Most people often come to the conclusion that the only reason to consult legit credit repair services is to avoid being cheated. This is true; however, this is just one of the numerous reasons why it is advisable for you to use only a legit credit repair service.

Credit repair is not something everyone can handle; this is exactly why you should always leave it to a trusted professional to help if you don’t know what you are doing.

There are so many advantages of dealing with legit credit repair professionals and I’ve outlined some of the reasons below for you, check it out:

Advantages of Dealing With Legit Credit Repair Services And Professionals

• For starters, you will get a clear idea why your credit report contains negative items. This will key you in on why your credit score is taking such a huge hit. This is because every credit repair professional, (if they’re really good), will end up providing quality education to you.

By simply listening to their advice, and by understanding the thought process of legit credit repair professionals, you can learn a lot about what it actually takes to see a boost in your credit score. But it gets a little bit deeper here. Let’s take a look at what you should be expecting from a legit repair service.

How seamless is the assistance that you’re receiving?

In other words, are you hiring a repair service that is asking you to do most of the heavy lifting here? Don’t get me wrong, even when working with a professional, you should be adamant about learning the ropes yourself so that you can prevent future issues surrounding your credit report. But at the same time, you don’t want to pay someone for help, only to find out that their having you do what you’ve paid them to do.

Personal story:

When I first embarked on the journey of cleaning up my credit report, my credit was soo bad, they wouldn’t even take my cash in most cases LOL. When I had decided to take control over my situation, I began seeking out credit repair companies to help me out. But what I found was that there are a lot of companies out there that are out not to help you, but simply to help themselves. I

I remember joining one credit repair service, and my first appointment with a rep consisted of her telling me that I had to get copies of my credit report and mail it off to them to review. What?  I remember saying to myself, “Aren’t I paying you to do that?”

Not to mention that they wanted to charge me an arm and a leg for their help. Now don’t get me wrong here. If the service is quality, and high quality at that, I don’t mind paying for it. But it has to work, and you can ask me to do the work that you should be doing. Makes sense right?

As you can guess, here, I quickly quit that service and decided to go on a learning journey. I was lucky enough to find an amazing guide that schooled me the different components involved in credit repair, and I simply studied it.

The more I studied, the more knowledgeable I became. And the more I began to see my score slowly begin to rise. But then I hit some roadblocks on my credit report that I couldn’t fix myself, and need some help from some of the big boys in this industry.

What I did:

Since I had gotten so much valuable help for free from this credit repair service, I decided to give their repair team a try and see what happens. Now keep in mind, that my credit report had over 40 negative items on it that were staring me in the face, just daring me to touch them.

But the service team was able to get over half of those removed. The best part was, it was on complete autopilot. I didn’t have to mail them any credit reports. And they were fairly priced, way cheaper than the other company I had gone to in the beginning.

My score eventually went up by 133 points in a few months. And I knew I had the correct team helping me out. The point I’m trying to make here is that you can do this by yourself if you have the right knowledge, but you can also get help from people who have your best interest in mind. If you’re a bit of a hybrid like me, then you’ll do a little of both! What matters here is that you get your score to where it needs to be.

• Secondly, legit credit repair standards will always remain the same no matter how drastically the economy changes. For example, a person who runs away from credit card debt is not going to be respected by lenders. On the other hand, a person who relies on credit card excessively will also not be respected. You will have to strike a balance. and adopt a holistic approach to this.

Another important note on this:

Merely having a legit credit repair service is not going to work if you do not bring your expenses under control. In fact, you can actually be hurting your credit while your credit team is trying to repair it. Eye-opening I know, but its also very true.

The way you spend is totally in your control, not your credit repair specialists’ This is the part you have to play in the health of your credit score. Always make sure you get counsel from your repair team before making purchases on credit, or decisions that you think may harm your credit.

These are small points that go a long way in boosting your credit score. Dealing with legit credit repair professionals will help you identify these points very quickly. They will also provide you with solid, professional counsel so that you make smart financial moves while they’re assisting you. One of the things my credit repair team told me when they were working on my credit report was, “Make sure not have your credit ran for loans of any kind while were assisting you”.

This was so good to know because in my ignorance I would’ve been undoing their support. There’s no sense in having a repair teamwork to build your credit if you’re simultaneously tearing it down by making decisions that will lower your score.

• Additionally, you will get good value for money when you deal with legit credit repair professionals. A professional normally charges money based on his or her performance. If you want to enjoy maximum benefits, you should deal with a professional who will charge money based on results. Also, when seeking help, always remember that you are protected by the Credit Repair Organizations Act.

This is a small step, but it is a great way of boosting your confidence and enjoying the results. You will enjoy none of this if you deal with fraudulent service providers.

The process:

The process to erase bad credit can be time-consuming. If you are working within a certain time frame and need a faster process, options are available – hiring a legit credit repair service tops the list. It is also important to note that not all credit repair services are created equal when it comes to what is proprietary. What I mean by this is that there are universal principles to credit repair that can be accessed by anyone searching for the right information, and there are strategies to credit repair that are only used by certain agencies.

These strategies are all connected to loopholes in the law. The more your credit repair agency understands loopholes in law pertaining to the credit bureaus, collection agencies etc., the more they can work to get items removed from your report that are in violation of these laws.

The vast items on your credit report:

Did you know that your Equifax report is the longest of the three credit bureaus? In addition, between Experian, Trans Union, and Equifax, there are over 30 different factors that can determine whether your score rises or falls. Folks, this goes way beyond simply paying off collection agencies.

If just any one of these 30 items contains an error, it can affect your credit score. A seasoned credit repair service understands the loopholes associated with each of these items and can use the law to legally get these removed from your credit report.

Whether you’re an individual or you manage a business, increasing your credit score is one very important thing you need to do. However, you should not let just anyone handle this; you should hire a legit credit repair service to get the best results. If you would like to get professional assistance with increasing your credit scores, this is best out there by far.

If you need more information on how to strengthen your credit score, below is a free guide that will walk you through the process step by step and will also cover:

• Getting and Understanding your credit reports & scores
• Real “how-to” for improving your credit (these are the very tactics the best credit repair firms in the country use)
• Powerful action plans

To Better Credit!

In recent days, credit repair for individuals and businesses have become a hot topic for so many, because poor ratings greatly affect the creditworthiness of an individual or a business. Normally when we think about credit repair, we tend to only see it as an individual problem. Nothing could be further from the truth.

This affects businesses as well, and creditworthiness is just as important whether you’re a regular person or a large LLC. Either way, in order to avoid having a poor credit rating, it is essential to perform quality credit repair.

There are times, due to careless actions, that an individual or business’ credit ratings may start sliding downward. The keyword here is careless. It’s easy to get distracted by the everyday activities going on in your life and business and forget that everything that pertains to your finances is being documented in either a positive or negative way.

In times like these, knowledge on keeping up a good score is not just a good idea, its mandatory.

Credit repair for individuals and businesses

It’s important for any business to have a good credit since a business with bad credit appears to be mismanaged. Trust is a major issue when it comes to loans and investments, and your credit score is a direct reflection of your financial integrity.

