your phone, or you can set up weekly payments of a certain amount if you expect to make a certain number of purchases per week.Pay in Full Each MonthPaying off the credit card bill in full each month is the best way to avoid interest charges. Do whatever it takes to pay it by the due date. Send yourself email and other alerts, keep track of purchases to ensure you have enough money in your checking account to pay the bill, and stick to a budget.Published with permission from RISMedia.

For many of us, a good night’s sleep can be elusive, especially when it comes to snagging deep, thorough hours. Before you turn to a medication, consider your pre-sleep habits. Pluck out any contenders for disruption (scrolling social media while you lay in bed?) and try a few of the following:Power down. By now you’ve heard using electronics before bed can stress your sleep cycle. Turn off your phone and TV an hour before bed and opt for a book instead.Stretch before bed. While high-impact exercises before bed will raise your heart rate and could keep you up, gentle stretching can help you ease into sleep.Eat a high-protein snack. While eating a large meal late at night isn’t a good idea, a small high-protein snack like a handful of almonds can help you sleep through the night.Clean your bedroom. Okay, a power wash won’t be helpful for sleep, but picking up any items on the floor or surfaces before bed can help create a soothing, calm sleeping space.Create a ritual. A pre-bed ritual can help you alert your system that rest is on the way. Any of the earlier tips can be threaded together to create a ritual, as can nightly cuddles with your family or pets.Published with permission from RISMedia.

Appeal to the health-conscious homebuyer with these five features…Air PurifierAir purifiers can protect from bacteria and viruses, as well as increase air quality.Water FilterFiltration systems remove contaminants and soften water – this means drinkable water from every tap, as well as healthier skin and smoother hair when bathing.Fitness & Wellness AreaA fitness area makes it easy to incorporate a workout into the day, and a wellness area is always an added bonus.Clean Products & MaterialsClean building materials and non-toxic products help maintain the well-being of homeowners.Proximity to NatureNeighborhoods with biking and walking trails will draw homebuyers who like to be active.Published with permission from RISMedia.

Buying life insurance can seem like a difficult and expensive endeavor if you havent done it before. Both can be overcome if you have a good insurance agent.Here are nine ways to save on life insurance, all of which you should ask your agent about:Dont smoke: Smokers are more likely to die younger than nonsmokers, making smoking one of the biggest health risks and reasons to have higher insurance rates " at least double that of a nonsmoker.Weigh less: Your height and weight are an indication of the probability of illness or death, so you want your weight to be at a healthy proportion to your height, as measured with a BMI calculator.Avoid risky behaviors: Risky behaviors such as race car driving, scuba diving and flying a plane are considered hazardous hobbies that increase the chance youll die or have an accident. If youre going to keep doing those things, you may need a rider on your policy to exclude benefits if you are injured or die while doing them. Being a good driver can help lower your life insurance premium.No expensive riders: You can also add riders to a policy for activities, though the riders can be expensive and go beyond the life insurance basics of insuring your life for your familys sake.Improve your credit: Your credit score may be used to determine the probability of maintaining the insurance policy. A good credit record can help you get the best insurance rates.Shop around: Shopping around is a smart idea for many purchases, including life insurance. If you have a health condition, such as diabetes, then insurance rates can vary widely by insurer.Buy young: Dont wait to buy life insurance. Every year you wait, your insurance costs rise.Lower the death benefit: The total amount of the death benefit helps determine the premium. Obviously, a $1 million death benefit costs more than a $250,000 one. But choose it carefully. Your beneficiaries may have a difficult time if you dont leave them enough money, and too much money can cost you a lot more in higher premiums.Save money and invest: Building your assets up to a sizable amount over time can mean you wont need life insurance later in life because your family will already have the money they need in the bank when you die.In fact, that may be the first thing to discuss with your family: How much life insurance you need, if you need any at all. Then, an insurance agent can help you decide how much coverage you need, and should be able to help you wade through these and other possible discounts.Published with permission from RISMedia.

