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When you take out a loan or line of credit, the lender extending you that credit is taking a risk. As you know if you’ve ever loaned a friend or family member a quick $5 (or $500), once money has been lent, it might not ever be seen again.

Creditworthiness is the measure a lender uses to determine how big of a risk a certain borrower might be, depending on their past behavior with credit. You’re probably familiar with your credit score, which is one part of your creditworthiness, but it’s not the whole picture.

Let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of how creditworthiness is determined and why it’s important.

What Is Creditworthiness and Why Does It Matter?

In short, a consumer’s creditworthiness is what lenders assess to hedge their bets that the borrower won’t default on—fail to repay—a loan.

You can think of creditworthiness a bit like a report card for borrowers. Like a report card, your overall creditworthiness is composed of a variety of factors, each of which is weighted differently. The factors are calculated into an overall credit score, which is a bit like a grade point average (GPA).

Like a report card, your creditworthiness gives lenders a snapshot of your historical behavior—and although your past doesn’t always predict the future, it’s the main information creditors have to go on about how much of a risk you might be.

Creditworthiness is possible to improve, but doing so takes dedicated effort.

Why Does Creditworthiness Matter?

Creditworthiness is important because these days, you simply need credit to get by. It’s not just about credit cards. Your creditworthiness will be assessed if you ever take out an auto loan or mortgage, or if you’re just signing a lease on a rental property. Your credit report might even be pulled as part of the job application process as an indication of your level of personal responsibility.

What’s more, higher creditworthiness tends to correlate with better loan terms, including higher limits and lower interest rates. Lower creditworthiness can mean you’re stuck with higher interest rates or extra fees, which, of course, make it more difficult to make on-time payments, get out of debt, and otherwise improve your creditworthiness for the future. A low enough level of creditworthiness may preclude you from qualifying for the loan (or lease, or job) altogether.

In short: Creditworthiness is really important for just about everyone, and it’s worth improving and maintaining.

How Is Creditworthiness Calculated?

So what specifically goes into the definition of creditworthiness?

That depends on whom you ask. Which factors will be most heavily weighted to determine your creditworthiness change based on what kind of credit or loan you’re applying for.

A credit card issuer, for example, may look specifically into your experience with revolving debt, while a mortgage lender may be more concerned with how you’ve handled fixed payments like installment loans.

While each lender will have its own specific criteria and look into different things, one of the most common measures of creditworthiness is a FICO® Score—the three-digit credit score based on information reported by the three main America credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.

It’s important to understand that lenders will see more than just a three-digit FICO Score. The credit report they pull may also include specific information about your open and closed accounts, revolving credit balances, and repayment history, as well as red flags such as past-due amounts, defaults, bankruptcies, and collections.

Lenders may also take your income and the length of time you’ve worked at your current job into consideration, as well as assets (like investments and properties) you own.

With so many credit card options out there, it may be hard to choose a new one.

Are you loyal to a particular airline or hotel chain? Perhaps you want to redeem credit card points as statement credits. Or you’re a big grocery or gasoline spender. Savvy consumers may be interested in innovative uses like paying down loan debt or investing. Is the interest rate important, an annual fee a dealbreaker?

If you can responsibly manage more than one credit card — and if you’re like most Americans, you have more than one — you can use different cards to optimize rewards (cash back, points, or miles), annual statement credits, and 0% and low introductory APR offers.

When deciding on a new credit card that is best for you, it boils down to two basic questions: What do you want from a card? And how strong is your financial history?

Here’s a glance at the credit card options available and provisos to consider.

Recommended: What Is the Average Credit Card Limit?

Rewards Credit Cards

If you are good about paying off your card every month and never incur interest, you might consider a rewards card. These cards may offer sign-up bonuses and give consumers rewards in the form of miles, cash back, or loyalty points.

There are variations on a theme, such as:

•  Bonus offer + 0% period for purchases

•  A set dollar amount in travel or bonus miles if you meet the initial spending requirements

•  Flat-rate cash back

•  Customizable rewards

A few cards offer an eye-opening 5% cash back in rotating categories, up to a limit (such as 5% back on $1,500 spent quarterly, after which all other purchases earn 1% cash back), and you’ll usually have to manually activate the offer each quarter.

But you can often lessen the work involved and earn more in total cashback rewards with a flat-rate cashback credit card, when all purchases earn the same amount.

Frequent travelers lured by premium travel rewards cards will want to weigh the perks against an annual fee of $450 to $550.

New reward offerings have bubbled up, such as allowing cardholders to put cash back toward loan payments, and are brewing, like increasing card acceptance for rent payments and offering cryptocurrency-related rewards.