Before conducting any financial business with another organization, investors will always first research the background of any business before they commit a single penny. This is because the past history of any businesses would be considered a risky investment for a shareholder.

There are two sides to this coin, however. First, some individuals and companies are in their situation because they were intentionally financially negligent. Others were just ignorant and simply didn’t know what they were doing, but they’re good people. Doesn’t it suck that your credit report could care less which one you are? 🙁 All it sees is the activity, not the intent, lack of information etc.

Repairing the credit of a business is important since it ensures that the reputation of a business would be clean and without any negative impacts on the public. In order for a business to have clean credit with financial corporations, there will sometimes be the need for some experts to take control and get the ship headed back in the right direction.

You definitely don’t want to attempt credit repair yourself if you don’t know what you’re doing. We’ll get into this a little deeper in a moment, but first, let’s look at why credit repair for individuals and businesses is important.

Why credit repair is important for businesses:

• Most businesses would need to contact credit repair consultants in order to improve their reputation in the business world. This would include helping to resolve any previous loans. A business with a clean credit record would be able to borrow from other financial institutions since the business would have a clean record from other corporations.
• A business should also have a clean credit record since it ensures the public that there would be no bankruptcy involved. For instance, if a company has a bad record for credit this means that the CEO or manager of that company did not manage the company correctly. In most cases, bankruptcy is often inevitable.
• People would assume that the company has invested in the wrong business or perhaps the business has a previous record with wholesalers. It is imperative for any business to have a clean record through credit repair consultants so that the public is sure about the standing and management of such a business.
• This also applies to organizations that would provide base materials for other companies. Examples are plastics, raw wood or lumber products etc. These organizations would also research the credit of that company. A company with a bad credit streak would appear to not be able to pay the invoices. Since such companies did not hire any credit repair consultants and agents, raw material industries wouldn’t loan out their products.  They might not receive their investments and that is why companies should always have a clean credit record. Since we’re talking about credit repair for individuals and businesses, let’s focus now on how this works for individuals.

Credit repair for individuals:

Here are few reasons why you, as an individual, should consider credit repair; it opens you up to many benefits. Below are some important reasons to have your credit repaired:

• Any blemish showing on your report could affect the rates you are paying on your cards. car, home, etc. If these problems are erroneous or inaccurate they can still affect your interest rates. So it is wise to try to repair as many problems as you can. This article also provides you ways to improve your credit score.

• Another strong reason to have good credit is to help you find a good paying job. A potential employer can request to see a copy of your report history and it is legal for them not to hire you based upon what is showing on that report. However, not every background check requires a credit inquiry.  They must have special permission from you to access your personal history.

Personal Story:

When I was lucky enough to get an interview with the Veteran’s Health Administration’s technology division. We were advised that in order to be considered for employment, we had to go through a thorough background process. And folks, this had to be the most in-depth background check I ever had in my life. Not only did it involve running the submission of your last 7 years of addresses, personal references who lived on your street to validate your identity etc, but it also involved having a meeting with a Security Officer from the state department.

I’ll never forget, a guy with a badge showing up at my job, and requesting to have a meeting with me in an empty conference room. He had a thick manila folder in his hand and a serious look on his face. When we sat down, he proceeded to open up the manila folder, and lo and behold, what was in it? My credit report. This guy went through every negative/questionable item on my credit report, fishing for any sense of a lack of integrity on my part. Luckily, by then, I only had a few things I needed to clarify. And I got the job, but man, was I sweating bullets!

This reinforced for me the importance of having a nice looking credit report. I never knew how seriously employers take this. Subsequently, my next job also required a background check, though not as intense, that I passed with flying colors 🙂

Why this is important:

While you may not even be considered for the job if you have bad credit, a good credit score may mean the difference between getting hired or not if you are one of a few equally qualified prospects. Think about it. What if a new position opened, and it all came down to you and another applicant for consideration?

How would it make you feel if you were deemed as more qualified than the other person, but were unhirable all because of your credit history? Talk about upsetting. I wouldn’t wish that on anybody. It’s important in these changing economic times to make sure you have every advantage that you can in the job market. What you don’t deal with now, can bite you in the rear later.

One more thing on credit repair for individuals and businesses. Credit repair doesn’t only come as a lifesaver for individuals, but it serves as a great help to businesses too. If you or your business is currently going through hard times, don’t be afraid to reach out for help from an expert. If your an individual looking for assistance as well, I would strongly recommend on linking up with a quality credit repair service.

There’s an old proverb that says “Wisdom dwells within a multitude of counsel” Sometimes its best not to go at it alone. And in certain cases, having a seasoned professional to help can prevent a lot of unnecessary headaches and frustration. It certainly did in my case.

Either way, whether you decide to go at it yourself or to get help from a team, let’s get you educated so that you’re learning through the entire process. Also, when seeking help, always remember that the Credit Repair Organizations Act protects you.

Well, I really hope I was able to help here. If you have any questions, feel free to comment or give us a call, and we’ll be happy to answer any additionals questions that you have.

If you’d like more information on this subject, you can start by getting this free guide below.

It will walk you through the process of improving your credit step by step and will also cover:

• Getting and Understanding your credit reports & scores
• Real “how-to” for improving your credit (these are the very tactics the best credit repair firms in the country use)
• Powerful action plans

To Better Credit!

Many people tend to ignore their credit score until it’s time to apply for that big loan. This is not ideal. This only means that they are oblivious of the fact that credit scores are accumulated screenshots of your behavior with money over the stretch of a long period of time.

So, how to strengthen your credit score? If you asked most people how to do this, they would likely return a blank stare. Many times, people who have good credit ended up that way via a process. They’ve opened all of the normal accounts and made regular, on-time payments. As a consequence, they ended up with a good credit score with as much luck involved as strategy.

For a person just starting off, or for the person working their way back to having good credit after their credit has been damaged, there is a faster, more systematic way of going about the course of strengthening your credit score on purpose.

How to strengthen your credit score

       Start using secured loans:

• Some banks or credit unions offer low risk secured loans. This is a type of loan which has collateral attached to it, and the bank or credit union can collect the collateral if you default on paying the loan. This is what makes it a low risk loan.

  A secured credit card is a type of secured loan. The asset which the bank or credit union will require you to attach to the secured credit card to serve as collateral is your savings account or a Certificate of Deposit (CD). You will be restricted from taking money out of the attached CD for personal use for the whole duration of the loan.

  If you want to build or establish your credit history and strengthen your credit score, one of best places to start is using secured loans or secured credit cards.

  The idea here is simple. Your bank or credit union keeps your money in an account, and then loans you the same amount of money. The amount your credit limit reads must be the same with the amount deposited in your attached CD or a small percentage above your credit limit. As you begin to make payments on the loan, your money will be released back to you until the loan is paid off.

  Where this is a huge win:

  Banks and credit unions almost never check your credit for these types of loans because there is no risk to them for lending you the money.

  Huge win part two:

  As you make payments, they are just about always reported to the credit bureaus, which means you start establishing good credit the moment you pay your first installment. Check your credit reports to verify that your bank is reporting your timely payments using your secured credit card so that it can reflect in your credit score.