Sometimes people take out a mortgage and are forced to accept less-than-favorable terms because of a low credit score or a high debt-to-income ratio. In other cases, homebuyers choose a mortgage that has a fixed rate for a specific number of years and then convert to an adjustable rate. That can save money in the short term, but when the interest rate is recalculated, monthly payments can skyrocket, causing homeowners to struggle to meet their obligations.If you’ve been having trouble covering your monthly mortgage payments, refinancing the loan could be the solution. Refinancing could allow you to lock in a lower interest rate and significantly reduce your monthly payments.Lower CostsIf your interest rate is higher than you’d like, refinancing your mortgage might lower it. A decrease of one or two percentage points could shave hundreds of dollars off your monthly payment. You can even use that extra money for credit card bills, home repairs, a new car, or savings for retirement or your childrens education.Access to EquityIf you need cash to cover an unanticipated expense or to pay off high-interest credit cards, tapping into your homes equity is an option. You could refinance your home for more than the amount of principal you currently owe and use the extra money for other needs. While this could help you out if you’re strapped for cash, be aware that it would increase the size of the mortgage and might raise your monthly payments if your interest rate stays the same. If you are unable to cover your new monthly payments, your house could wind up in foreclosure.Refinancing ProcessIf you want to refinance your mortgage, you’ll need to fill out paperwork and go through an approval process. The fact that you currently have a mortgage is no guarantee that you’ll be approved for refinancing. If your income has gone down, you have accumulated a lot of debt, or your credit score does not meet the lenders guidelines, your application could be denied, or you might not get the low interest rate you want.If you decide to refinance, be prepared to pay for an appraisal, application fee, loan origination fee, closing costs and other expenses. In some cases, the lender will roll these fees into the loan balance, but other companies require refinancers to pay these costs out of pocket at the time of closing.Explore Refinancing OptionsIf you’ve been struggling to pay your mortgage, you might be able to ease the burden by refinancing. This could allow you to reduce your interest rate and lower your monthly payments significantly, which would relieve stress and give you more money each month to devote to other priorities. Talk to your lender about your options.Published with permission from RISMedia.

Everybody needs sleep, but many of us dont get enough. This can make it hard to get through the day and can have long-term effects on health. The risks are particularly serious for children, who need to get enough rest to grow and succeed in school and other activities.Potential ProblemsInadequate sleep can affect kids in many ways. A child who is tired may have trouble getting ready for school on time and concentrating in class, which can lead to academic struggles. Kids often experience behavioral problems when they dont get enough rest. They may have outbursts, throw tantrums, be hyperactive or behave aggressively. Children may be more likely to develop mental health or substance abuse problems.Why Kids Dont Get Enough RestDespite all these risks, many children dont get enough sleep, and there are a variety of reasons for that. Some kids want to pursue interests in sports, music and other activities, and their parents want to be supportive but allow them to do more than they can realistically handle. Sometimes kids have a lot of homework, or they put off doing it because they would rather watch TV or play video games.Technology often causes kids to not get enough sleep. Many children have TVs in their bedrooms and smart phones that they use to talk, text and participate in social media. The problem? All those distractions can make it hard for children to fall asleep, or can cause them to wake up in the middle of the night. The light from a screen has also been proven to make it harder for people to fall asleep.How to Make Sure Your Child Gets Enough SleepThe best way to make sure your child gets enough rest is to have some frank conversations and set rules. Talk to your child about the amount of sleep they need and how a lack of sleep affects things like your childs mood and school performance. If your child is involved in so many extracurricular activities that there simply isnt enough time in the day for them to get enough sleep, you may need to make the difficult decision of having them cut back.Establish a firm bedtime and enforce it. While your child may whine and complain, stand your ground. Dont allow your child to have electronics in their bedroom during sleeping hours; there is too much potential for distraction. If your child uses the alarm on a phone to wake up, an alarm clock is a better solution.Recognize the Importance of SleepGetting enough sleep is essential for your childs health. While seemingly not a big deal, not getting enough sleep can have serious side effects on your childs health and development. Talk to your child, set rules and make sleep a priority.Published with permission from RISMedia.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