When choosing a rewards card, think about your spending habits and redemption preferences, be aware of your credit score (these cards usually require a good score), and pay off your balance each month — rewards cards typically have higher APRs than balance transfer cards.

If you fall behind on payments or carry over balances, all the perks and rewards are unlikely to be worth it.

Recommended: What Is a Charge Card?

Cards for Those With Limited or Damaged Credit

For college students with little or no credit history, there are student credit cards.

If you don’t have great credit, there are also secured credit cards. Generally, they require a deposit from the user. A secured credit card functions like a normal credit card except that it has a backstop: The user puts up an amount of money that the issuer will then use if the cardholder defaults.

The lender offers a certain amount of credit based on the promise that the user will pay off the balance in full every month.

If your account is upgraded to an unsecured account, thanks to good habits, or is closed in good standing, your deposit is returned.

Both of these options can help someone build credit and could lead to a card with more perks if the holder is diligent about paying off the balance every month.

Then there’s at least one brand of card that considers an applicant’s banking history in lieu of their credit score, has no annual fee, and comes with rewards.

Recommended: Tips for Using a Credit Card Responsibly

Prepaid Debit Cards

A secured credit card is primarily intended for building credit, whereas a prepaid debit card is good for budgeting and convenience but does not affect your credit.

A prepaid debit card is preloaded with your own money, typically through direct deposit, cash or check deposits, or online transfers from a checking account.

The card is used for transactions until the money runs out. Since there is no line of credit, you cannot run up debt on the card.

This is a great option for a young person who needs to learn how money works or for adults with a bad credit history, though it will not improve their credit scores.

Credit Cards That Save You Money on Interest

If you’re prone to carry a balance month to month, you might want to consider a low-interest card. While these types of credit cards don’t come with bells and whistles like airport lounge access, it is the financially prudent option if you have an irregular income or you carry a balance each month.

It might be best to look for a card that offers an initial APR of 0% and then an ongoing low interest rate.

Keep in mind that low-interest credit cards usually require a good credit score to qualify. Generally, the better your credit score, the lower your interest rate. The lowest advertised APR isn’t always what an applicant gets.

Recommended: Does Applying for a Credit Card Hurt Your Credit Score?

Balance Transfer Credit Cards

If you are in credit card debt, a balance transfer credit card could help you pay off your debt at a lower interest rate.

Interest rates and terms vary widely with balance transfer credit cards. A balance transfer card will often come with a 0% APR introductory period, but once that ends, the interest rate shoots up.

It’s important to pay attention to the fine print if this is an option you’re considering.

The Takeaway

Choosing the most rewarding and suitable new credit card can become a research project. It’s best to think about your spending habits, needs, credit history, APR, any annual fee, and perks.

Whether you're looking to build credit, apply for a new credit card, or save money with the cards you have, it's important to understand the options that are best for you. Learn more about credit cards by exploring this credit card guide.

Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.

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Insider trading is illegal trading in financial markets using confidential (or “insider”) information to the investor’s own advantage—and it can be a criminal offense in the investments market.

Trading specialists have outlined the term “confidential information” as material information about an investment vehicle (like a stock) that is not available to other investors. That insider knowledge can tilt the playing field in favor of the recipient, leading to an imbalanced trading landscape that investment industry regulators rigorously attempt to keep fair and balanced.

History of U.S. Insider Trading Laws

Insider trading rules and regulations in the U.S. date back to the early 1900s, when the U.S Supreme Court ruled against a corporate executive who bought company stock based on insider information. The ruling, based on common law statutes long used by the United Kingdom, laid the path for Congress to pass a law prohibiting sales security fraud (the 1933 Securities Act of 1933) that was further solidified by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Those laws not only prohibited the profit of securities invested tied to insider information, they also largely blocked quick turnaround trading profits by an investor who owned more than 10 percent of a company stock.

Fast forward to 1984, when Congress passed the Trading Sanctions Act, and 1988, and the passage of the Securities Fraud Enforcement Act of 1988, which set financial penalties of three times the amount of income accumulated from insider trading, further clarifying the definition and rules surrounding insider trading.

Examples of Insider Trading

Despite the blanket term of “insider trading”, the practice can manifest itself in myriad ways. Broadly, anyone at all who steals, misappropriates, or otherwise gathers confidential data or information, and uses it to profit on changes in a company’s stock price, might be investigated for insider trading.