  The third huge win:

  You’re less likely to endure the sky-high fees and interest rates that you would with the lenders and credit cards that approve people with little or no credit. Also, if you consistently pay your bills on time, sometimes the bank will reward you by adding to your credit line without requiring you to deposit more money.

  Starting where you have your savings or checking account is usually best. You already have an established account history with them and they will almost always allow you to set up payments that come from your account automatically. This article also provides you ways to see an increase in your credit score.

  This article also provides you ways to see an increase in your credit score.

Use credit cards with low balances:

Next, move onto credit cards with low balances.

When you pay off the balances on your existing credit cards by transferring those balances to another credit card, it’s called a balance transfer. The amount you transfer must be up to the limit on the new credit card. Transferring credit balances can help you consolidate all your debts onto one card, so that

you don’t have to monitor multiple balances on multiple credit cards with multiple due dates all at the same time.

It may take you some shopping to find the right card at first, and be very mindful of the terms they extend. If a significant monthly or annual fee is offered as part of the terms, continue shopping.

Look for cards with a 0% introductory interest rate, although a very low interest rate (like 2.99%) is also not bad. You certainly don’t want to use a card with interest rates that will cause financial charges to accrue on your balance transfer.

Before you accept a balance transfer offer, check to see the balance transfer fee and make sure there’s an introduction rate on that as well. If you’ve found an offer that’s best for you, you need to inform them of who you’re paying the balance off to and then submit their account numbers.

Try to avoid using these cards unless you have to. But if you do end up using them, be sure to pay them off before the end of the month. Most competitive credit cards won’t charge you interest on your balance unless you haven’t paid it by the end of the month.

Keep in the habit of watching your credit score. As more and more of your “beginner credit cards” and secured loans start reporting on your credit report, your credit score will start to take root and grow stronger.

Once your credit score grows strong enough, you can continue looking around and get better interest rates on your credit cards. Then you can move your balances to the cards with the best deal.

2. Do not charge a credit card to its maximum possible balance:

Lastly, be sure to refrain from charging a credit card to its maximum possible balance. It can lower your score in contrast to a card with lots of available limits.

How is this?

Well, remember what we said about credit utilization rate? That is the ratio of your credit card balance (or the amount you owe) to the total credit card limit (or the amount available). We said before that your credit utilization is one of the largest influences on your credit score, and it impacts 30% of your score.

Your credit utilization rate tells how much you are spending without putting back. If your credit utilization rate is high, then your credit balances are high, and the negative impact it will have on your credit score will also be high.

You want to keep your credit utilization as low as possible, and not max out on your credit card just because the money is there. Most credit card ushers charge a certain amount when your expenditures exceed your card’s limit, and the card issuer could boost your interest rates up to “penalty rate”. Penalty rate could be as high as 30%.

So whether you’re reestablishing your credit after a financial crisis, or struggling to establish your credit for the very first time, you can use these simple steps to strengthen your credit score. Also, when seeking help, always remember that you are protected by the Credit Repair Organizations Act.

So If you need more information on how to strengthen your credit score, this topic, below is a free guide that will walk you through the process step by step and will also cover:

• Getting and Understanding your credit reports & scores;
• Real “how-to” for improving your credit (these are the very tactics the best credit repair firms in the country use);
• Powerful action plans.

To Better Credit!

“What is the best way to fix my credit score?” This is one of the most frequently asked questions asked by many. The steps to fix your credit score do not involve rocket science. They are simple enough – a lot of people just get scared of worsening their credit score if they do it themselves.

The truth, however, is that it’s sometimes even better to do it yourself than to have credit repair service do the job for you. Though they can help in solving the problem for you, you may have a hard time paying their fees, depending on who you use.

From my own personal journey to fix my credit score, I found that a combination of the two techniques worked the best. I’m going to provide you with some strategies you can use by yourself to get the ball rolling though!

With this in mind, you should know what separates a bad credit score from a good one. The numbers usually indicate this. A score between 580 and 650 is considered by creditors as fair. If your score is around 500, then your score is below average.

To fix a credit score of 500, however, is easier than a rating of 400 or below. If your rating has gone as low as that, then you should immediately take steps to fix your credit score. Some people who fall into this boat (400’s) normally don’t have any established credit yet, and that is an easy fix. Just get new credit!

However, some cases are the result of poor decisions but don’t worry this can be reversed. If you got yourself into it, you can certainly get yourself out 🙂

Best Way To Fix My Credit Score

• Get your credit report:

Before anything else, make sure that you have a copy of your credit report from your three credit bureaus. They are Experian, Equfax, and Transunion. Experian is the longest of the three reports and will contain more detail than the other two. No matter which bureau you choose, the report must contain a consolidation of all your outstanding loans, as well as the payments you have made.

You can request this one from a credit company if you would like assistance with repairing your credit as well. Just make sure they have a good reputation in the marketplace for credit restoration.

Some companies will try to charge you just for your credit report, but there are ways to get them at no cost at all. I have also provided a guide below that walks you through the steps to get your credit report for free 🙂

• Identify your financial shortcomings:

After running through your credit score, identify what your weak points are. You should know the causes of your low credit before you can even hope to improve it. A long list of credit applications, many unpaid loans, and failure to pay monthly credit balances are only some of the factors that can pull down your rating.

Don’t be embarrassed or afraid to do this. It’s not the most fun part of the process but once you take a sobering look at how bad your situation is, it will instill in you a new value of responsibility for your financial future you may not have had prior.

Determining the causes of your low rating will help you decide your next steps. If the cause is your failure to pay the minimum monthly payment, it’s not too late to pay your monthly dues. Perhaps you can pay more than your minimum payment every month, so you can offset the monthly dues you failed to pay in the recent months. This article uncovers some strategies to pay off your debt and build more credit.

• Settle unpaid loans:

This is very important, and there are several ways to do this depending on how bad your situation is and how much you actually owe. As for unpaid loans, you can apply for a debt consolidation loan and use the money to pay all outstanding debts.

Though a consolidation loan just combines all your unpaid credit, it usually has a lower interest rate. You will just have to channel all your payments to a single loan, and don’t have to worry about the overwhelming number of outstanding loans you have.

The alternative:

Pay those bad boys off yourself! I speak from experience here and am telling you that it can be done. When I began the journey of paying off my bad debt, I had over 24 accounts in collections that needed to be paid off. I decided to take my time and eliminate them one by one. There are some strategies to this, however.

First, you want to pay off the smaller debt first. Let’s face it, most people aren’t millionaires, and don’t have thousands of dollars to make massive lump sum payments on old debts. So start with the small ones, and then work your way up to the larger ones. Even if you have to set up payment arrangements to do this, its more than worth it.

• Get new credit:

The number of credit applications you hold can also be remedied to improve credit score. The solution is fairly easy: you just have to retract your applications and do away with credit cards that you don’t need anymore. Yes, even your latent credit cards have a negative impact on your credit rating if the payment history is bad.

So while you get these paid down, make sure to build newer lines of credit for yourself. It could be a secured credit card, that gives you more control and is less risky, or a department store credit card that you use for purchases.

