About APRfinder

Wesley LeFebvre - Founder of APRfinder.Hey there, Wesley LeFebvre here. Thanks for stopping by to learn more about me and this site.

APRfinder.com is a credit information and financial product comparison website that helps people obtain low-interest rate loans, lines of credit, and credit cards. It was originally founded by me, as a blog, in my spare time.

My Story

As a young teenager, I spent numerous hours every day looking at car magazines, dreaming about buying my first car and how I was going to modify it, years before I could even drive. That included figuring out how I was going to afford my ride, along with a rocking stereo system that was going to blow the windows out.

I began learning about money and management it by doing chores around the house and odd jobs in the neighborhood, then depositing that cash into a custodial savings account my grandparents opened for me.

There wasn’t much money growing up, so I became familiar with hard work and credit before I could even apply for a credit card. When I was about 11, I officially started working for other businesses, delivering newspapers before and after school, then moved on to washing dishes several nights a week at a restaurant and bar when I was just 14 years old.

Later I went on to perform numerous other jobs, including prepping food, delivering furniture, cutting steel, networking computers, selling real estate, building websites, and am now working from home managing this and other websites full-time.

Since I like to spend money and am not the best saver for things, I’ve needed to carry balances on my credit cards, obtain long-term auto loans, government-backed student loans, equity lines of credit, and 30-year mortgages to pay the things I've wanted when I wanted them.

I don't think owing money to creditors is always a bad thing. Sometimes it's "necessary" for large purchases and can even help you come out ahead when you borrow money wisely.

Front of our rental home close up.

For example, my last home increased in value by more than 100K within the first 3 years of ownership. I put less than 7K down and paid no closing costs when I first bought it using a 30-year fixed-rate FHA loan. 8 years later and it has doubled in value.

Now I am renting it out and my renters pay me more than what I owe to the mortgage company each month and I get to write off the interest, along with many other related items, on my tax returns. That's a huge win using credit that allows me to keep winning every year!

Without credit I wouldn't have been able to afford braces and oral surgery right after high school, put myself through college in my early twenties, buy a home at an early age, obtain a brand-new car for reliability when I needed it, and purchase several homes. Among other things.

From a Financial Setback or Two

I've had plenty of ups and downs in my adult life and went from owning a couple of condos at the same time to living in my parent's basement. Most of my financial setbacks were a result of the financial crisis of 2008, but I would be lying if I blamed them entirely on that.

When it comes to my finances and life in general, I have been known to party a little too hard and take plenty of risks. Those personal and business risks made me more susceptible to crises and contributed to my losses and bad credit during that time.

I hit my lowest point, financially, in 2008 when I finally broke down and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. That was a few years after quitting an amazing tech job to dabble in real estate. Unfortunately, that was around the time the market had crashed and I could not make enough as a real estate agent to afford the lifestyle I had become accustomed to.

My ego and pride kept me from returning to the industry that had paid me so well and then it became too late.

Luckily, my bankruptcy was discharged in 2009, which freed me up to start over again.

To a Perfect (850) FICO Score...Yay!

Since that difficult time, I have "mostly" learned from my past mistakes but I'm still far from perfect. However, I am proud to say that I currently own my car outright, own a rental home along with our primary residence, have plenty of high-rewards credit cards (way more than I need), and maintain excellent FICO and VantageScore credit scores.

850 TransUnion FICO 8 Credit Score.

I did it all by getting back up on my feet and repairing my credit on my own. However, I owe a debt of gratitude to my loved ones, and others, for providing me with their love, support, and assistance along the way.

My Current Credit Cards

I currently have more than fifteen credit and debit cards. Many VISA and MasterCard, along with two American Express and a Discover credit card. I predominantly use the Discover It Miles and Chase Freedom Unlimited credit cards for personal expenses and the Quicksilver from Capital One card for business. I like the simplicity of their point systems and don't like annual fees.

However, I do use some of the others too if they offer higher cashback on recurring items such as 5% cashback for setting up automated payment of my cell phone bill like the American Express SimplyCash Plus card does.

My Commitment to You

I decided to use my experience searching for and obtaining low-APR loans, lines of credit, and credit cards to help others who might need to carry a balance on their credit accounts. I do that by sharing content that aims to bring you the most vital, up-to-date financial information regarding your credit options.

To do this I need the help of others, including you, because there is way too much information to digest and keep up on alone. My team helps me cover everything from mortgages, vehicle financing, business lending, personal loans, and credit cards, to debt management, saving money, and credit monitoring.

If you ever want to get in touch with me for any reason, please don't hesitate to reach out via the contact form or leave a comment on a particular post. I try to reply to everyone but do not respond to all guest post requests and sales pitches because I receive a substantial number of those emails every day. Sorry.

Mission....statement

My mission is to responsibly provide consumer credit information and resources that help people in all types of situations obtain low-cost credit when they need it.

It Takes a Team

Thanks to all the financial experts, contractors, colleagues, commenters, and people like you who help make this happen. I couldn't do it without you!

Content Contributors

Melissa - Wes - Guests - Nicole - Ryan - Brent - Ronda

Legal Disclaimer Stuff

We make every effort to bring you accurate information from the bleeding edge of finance, but nothing herein should be construed as legal advice. You should always consult the companies we mention directly, or a trusted attorney, fiduciary, or another certified financial expert who can work with you directly before making financial decisions based on the information you find through this website.

Thanks for stopping by!