Tag Archives: credit score
Quick Fix to Bad Credit Score
A bad credit score is one thing that financially independent individuals should avoid. This is detrimental in many aspects of their financial lives. For instance, a bad credit score can void them of good jobs. This may sound unbelievable but indeed it is true. Many employers seek out those potential employees who do not have uncontrollable debt. This is because a bad debt can rid a person of his concentration. At work, an unfocused employee can cost losses in profits. This person would not be able to perform well thus possibly dragging the company down with him.
Another bad result of an undesirable credit score is disapproval of loans. Loans are critical for building ones life. A person needs loans for buying his own house. He needs it for owning a car, putting up a business and more. But with a bad score, all of his goals may not come true in a smooth manner. He can get approved on such loans only when his score is above 700.
A bad credit score is brought on by unpaid bills or late payments. This is usually the case in a massive credit card debt. People apply credit cards promotions and get hooked on spending. Before they know it, they are in too much debt. A lot of people disregard their pending payments. They only get surprised when they apply for a loan and their credit reports are shown.
However, there is a quick fix they can do to change their fate on loans. Note that credit bureaus have a method of scoring. One way is by checking a persons recent payment history. It means that what matters in their scoring is the recent payment activity of a person. Therefore, an individual can up his credit score by making recent on time payments.
For his credit card bills, he can opt for credit card balance transfer. When all of his credit card debt is in one place, he can make efforts to pay on time. It wont be as hard this time because of only one bill and one interest rate. Utility bills also matter so he should always look out for the deadline. He should pay before the due date just to make sure. Also he can cut off some of his unnecessary spending. This way he would have extra money for the payments.
Doing this for at least six months can increase his chances on a good credit score. After which he can then take on some loans.
7 Ways To Protect And Improve Your Credit Rating
Your credit score accounts for the amount of interest you have to pay for a loan or a credit card. Increasing your score in just a few points will make a big difference in the interest rate you will pay for a purchase. If your credit score is high enough, youll have no problem qualifying for a lenders best rates and terms on auto financing, home loans and small business loans. The following are a few tips about how you can protect and improve your credit rating.
1 – Order Your Credit Report. Your credit score is based on your credit report, so you should begin by ordering your reports and reviewing each one for accuracy. You can get your reports from a service such as MyFico.com, or order from Equifax, Experian and Trans Union separately online or by phone.
2 – Check Your Credit Report Information for Inaccuracies. Check the identifying information for name, social security number, birth date and incorrect address. Make certain that old negatives and paid-off debts are deleted. Check for accounts and delinquencies that are not yours, late payments, charge offs, lawsuits, judgments or paid tax liens older than seven years old. Also, paid liens or judgments that are listed as unpaid, duplicate collections, bankruptcies that are older than ten years and any negative information that is not yours.
3 – Always Pay Your Bills on Time. Payment history makes up more than a third of the typical credit score. If you paid bills late in the past, you can improve your credit score by starting to pay your bills on time. Lenders are looking for any sign that you might default, and a late payment is a good indicator that you are in financial difficulty.
4 – Keep Credit Cards Balances Low. Carrying smaller balances is the best way to increase your credit score. The score measures how much of your limit you use on each credit card or other line of credit, and how much of your combined credit limits you are using on all your cards. Within 60 days, paying down credit card balances can increase your credit score by as much as 20 points.
5 – Try Not to Open In-Store Credit Cards. Although your first credit accounts can serve to build and improve your credit history, there comes a point when each subsequent credit application can reduce your score. New credit cards reduce the age of your credit history, and a department store credit card isnt good evidence of credit worthiness. Every time you apply for a retailers credit card your credit store gets dinged.
6 – Be Conservative When Applying For Credit. Having at least one credit card thats more than 2 years old can help your score by 15 percent. Make sure that your credit report is checked only when necessary. Or, if you are shopping for a home, try to apply for loans within a two-week period. By keeping the loan process within a two-week period, all of the credit report lookups are seen as one single request.
7 – Dont Close Credit Cards or Other Revolving Accounts. Shutting down unused accounts that have outstanding balances without paying off the debt changes your utilization ratio, which is the amount of your total debt divided by your total available credit. It will reduce the gap between the credit you are using and the total credit available to you, and that can hurt your credit score.