The important thing here is to make sure you don’t go over 30% of your credit limit. So for example, if your credit limit is $300, your actual spending should stop at $90. This looks good to the credit bureaus and marks you to them as a responsible spender.

To fix your credit score, you will have to show creditors that you are a good payer. This is the exact message you will be telling them if you do any of the steps that were explained.

So if you asking, “what is the best way to fix my credit score?”, below is a free guide that will walk you through the process step by step and will also cover:

• Getting and Understanding your credit reports & scores
• Real “how-to” for improving your credit (these are the very tactics the best credit repair firms in the country use)
• Powerful action plans

To Better Credit!

Living life under a bad credit score can be very depressing.

Have you gotten to that financial point where you need to ask “how to repair my bad credit score quickly?” Just tune in to the news, and you’ll realize many people are having bad credit problems. Even if you went through and paid off all your bills, your credit score will be hurting. This is also the case for those people with low credit.

Repairing a bad credit score is a lot like losing weight. It takes time, which is why it is imperative not to let your credit score go bad in the first place. In losing weight, those quick-fix diets and diet pills are the most likely to backfire. Such is the case too with fixing a bad credit score. You should be careful with recipes that promise to fix bad credit score ratings “quickly”. The quickest improvement you will see will appear within say 45-60 days of consistent effort.

What you need to repair actually is your credit history, which is what your credit score is indicative of in the first place. Besides just fixing your credit score, credit repair can have the following effect on your life:

• Saves tons of money on loan interests, credit cards and insurance;
• New employment opportunities and raises from current employer open up;
• Improves loan security.

Learning how to repair your bad credit score quickly can seem like an impossibility at first glance, but the truth is some things can be done to achieve this. It is possible to raise your bad credit score “quickly”, but don’t expect miracles. Strategy, diligence and patience are key.

 How To Repair My Bad Credit Score Quickly

You have to know what you need to repair. First and most important, you must make sure that the information from the three credit reporting agencies is up to date and accurate. Your credit report will show you all the mistakes you’ve made that have led to a poor credit score rating.

This is extremely important if you are in the process of raising your credit score. Companies will check this. Housing and job history also plays a key role in interest rates.

1. Pay your bills on time:

• The most important thing to do to raise your credit score is to pay your bills on time. Creditors will look to see if you have late payments. This will turn them off if they see you struggling to keep up with current bills and credit cards.Out of all the factors that influence your credit score rating, the greatest and most important is your payment history. It impacts 35% of your credit score.

  Failure to pay off debts and balances early (or at all) until they are past due eventually results in a charge-off. A charge-off happens when your debts are past due for up to 180 days, and it is the worst state for your accounts to be in.

  If you have past due accounts, make sure that they are reported as either at least “current” or most preferably “paid”.

  It is quite understandable, however, that having your accounts read as “paid” might be the more challenging as opposed to having them read as “current”. So it is advisable that you spread your payments across all your accounts.

  If you have credit balances, debts that are in danger of becoming past due and charge-offs, give priority to redeeming those accounts that are getting close to being reported as past due first. Then work on lowering your credit balances. Finally you can work on settling your charge-offs.

  The longer you slacken on making repayments, the more you will have to pay to recover or catch up.

  Would you want to take payments for your car if you’re selling it to someone with no job, just moved into the neighborhood, and is late on his first payment?

  Fix your credit history:

The next big thing is your credit history. This is a little more difficult to fix. Still it is possible to fix a bad credit score by building or rebuilding your credit history.

The best thing to do is pay off and close newer cards and loans but keep the older ones. The history is important in your credit score. If you have accounts you don’t use, close them. This will help you to focus on those accounts which you are using and will also keep you from overspending and increasing your credit balances.

However, be careful not to suddenly begin to close many accounts all at once as this may hurt your credit score. Rather, begin closing those dormant accounts 6 months before acquiring any big loans.

A technique you might use is taking out a loan with a lender and put the money in savings at the same bank. Then you use the savings to pay your payments and pay down the loan.  You don’t want to pay the loan off all at once, but over time and on a regular basis. This article also provides you ways to see an increase in your score.

This article also provides you ways to see an increase in your score.

Get New Credit:

You can’t work on adding positive statements to your accounts until you’ve worked to offset those negative items reflecting in your accounts. We’ve dealt with the negative items. Now let’s add some positive remarks.

The last key to raising your credit score is new credit.  New credit is good for your FICO (credit) score. There is a limit to how much you should get. They can tell if you are going on a borrowing binge and that will hurt your score.

Remember, though, that every new credit card inquiry will be reflected in your credit report. Too many of such inquiries is bad for your credit history.

You need to open one or two lines of credit every few months and make sure the payments are good. Open new accounts responsibly and pay them off on time to regain good credit score in the long term.

Also remember that delinquencies from within your credit card history can hinder you from getting new credit card accounts. If you are denied access to a major credit card, apply instead for a retail store credit card or a secured credit card.

Conclusion

So if you’re like others who want to know how to repair my bad credit score quickly, these simple steps are going to help repair you achieve that fast. Just remember to pay your payments on time, keep track of your lenders, and don’t open up too many credit cards at one time. If you stick to that, then your score should rise gradually, but it will be a good score.

Also, when seeking help, always remember that you are protected by the Credit Repair Organizations Act (CROA). I’ve also listed my recommendation if you decide to go the route of getting a qualified credit repair service to help.

If you need more information on this topic, below is a free guide that will walk you through the process step by step and will also cover:

• Getting and Understanding your credit reports & scores;
• Real “how-to” for improving your credit (these are the very tactics the best credit repair firms in the country use);
• Powerful action plans.

To Better Credit!

A friend once told me, “Please help fix my credit fast”, and I gave him some tips that helped him; I will be sharing the same tips with you today. If you have a poor credit report or simply need to know how to fix your credit fast, then there are five small steps you can take in the next 48 hours.

While these steps will not magically “rescue” your credit score, they will begin to give you a sense of control over your credit rating and give you the flexibility to choose the next best set of steps for your particular situation. Having this flexibility and control will let you rest easier at night and hopefully reduce those annoying calls from collection agencies!

Help fix my credit fast – Here are five steps to help:

• Get your credit report from the three major reporting agencies:

Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union. You can get all three reports once each year for free by going to the Federal Trade Commission’s website and searching for free credit reports. You need this information to know exactly where you are today, and how potential creditors view you regarding their risk. I have also provided a free guide below that walks you through how to make sure you don’t get charged for your credit report.

It’s important to keep in mind that the largest of the three credit bureaus is Experian. This contains the most information and is what I would recommend as the first place to start. The other two reporting agencies typically mirror the information found on your Experian report.

• Read the report and note any errors:

If you notice errors then later today or the next business day be sure to contact the firm stating the incorrect error for remedies. Also, make sure that you take note of any inaccuracies regarding your residence, age, etc. Sometimes a simple mistake can hurt your credit score. I created a video going over the sections that are on your credit report, and their importance. These can contain inaccurate information that needs to be updated quickly.

