How Long Does It Take To Get a Good Credit Score?

When you look at all of the factors that affect your credit score, you may not focus on the age of your credit history. After all, it doesn’t carry as much weight as your payment history or debt utilization. However, it is an important aspect to consider and one that only improves over time if h...
How Long Does It Take To Get a Good Credit Score?

Can You Buy the Credit Score You Want?

People today live in a society where you can buy just about anything you want. The idea is that everything comes with a price and if you are willing to pay enough for it, then it can be yours. So, it makes sense to think that buying a credit score would be an option.
The Money Stops Here
Credit...
Can You Buy the Credit Score You Want?

How to Improve Your Credit Score to Get a Home

If you are looking to buy a home and you have been turned down because of a low credit score, don’t give up hope. You can take action that will help you qualify for that mortgage. Some of these tips will help immediately while others may take a while.
Pay Down Credit Cards
Often just...
How to Improve Your Credit Score to Get a Home

How to Settle a Debt and Save Your Credit Score

Late payments are terrible for your credit score, but what can hurt even worse is to have your debt go into collections. Every new collections account added to your credit report drops your score. Even though the account impacts your score less as time goes by, it can still prevent you from...
How to Settle a Debt and Save Your Credit Score

Protect Your Credit and Don"t Ignore Your Finances

Setting long-term financial goals is often difficult for people who are trying to rebuild credit. It is frustrating to think about how long it will take to see improvements. Whether you are trying to save extra for a down payment on a home or putting aside extra money to pay down credit cards,...
Protect Your Credit and Don"t Ignore Your Finances

How to Maintain Good Credit Once You are Free From Debt

You’ve worked hard to rebuild your credit by paying off bills and eliminating credit card balances. As a result of your diligence, you have seen your credit score rise. But how do you maintain that good credit score and still stay out of debt?
Take Pride in Your Achievement
It’s okay...
How to Maintain Good Credit Once You are Free From Debt

Starting with a Credit Score of Zero

It won’t actually be zero, but if you have never had credit in the past, it will be pretty low. There is no one standard number that credit agencies start you out at, but it is often lower than the average person with a credit history.
No Credit Worse than Bad Credit
You’ve probably...
Starting with a Credit Score of Zero

Improve a Bad Credit Score with On-Time Payments

Without a doubt, the single most important factor to what kind of credit score you will have is if you pay your bills on time. One late payment can drop your score by as much as 100 points or more. In fact, the scores that are hurt the worst are often the highest scores.
While on-time payments...
Improve a Bad Credit Score with On-Time Payments

Is Rapid Rescore Good or Bad for Your Credit?

If you have ever applied or researched about mortgages, you may have come across the term “rapid rescore.” This is mainly done for those that want to get a mortgage but have a credit score just below the cut-off point. They may have a score of 625 but need it to be 640.
When your...
Is Rapid Rescore Good or Bad for Your Credit?

How Getting Out of Debt Can Improve Your Credit Score

If you have a lot of credit card debt, you may have a lower credit score. Getting that debt paid off will most likely result in an improvement of your credit score. How much of an improvement depends on what other negative information is on the report and what you do. Here is how to improve your...
How Getting Out of Debt Can Improve Your Credit Score

Is 582 a Good Credit Score?

If you have a 582 credit score, you may be concerned about what that means for you. While it is categorized as either poor or very poor depending on the model used, it is actually not as bad as it could be.
Room for Improvement
You do have a lot of room for improvement. If you have a credit...
Is 582 a Good Credit Score?

Is a 489 credit score bad?

Let’s put it this way. With a range of 350-800, depending on what scoring model you are looking at, it could be worse. But it needs to be a whole lot better if you plan to buy a home, a car, or enjoy the good life.
The credit score of 489 means you have had some serious trouble with your...
Is a 489 credit score bad?

How to Start Out Right With Credit

If you’ve just received your first credit card, congratulations. You are now part of the millions of people who have a credit history. The time to learn about being a responsible manager of credit is before you swipe that card for the first time. Follow these tips and you will be well on...
How to Start Out Right With Credit