Here are some common examples:

•  A company executive, employee, or board member who trades a corporation’s stock after being made aware of a particular business development could be engaging in insider trading. “Insider” developments like the sale of the firm, positive or negative earnings numbers, a company scandal or significant data breach, or other piece of information that would likely sway the company’s stock price could be construed by regulators as insider trading.
•  Any associates—like friends, family, or co-workers—of the above execs employees, or board members, who also trade on private information not available to the investing public, may be targeted for insider trading.
•  Executives and staffers of any company that provided products or services to a company that obtains information about a significant corporate move that would likely sway the firm’s stock price could be trading on “inside” news. Think of a bank, brokerage firm, or printing company that might have knowledge of company news before it is released to the investing public, and who uses that knowledge to profit from the information.
•  Local, city, state, or federal government managers and employees who may come across sensitive and private information on a company that’s not available publicly, and use that knowledge to profit from a change in the company’s stock price, could be involved with insider trading.

The above examples are among the most egregious insider trading scenarios, and are also more likely to become an enforcement priority for government regulators.

Is Insider Trading Ever Legal?

There are scenarios where what is technically considered “insider trading” is in fact legal under federal regulatory statutes.

For instance, anyone employed by a company falls under the definition of an insider trader. But as long as all stock transactions involving the company are registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in advance, any employee stock transaction is perfectly legal.

That’s the case whether a rank-and-file employee buys 100 shares of company stock or if the chief executive officer buys back shares of the firm’s stock—even if that more high-profile trading activity significantly swings the company’s share price.

Who Enforces Insider Trading Rules?

Insider trading enforcement measures operate under the larger umbrella of the U.S. government.

Like any criminal case, the sequence of enforcement events may begin with an investigation, a review of the investigation’s results by government regulators, an arrest and arraignment, a court case in front of a judge, and incarceration in the penal system (or regular review by a probation officer if the charge results in a more lenient sentence).

How Insider Trading is Investigated

Insider trading investigations usually start on the firm level before the SEC gets involved. Self-regulating industry organizations like the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) or the National Association of Financial Planners (NAPF), for example, may also come across illegal trading practices and pass the lead on to federal authorities.

It’s also not uncommon for insider trading practices to be revealed by government agencies other than the SEC. For example, the FBI may run into insider trading activity while pursuing a completely separate investigation, and pass on the tip to the SEC.

When the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigates potential insider trading cases, they do so using multiple investigatory methods:

Surveillance. The SEC has multiple surveillance tools to root out insider trading violations. Tracking big variations in a company’s trading history (especially around key dates like earnings calls, changes in executive leadership, and when a company buys another firm or is bought out itself) is a common way for federal regulators to uncover insider trading.

Tipsters. Investors aware of insider information, especially those who lose money on insider trades, often provide valuable leads and tips on insider trading occurrences. This often occurs in the equity options market, where trade values increase significantly with each transaction, and where stock prices can especially be vulnerable to big price swings after suspicious trading activity in the stock options marketplace.

If, for example, a trader with inside information uses it to buy company stock or to buy an option call for profit, the party on the other side of the trade, who may stand to lose significant cash on the trade, may alert the SEC that profiteering via inside information may be taking place. In that scenario, the SEC will likely appoint an investigator to follow up on the tip and see if insider trading did occur.

Company whistleblowers. Another common alert that insider trading is occurring comes from company whistleblowers who speak up when company employees or managers with unique access to company trading patterns seem to be benefitting from those price swings.

What Happens in an Insider Trading Investigation

When federal regulators are made aware of securities fraud from insider trading, they may launch an investigation run by the SEC’s Division of Enforcement. In that investigation . . .

•  Witnesses are contacted and interviewed.
•  Trading records are reviewed, with a close eye on trading patterns around the time of potential insider trading activity.
•  Phone and computer records are subpoenaed, and if needed, wiretaps are used to gain information from potential insider trading targets.
•  Once the investigation is complete, the investigation team presents its findings to an SEC review board, which can decide on a fine and other penalties (like suspension of trading privileges and cease-and-desist orders) or opt to take its case to federal court.
•  After the court hears the case and decides on the merits, any party accused of insider trading is expected to abide by the court ruling and the case is ended.

Penalties for Insider Trading

An individual convicted of insider trading can face both a prison sentence and civil and criminal fines—up to 20 years and as much as $5 million. Additionally, civil penalties may include fines of up to three times the profit gained or loss avoided as a result of the insider trading violation.

Companies that commit insider trading can face civil and criminal fines. The maximum fine for an entity whose securities are publicly traded that has been found guilty of insider trading is $25 million.

The Takeaway

Insider trading—executing a trade based on knowledge that has not been made public—is a serious offense and can lead to severe punishment, including jail time and heavy fines.

That’s all for good reason, as restrictions on insider trading help ensure a balanced financial trading market environment—one that accommodates fair trading opportunities for all market participants.

Investing shouldn’t be complicated. SoFi Invest® online trading accounts offer an active investing solution that allow members to choose assets such as stocks and ETFs, as well as an automated investing solution that invests around your goals and risk.

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