Set up a budget which you really can follow:

It’s important that once you establish a realistic budget, that you stick to it. Don’t try to budget more than you can afford to. Give yourself breathing space here as well. When you begin this process, you will begin to get creative ideas on how to execute your budgeting goals even better.

Be sure to include a calendar of when credit-related payments (g., credit cards, auto loans, etc.) are due. Make sure that you pay these on time. If you are at a loss as to how you can make it through the month on that low of a budget, then start saving on expenditures by smarter shopping. You can also use coupons, finding lower-cost substitutes, and other money-saving techniques.

• Learn your current interest rate charges on the various forms of credit you have:

Just because you were offered an introductory rate, it does not mean that the rate is still in effect. Furthermore, in the fine print, you may be paying an extremely high rate because you had just one late payment. Companies have no regrets about taking advantage of you. Their job is to make sure you pay twice or three times as much as the original cost. Don’t let them get away with it.

Personal Story:

When my wife and I financed our first car, we were rookies in the game in terms of understanding how interest works. We had no idea that after paying faithfully on our car note, that we could refinance that loan to get lower interest rates. When we did, it saved us a ton on our monthly payment. The beauty of this was that we kept our payments the same, even though we had a lower interest rate, and paid off our vehicle that much quicker.

This is a good practice to use on those important life purchases that you have, home, car, student loan etc. Most people get so caught up in making the payments, that they forget about getting that interest rate chomped down. We don’t just want to pay off our debts, we want to do it as quickly as possible and leverage is key.

Contact your credit card company and other creditors to find out the rate you are paying today. If possible, understand the terms of your agreement so that you can end up paying a lower rate.

Ask for help:

There is nothing wrong with admitting that you don’t know anything about credit cards or even just a specific portion of your credit agreement. Professionals exist to help you.

When you ask for professional help, be sure to know what you are seeking so that you choose the professionals who best serve your specific situation. Take into account the cost, and whether they will be saving you significant time by doing this for you as opposed to you doing it yourself. Sometimes you can fix your credit rather quickly without help, other times this is just not possible. Just make sure you do your homework before you go with a particular service.

In addition to repairing my own credit, I’ve been down the road of trying out a few services. I did an article outlining my recommendation based on how they helped me to get back on track.

So if you’ve found yourself asking, help fix my credit fast, these five steps are the best things you can do in the next two business days to begin to help you fix your credit quickly. They also will give you the reassurance that you are following sound financial principles to help you repair your credit fast and then be in a position to become financially successful in the future.

If you need more information on this topic, below is a free guide that will walk you through the process step by step and will also cover:

• Getting and Understanding your credit reports & scores
• Real “how-to” for improving your credit (these are the very tactics the best credit repair firms in the country use)
• Powerful action plans

To Better Credit!

Credit is leverage, isn’t it? And that’s good. But the thing about leverage is that we often, and too casually, tend to slip into overindulgence. The National Foundation for Credit Counseling recently conducted a study. In the survey, it was discovered that more people would be willing to admit their weight, but they find admitting their credit status to be simply embarrassing. And worse, they’re not doing anything about it. They simply continue to play whip-and-pay with the plastic cards.

One of the unfortunate things about credit is that people don’t usually start to get concerned until it’s already screwed up. That’s when people head to Google and type in ‘Improve Credit Rating’ and other related search terms. The very nature of credit scores is that they have an increasingly disadvantaging power over our lives as they lower. It’s a kind of inverse proportionality relationship.

The thing is that your credit doesn’t usually get messed up overnight, but is the result of bad habits and neglect over time. You must take care not to repeat the mistakes you’ve made in the past if you hope to keep good credit once your credit is restored.

Your Score is like a GPA

There are many different types of credit scores. FICO scores and scores done by VantageScore are two of the most common credit score types. Besides these, there are also industry-specific credit scoring models.

When talking about a credit score, it’s important to know exactly what we mean here.  This is like your report card but only in the financial arena. Unlike your GPA scores though, your credit score ends up with a number scoring, not a letter scoring.  Just like you had a GPA in college, your credit score works very similarly.

If you have a low GPA, simply getting another A will not boost it up a lot. It takes a series of positive grades before you begin to see that number rise. Remember that search for ‘Improve Credit Rating’ I referred to earlier? Well, that is all about what’s referred to as your FICO score. This is a number that is assigned to you that ranges from 300-850. It works just like your GPA. Generally, a credit score rating of 700 is considered to be good. Your credit score is said to be excellent when it is at 800 and rises above that. A range between 300 and 500 is considered to be very poor.

Your credit score is generated upon request by you or by lenders, rather than stored as a part of your overall credit history.

It is calculated with a formula that uses the information in your credit report. Your credit rating tells lenders how creditworthy you are and how likely you are to pay back a loan on time. Credit score ratings can also be referred to as risk scores. This is considering the risk the lenders will be willing to take in offering you a loan or extending a loan repayment period based on the information they’ve pulled out from your credit score and credit report.

The higher your rating, the lower the interest you’ll pay on loans. The lower your rating, the higher the interest you’ll pay. If your credit is extremely low, you may be flat out rejected for loans altogether. Unfortunately, your credit report doesn’t always reflect an accurate score for you. This is because there are errors that even the credit bureaus make that often go overlooked.

So if you’ve suffered for mistakes you made yourself, or for the mistakes of the big three credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax & Transunion) this blog post is written to let you know that there’s hope for you 🙂

Improve Credit Rating -The How-To

There are many things you can do to improve your credit rating. Here are a few:

1. Get a small loan:

Here’s what happens when you’re ready to obtain a credit card, or when you need to approach a lender for a loan to meet up with your major financial goals.

Any time a lender such as a car dealer, or a bank is going to lend you money, they first must assess your credit history and see how timely you were with previous loan payments.

If you have a bad history of mismanaging credit, or even if you have no credit history at all, it might negatively affect your chances of ever being issued a credit card, or of being granted a loan, or of getting favorable interest rates on your loans.

This may sound crazy, but get a small loan.

Just get a small loan from someone, even if it’s a high-interest loan and pay it back on time. Normally when you get a loan, you spend all the money on something and then must make the payments from income generated from your job.

With a small loan like this, you’re not going to spend the loan on anything. All you’ll do is throw it in a savings or checking account and pay it back in a timely fashion to develop a credit history. The idea is to gradually build up a good credit history of effective credit management and timely repayments. It takes some time to build credit, so begin building long before you need it.

This article also provides you ways to get your credit score up.

2. Maintain a low credit balance:

Your credit utilization rate is how much you’re currently owing (i.e. your total debt) divided by your total available credit (i.e. your credit limit). In other words, it is a ratio of the total credit used to the total credit available. The result is expressed as a percentage. You can calculate your credit utilization rate as a sum total of all your credit cards or as a per card ratio.

Your credit utilization rate is always considered by credit scoring models when calculating your credit score. This makes your credit utilization rate one of the more influential factors in determining your credit score, as it accounts for up to 30% of your score.

If you’ve borrowed money from your credit card issuer but haven’t repaid, the amount you’re still owing is your credit card balance.

I always tell people to try their best to keep their credit card balances low.

