Boosting Your Credit Score

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Having what is qualified as a “great” or “excellent” credit score can help you in many ways for your life: buying or renting a home, getting a loan, buying a car, etc. Here are some quick and easy ways to boost your score.

  1. Have late payments and errors removed from your history.
  2. Pay off debts (but not all debt at once!).
  3. Increase your credit card limits.
  4. Start off with easy to get credit cards. Although they have low rewards, they can help you build up your score easily.

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How To Save Your Credit Score From The Dumps

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A shaky credit score means the difference between getting approved for a loan and being denied. And when you’re ready to go for that first home, or new car the last thing you want is to be denied. If you know your credit is bad, there’s no time like now to make steps towards improving it. Repairing your credit score won’t be a quick fix, but with a little consistency, it can be done. Here are some ways to start repairing your credit score:

Pay down your balances and keep them low.

Get rid of balances on multiple credit cards.

Pay off balances with the smallest balance first, then move on to the next highest balance.

Leave old debts and good accounts on your report as long as possible.

When shopping around for a lower rate, try to do it in a short period of time.

Pay bills on time.

No matter how horrible your credit report may look, it can be improved over time.

 

Top Credit Monitoring Companies

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Credit monitoring companies keep a lookout on your credit report to see if there is any suspicious activity. Some of the best credit monitoring companies out there include:

Identity Guard: This company is considered the best on the market. It monitors any changes in your credit score and offers some of the best ID theft protection on the market.

LifeLock – This popular brand also proactively keeps your credit safe. It monitors black market websites where social security numbers are exchanged and stolen.

Identity Force – This company monitors all three credit bureaus and lets you know via email of any changes that take place.

 

Is A FICO Score The Same Thing As A Credit Score?

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Financial jargon can become quite confusing, and a common misconception is that a FICO score is different from a credit score. In truth, FICO is just one version of your credit score – the most common one – but it has a lot in common with other versions of your score, too. Read on for a full explanation.

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Avoid These Five Credit Score Killers

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Having a strong credit score can save you many a financial headache over your lifetime – not to mention thousands of dollars. Once your credit is dinged, it can take time to repair it. That’s why it’s best to educate yourself about the biggest credit score killers, and avoid them like your financial life depends on it.

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Credit Score Basics Every Consumer Should Know

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A good credit score is essential for your financial well-being, but it can be difficult to learn all you need to know to keep your score strong. Here, credit bureau Experian takes you through the basics and teaches you how to keep your credit score strong for the long-term.

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Don’t Know Your Credit Score? You’re Not Alone

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It’s important to know your credit score, but you aren’t alone if you don’t know yours. In fact, 6 in 10 Americans are clueless about their current score. Luckily, it’s easy to find out and takes only a few minutes. Many credit card issuers provide this information to their cardholders for free, but if you need to find it on your own, the internet offers several opportunities free of charge.

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