As a young parent, you may just be learning about all the responsibilities parenthood requires. When it comes to financial planning, setting your sight on the future can help immensely.Demolish debt. Slaying your own debt will positively impact your family’s financial future. While it may take years to pay off those student loans or credit card debt, creating a plan can help. Tackle your lowest balance first to gain momentum then take on the next smallest. Additionally, pay attention to higher interest rates that are costing you a lot of money.Build a budget. Creating a budget doesn’t have to be hard. There are many budgeting apps available on the market to help you track your expenses, or you can try the trusty envelope system with monthly allowances for groceries, entertainment, utilities, etc.Build an emergency fund. Setting a fund for potential emergencies will never backfire. Aim for a small, achievable goal as low as$500then set the bar higher. Participate in your employer-sponsored savings program to boost retirement savings, especially if there is a match. Make it an automatic payroll deduction and increase it when your paycheck goes up. As far as your child’s college savings, save what you can, when you can. Every little bit will help when education bills come due.Child care. Consider establishing a flexible spending account if one is offered by your employer. Parents can use pretax dollars to pay up to$5,000in child care expenses in most states.Review insurance and important paperwork. Create a will either by using an online program or hiring a professional to name your child’s guardian, and designate at what age any payouts, savings or investments will be distributed. With health insurance, notify your employer within 30 days of the birth to ensure that the child is eligible for any dependent benefits. Purchase appropriate health care coverage to protect your family. Review your employer’s life insurance plan and determine if it is adequate for your needs. If not, consider purchasing additional life insurance.Source: SmartAboutMoney.orgPublished with permission from RISMedia.

If your partner brings poor credit to the relationship, it can be an issue you should probably fix together.A spouses poor credit score wont hurt yours, and credit reports for both people dont merge when they get married, but continued poor credit habits by a partner can affect each persons credit score if they have joint accounts together, such as a shared credit card.Here are some ways to help your partner improve their credit score without jeopardizing yours:Check Credit ReportsYou first need to know how big the problem is before you can fix it. Start by helping your partner pull their credit report, check for errors and report them so they can be fixed.Youre entitled to a free copy of your credit report every 12 months from each of the three credit reporting companies. Free reports can be ordered at annualcreditreport.com or you can call 1-877-322-8228. Your name, address, Social Security number and date of birth will be needed to verify your identity.Tackle DebtPaying off student loans, credit cards and other forms of debt can improve a credit score, especially if your partner has made late payments in the past. Paying bills on time is one of the best ways to improve a credit score.Create a family budget and look for ways that both of you can cut expenses. Reducing debt and not taking on more can give your financial lives some breathing room and will ultimately make it easier to buy a home or meet other financial goals together.Get a Secured Credit CardFor someone with middling credit, a secured credit card can help them improve their credit score without going into debt.Secured credit cards only allow the user to spend as much money as they deposit in the account. The cardholder puts down a deposit thats usually as big as the credit limit. If they default on payments, the bank keeps their deposit.Like a regular credit card, payment activity on secured credit cards is reported to the credit bureaus. A consistent payment history will steadily improve a credit score.Share CreditThere are a few ways to add your spouse to your credit card without hurting your credit score.One is to apply for a credit card together. The card issuer will review both of your credit histories. Each person will be required to have their own income, so dont expect a large income from one person to be enough for approval.Another option is to add your spouse as an authorized user on a credit card you already have. Then, the accounts history will appear on your spouses credit report, so make sure the card you have has a good credit history.Whichever way you share credit, discuss with your partner how theyll use the card, payment limits and payment habits so that problems dont crop up.Published with permission from RISMedia.