What is especially damaging to your credit rating is when you max out your credit cards. That is BAD. It is usually best to have your credit card balance at or below 25% of your credit limits.

This one is something most people don’t know. It’s better to have ten grand in debt spread out amongst five credit cards than on one unless that one card has an exceptionally high credit limit.

Your best credit card balance, however, is when it is at 0%, meaning that you have not outstanding credit card debt. Always endeavor to pay off your credit card debts before account statement closure dates, otherwise the balance will still reflect.

3. Pay your bills on time:

When it comes to ways to improve credit ratings, this one may seem extremely obvious, but it is often overlooked.

PAY YOUR BILLS ON TIME! 35% of your credit rating is based on your credit history. Not paying bills on time can screw up your credit rating.

In order to do this effectively, first of all figure out how much your debts add up to, both credit card debts and non credit card debts, and evaluate how the number got there.

Next, check that sum against your monthly income. Your expenses must never be allowed to exceed your income, as this leads to negative cash flow. With a positive cash flow (i.e more income, less expenses) you should be able to dedicate yourself to making minimum payments on all your cards.

High outstanding debts reflects negatively on your credit score. Try as much as possible not to move your outstanding debts around or leave debts unpaid until they become seriously past due date and have to then be turned over (or sold out to) an internal collection department or agency. Such bad practices often take years to correct, sometimes up to 7 years or even more.

Improving your credit rating isn’t always as hard as you may view it; it is as simple as it has been explained above. Also, when seeking help, always remember that you are protected by the Credit Repair Organizations Act.

If you need more information on this topic, below is a free guide that will walk you through the process step by step and will also cover:

• Getting and Understanding your credit reports & scores;
• Real “how-to” for improving your credit (these are the very tactics the best credit repair firms in the country use);
• Powerful action plans.

To Better Credit!

What is a credit score, first of all?

Well, your credit score is that 3-digit FICO or VantageScore number which defines your credit history and determines your credit worthiness. Your credit score and your credit history say a lot about whether or not you are likely to pay off your debts and how quickly you are likely to pay them off. Your credit score and your credit history determine what kind of loans you can access or be qualified for, and the interest rate you will be required to pay on them.

It is very important to keep your credit score high at all times. However, life sometimes happens to us and we get thrown off track about our payments. Due to these unforeseen circumstances and emergencies, we become delinquent in paying off our loans and credit card bills. And we become despondent as we watch our credit scores plummet.

So you may be asking: how long does it take to improve a credit score? The first thing I would tell you is the improvement of your credit score is NOT an overnight process. In some cases, it could take as long as a year or more. In other cases, it could take as little as 45 days.

The key here is, when you say, how long does it take to improve a credit score, you must first identify what your goals are. Are you trying to increase your score by a certain number of points to meet a credit score requirement to make a purchase? Or are you trying to raise your score to the highest possible level to improve your overall financial picture?

So let’s get started answering this question: how long does it take to improve a credit score?

So let’s get started answering this question.

How long does it take to improve a credit score?

Step 1: Obtain Your Credit Report

Many people are not aware of what their credit report reads. It is imperative that you know what is stated on your credit report or statement, doesn’t matter whether it’s good or bad. You should be in the know. This shows that you are indeed actively involved in your own financial progress. You can’t remove negative or incorrect credit scores if you’re not aware of them.

You have an entitlement under the Federal Law to a free credit report. You can get your free credit report at AnnualCreditReport.com and actually take the time to analyze your own progress. You’re entitled to free credit reports from the three main agencies that are responsible for releasing credit reports to citizens o request.

The three main credit-reporting agencies are:

• TransUnion;
• Equifax;
• Experian

You can also visit their websites directly to obtain your free credit report.

Alright. So obviously you need to get your credit report. What exactly are you looking for when reviewing your credit report? The first thing you need to do is check your report for accuracy. Make sure to check the dates on the report. Make sure that the information that is reporting is correct.

Things like your name, address, social security number, employment info, residence. This information may not play a role in your score but remember this is your report and you want it to be accurate.

Step 2: Dispute Your Credit Report Errors

Errors on credit reports are very common. Inaccuracies in credit reports have been arrested to by the Federal Trade Commission. According to the Commission’s estimate, one in every four customers has an inaccurate credit report.

You wouldn’t know, though, if you don’t check regularly. One error is an error too many, and a lender or employer or landlord or any other kind of credit checker will easily capitalize on that. That is why you need to review your credit report when you obtain it.

The next most important thing you want to look for after checking personal information is any derogatory information that might be reporting. Things like late payments, collections or charge-offs. You also want to check the public record section of your report to see if you have any judgments or liens reporting.

It is possible to dispute your credit report errors, and you could possibly win. First of all, assess the extent of the error and its potential damage. You could get all tied up and confused about industry jargon and codes and all that while assessing the errors in your credit report.

The best thing to do in the process of assessment is to contact the source of the information (i.e the data furnishers) and clarify the meaning of the information.

If you have this type of derogatory information, you may need to talk with a professional service to assist you in the possibility of removing these items. You can enlist the services of a consumer law attorney whose specialty is to dispute errors and guide you through credit repair.

He/she can file a dispute by mail, phone or online, and send hard copies of documents supporting you arguments to any of the three Credit Bureaus.

This article also provides you ways to get your credit score up.

Your Debt

Step 3: Credit Balances

Resist the urge to follow the trend that thrives in the industry of debt collection. It’s not good for your image or your personal and financial health. Monitor your credit behavior and credit habits, and be diligent to knock off debts accruing.

You need to begin to make conscious efforts each month to add some positive remarks to your credit report. Don’t just run off and constantly apply for new credit. You need to remember that the average age of your credit history is affected by new credits. Apply patience, strategy and discipline in paying off your old debts. It can be done.

After you’ve checked for derogatory information reporting, the next step is to check your debt to credit balances. In other words, are any of your credit cards maxed out or over the limit?

The rule of thumb here is to pay down your credit cards to 30% of the available balance in order to maximize your credit score. So if your credit limit is $1000.00, you want to keep your balance below $300.00.

By simply doing this you can greatly increase your score in a short period of time, as long as there are no other issues with your credit report. Also, when seeking help, always remember that you are protected by the Credit Repair Organizations Act.

If you need more information on this topic, below is a free guide that will walk you through the process step by step and will also cover:

• Getting and Understanding your credit reports & scores;
• Real “how-to” for improving your credit (these are the very tactics the best credit repair firms in the country use);
• Powerful action plans.

To Better Credit!

One thing more important in a person’s financial journey than obtaining credit cards is boosting credit card score ratings. Every major financial goal requires credit, but paying due attention to your credit scores and actively doing everything necessary to boost that score is what determines the ease with which you will obtain your loan, or if you will successfully secure one at all.

It is anything but a pleasant experience to have your credit application declined. Proper management of your finances and a resultant boost to your credit score will substantially increase your chances of getting approval for that loan.

If you are looking to get your credit score to go from pretty bad to pretty great, then you need to know what you can do to make this happen and fast. There are many things you can do to protect your credit rating, and in today’s how to boost credit rating post, you’ll learn how you can transform your rating from being in the cellar to absolutely stellar.

Credit is very important, and you should know that if you have great credit, doors will open much easier for you when you need cash for a purchase or an emergency. Here are some credit boosting tips for you.

 How to boost credit rating

1. 1. Learn The Rules Of The Game Before You Start Playing.

You know that embarrassing feeling at that moment when a computer tells you “no” or “credit declined”? Exactly! It’s nothing personal, really. But it is nonetheless embarrassing, even depressing. You must understand that a lot of things have built up to that moment, and a compilation of those things make up your credit rating.

1. Knowing the rules of the credit game is vital if you want to raise your score fast. Many vital questions need to be asked and research needs to be done to help you better understand the workings of credit ratings and speedy loan acquisitions. Some of those vital questions are listed below:
   • How is your credit score calculated?
   • What information is contained in your credit file?
   • At what point does a credit report in my name begin to exist?
   • Who compiles the information about my loan applications and payments in a credit report?
   • How do lenders get to know about my credit applications and payments and who provides them with that information?
   • What is credit utilization rate and how is it calculated?
   • If I pay off my balance after the due reporting fate, will it still reflect positively in my credit report or will my balance still remain high?
   • Does the FICO score look at the summation of my credit balances or does it only consider the per card utilization rate?
   • Which is the single, most important factor in the FICO formula?
   • What are all the factors that influence the FICO formula?
   • Why do current negative items affect your score more adversely than older items?
   • How long do negative items stay on your record?
   • What kind of items can you dispute with credit bureaus?
   • Why should you always ask for verification of debt from credit bureaus, collection agencies and original creditors?
   • How do you get different agencies to remove items from your record?

    

2. In a nutshell-the more you know about the credit system, the better your chances of raising your score fast.

   Every time you apply for credit, your lender will pull a search on your credit information to see how much of a risk you are. It is therefore not advisable not to apply for loans or credit too frequently.

   When too many companies are looking into your credit, it actually will cause your score to drop. If the space of time within which searches are pulled on your credit information is too short, you are more than likely to have your applications declined.

   When you are shopping for any financing or anything else that will cause you to have your credit pulled, you should be the one to pull it. Pull your credit from all three of the agencies and take the reports with you to get quotes. Then, when you pick a company to go with, you can let them pull your credit.

   Before you apply for credit, however, take the time to do a self-evaluation or eligibility check to know if it is at all likely that you will be favorably attended to.

   Do not apply for loans or products that you do not need.

   

3.  When it comes to your credit and how to improve credit rating you need to know that the easiest way to get a higher rating is going to be to pay off some debts.

   However, what’s the best way to pay off your balances? In one fell swoop on one account or by distributing the money to touch off on all account balances?

   Most people think if they pay off one bigger debt it will affect their score more than paying off a few smaller debts; this is not true, and you should start by paying off all the smaller debts that you are behind on first. This will boost your score faster than anything else.

   You will notice that you have balances on all your credit cards and that the credit utilization rate on each card varies from the percentage on another card. Some percentages are high and some are pleasantly low. A lower percentage indicates a lower credit balance. That should be easier to pay off.

   Endeavor to pay off (or at least begin to pay off) that particular bill before the closing date so that your reported balance on that card will be a low or a zero. When the FICO system uses its model to calculate your score, it will use the “current” lower balance and this will boost your credit rating.

   Also, when seeking help, always remember that you are protected by the Credit Repair Organizations Act.

    2.  Do Not Let Your Credit Get Checked Too Much

Every time you apply for credit, your lender will pull a search on your credit information to see how much of a risk you are. It is therefore not advisable not to apply for loans or credit too frequently.

When too many companies are looking into your credit, it actually will cause your score to drop. If the space of time within which searches are pulled on your credit information is too short, you are more than likely to have your applications declined.

When you are shopping for any financing or anything else that will cause you to have your credit pulled, you should be the one to pull it. Pull your credit from all three of the agencies and take the reports with you to get quotes. Then, when you pick a company to go with, you can let them pull your credit.

Before you apply for credit, however, take the time to do a self-evaluation or eligibility check to know if it is at all likely that you will be favorably attended to.

Do not apply for loans or products that you do not need.

How To Improve Credit Rating Fast

When it comes to your credit and how to improve credit rating you need to know that the easiest way to get a higher rating is going to be to pay off some debts.

However, what’s the best way to pay off your balances? In one fell swoop on one account or by distributing the money to touch off on all account balances?

Most people think if they pay off one bigger debt it will affect their score more than paying off a few smaller debts; this is not true, and you should start by paying off all the smaller debts that you are behind on first. This will boost your score faster than anything else.

You will notice that you have balances on all your credit cards and that the credit utilization rate on each card varies from the percentage on another card. Some percentages are high and some are pleasantly low. A lower percentage indicates a lower credit balance.

That should be easier to pay off. Endeavor to pay off (or at least begin to pay off) that particular bill before the closing date so that your reported balance on that card will be a low or a zero. When the FICO system uses its model to calculate your score, it will use the “current” lower balance and this will boost your credit rating.

Also, when seeking help, always remember that you are protected by the Credit Repair Organizations Act.

    3. Building Good Credit

Another thing you can do to help offset some of the bad debts you have is to get some good debts. You can get a credit card with a small limit and keep it paid off every month. Make sure you do use it but instead pay it off every single month. This will help to build some credit on the positive side, which will help to boost your score.

There are differences in strategies when it comes to how to boost credit rating. Credit knowledge and perseverance, however, seems like the fastest route to better credit. Once you start thinking outside the box, you will be surprised to find how easy credit repair actually is. This article also provides you ways to grow your credit score.

If you would like to get help with boosting your credit rating from professionals, the free guide below will provide you with everything you need to know. It will cover:

• Getting and Understanding your credit reports & scores
• Real “how-to” for improving your credit (these are the very tactics the best credit repair firms in the country use)
• Powerful action plans

To Better Credit!

In this post, we are going to take a look at what a maximum credit score is. A credit score number is often called a FICO score, for Fair Isaac Corp., the California company that developed the system upon which it is based. Scores range from the 300s to about 900, with the vast majority of folks falling in the 600s and 700s.

The higher the score, the better it is. Scores higher than 725 are considered good, while those below 600 are considered poor. Maximum credit scores that range from 750 to 850 are excellent and show creditworthiness of the individual applying for a loan.

Most people’s reports aren’t perfect. It is rare to see someone with a score over 850 for example. However, your score doesn’t have to be an 850 to get done what you need to get done. And you’re probably reading this post because you’ve made some mistakes in past. No shame here, don’t be embarrassed. What we want is to go from here to get your score back into healthy mode.

Just be thankful you found this blog! The truth is, your maximum credit score can be achieved, but it will take some time. Think about it, you didn’t get your credit score in a mess overnight did you? Didn’t think so 🙂 But getting out of that mess doesn’t have to take as long as you think either 🙂

Maximum Credit Score

Let’s start by taking a look at some things that hinder your score from its maximum potential. Mistakes can be made when entering your information into the system at credit bureaus. Lenders, banks and credit card companies make mistakes too. In fact, over 60% of credit reports contain some inaccuracies or errors.

From my own personal experience, I had 26 items on my credit report that should have never been there. I’m so glad I challenged them, that was an injustice to my report that had to be rectified.

Some people get lucky though, and in some cases, this isn’t always a big deal, depending on the mistakes found.  Even with some flaws in your report, you can still be eligible for credit at competitive rates and good terms. The key here though is that you have a long credit history with a lot of information in your file.

In a way, your good deeds will lessen the effect of one or two negative items. An exception to this would be If you are young or a new immigrant with a short history. A negative item in this instance would have a stronger effect on your score. The ultimate goal here, however, is to detect, and eliminate these errors so that you score can begin rise. And if you already have a nice credit score, your focus should be on guarding it.

So, what do you need to do to reach and maintain a maximum credit score?

1. Get a copy of your credit report, review the information in it and, correct any errors you find: 

You can have inaccurate information removed by either contacting the credit agency or contacting the creditor. The Fair credit reporting act requires all credit-reporting agencies to investigate any disputed items at no cost to the consumer.

The law requires that the creditor verify the entry within 30 days or the information must be deleted from your file. If your credit report gets corrected, you will receive a free copy of the revised report.

BUT…

BUT you may ask, “where does the disputing part come into play here?” Well, disputing is a two-fold process from my experience. First, there are clear-cut reasons why a negative item on your credit report would get disputed. A prime example of this would be getting charged a bill that you already paid, and it gets sent over to collections anyway.

This would be fairly easy to dispute right? Simply go to the credit bureau that has this listed as an open account, and select the appropriate dispute reason. However, if it was really this simple don’t you think everyone would be doing it? The truth is, there are other dispute reasons that can be used to remove items from your credit report, that the majority don’t even know about.

And if you knew what they were or had easy access to them, it would take your disputing game to a whole other level. All you really need is access to the information or someone who is seasoned to help you with the process. I’ve included a free guide below that will lead you to the credit repair promise land once and for all! Let’s dig a bit deeper here.

2. Pay your bills on time: 

“This is an attempt to collect a debt, and any information obtained will be used for that purpose..” Don’t you just hate that?  This point is critical. Paying on time means mailing your check at least five days before the due date or scheduling an online payment at least two days before. Do not wait until the due date or try to backdate your checks when mailing them late, as this usually will not work.

If you fall into the easy trap of missing payments, it will trickle down to the collection agency blackhole. From there, you still have a chance to get things straight, but it still will require developing healthy payment habits. I don’t care how small the debt is, make sure you take it seriously. All it takes is for that agency to report you to the credit bureaus one time, and damage is done.

My wife had an experience like this, where she was paying off a medical bill, and thought she had taken care of the entire balance. She didn’t realize however that she had left a measly 9 dollars unpaid. Then she got that strange phone call. C’mon, you know what I’m talking about, from that number that you don’t recognize. If you dare to answer, you’ll find out quick that its the good old collection agency.

Now at first, she ignored the number because she didn’t know who it was. But thankfully she eventually answered, because they were this close to reporting that 9 dollars to her credit report. Wouldn’t that have been a travesty, to have your score go down over 9 dollars? I hate to even think about it!

3. Work to increase your debt-to-credit ratio:

This can be done by repaying as much as you can of what you owe on the loans you have, by increasing the credit limit on the credit cards that you have while keeping the balances low. Doing so will progressively bring you closer to your maximum credit score, and its well worth it. Do remember here, that loans for a house require a healthy debt-to-income ratio, which is why you want to try your best to have more income than debt showing on your report.

Quicken Loans, a provider of home loans emphasizes the importance of your debt-to-income ratio. So chip away at whatever debt is showing on that report and try your best to shave it down. You don’t have to make a million dollars to get the things you enjoy, you just have to alleviate debt as much as possible.

You can also apply for a new credit card with a high limit but keep the balance low or zero. Just don’t go around applying for too many cards at once (see #5 below). And don’t be tempted to spend more money just because you now have more credit available! The suggested limit here is no more than 30% of your overall credit limit. If you can maintain this balance, you’ll see your credit score begin to steadily rise.

I think sometimes people forget that the credit bureaus operate on an algorithm when it comes to reporting. Once you understand that, you discover that all you need to do here is cooperate with the algorithm for your score to rise. Part of that includes honoring healthy parameters between your credit limit and the amount you spend.

4. Protect your credit history: 

Fair Isaac’s model assumes people who have had credit for a long time are less risky. So if you have credit cards or accounts that you want to close, think about it first. If you’ve been paying on it for a long time and can close it out, go for it. However, if its a newer card, even if you can pay it off quickly, you may want to pace yourself a bit here. The key word in credit history is history, and part of this involves consistency in payments over a period of time.

If you don’t have any history, you will not have any FICO score, because data collected by the credit bureaus determine how the score is calculated. Believe it or not, having no score can be as bad, or even worse than having a low score. That’s an interesting concept but think about it. If you were going to lend 10,000 dollars to someone, wouldn’t you want some proof of their credibility? Who would you trust more, someone who never borrowed money and paid it back on time, or someone who has a proven track record of making timely payments?

Now imagine your feeling of either trust or distrust displayed in number form. This is exactly what your credit score is. We all would like to leave our past behind us, but some financial mistakes like to lurk around. So while your building new credit, make sure you are resolving the things that took your score down in the first place.

You may find that it is tough to get a loan, or you may have to pay a lot higher interest rate because the lender does not have a clue whether you are a credit risk or not. This article also provides you ways to get your credit score up.

5. Do not initiate too many requests for credit, loans or other debt instruments over a short period: 

If you have many recent new inquiries, your score will go down. The credit bureau algorithm will see you as a person who cannot stop borrowing money and getting into debt. So make sure that any inquiries you have done are absolutely necessary. This applies big time when getting approved for a home loan or financing a car. Go in there knowing how much you want to spend on that house and car, find out what they say your score is, and leave it there.

6. Create the right credit mix: 

Lenders like to see a good mix of credit cards, retail cards, and installment loans. This includes car loans or home mortgages. Someone with only a secured credit card is considered riskier than someone with a standard credit card. However, this does not mean that you rule out a secure card altogether.

If your credit is so bad that you can’t get a normal card, secured is the way to go, and will help you to reach that maximum credit score. Someone who has a combination of installment and revolving loans will also have a better chance of raising their score due to the variety. A good mix shows the bureaus that you are faithful paying back different types of debt. The more well-rounded you are in this area, the higher your score will be over time.

With consistency, you will eventually achieve your maximum credit score goal. And if you need some help from an expert, there’s no shame in your game. I got the same help myself and can testify that it was well worth the assistance. Also, when seeking help, always remember that you are protected by the Credit Repair Organizations Act.

If you want a full overview of what it takes to repair your credit, below is a free guide that will walk you through the process step by step and will cover:

• Getting and Understanding your credit reports & scores
• Real “how-to” for improving your credit (these are the very tactics the best credit repair firms in the country use)
• Powerful action plans

To Better Credit!