Bad credit is a particularly troublesome life problem that can haunt you for years. It can cause you to miss some great opportunities and take away some financial options. But a few easy steps can help you repair your credit and guard it in the future.
When attempting to make your credit right once more, it is imperative that you present a solution to all those that you owe money to, and don’t deviate from anything you commit to once it is in place. You must be committed to making real changes in the way you spend money. Only purchase something if you cannot live without it. See if each purchase is necessary and affordable and only purchase something if the answers are “yes”.
Keep your credit card balances below 50 percent of your credit limit. You should keep your balances under fifty percent; anything over this and you can lower your credit rating, so spread out the money you own and pay down your credit cards.
Installment Account
To earn a sufficient wage and boost your credit, try opening an installment account. Open an installment account that you can pay for and make sure to keep an affordable monthly minimum on it. You will improve your credit score by properly managing an installment account.
Any company or credit counselor that claims they can erase all negative reports from your credit history should be viewed with some skepticism. This information can stay on your record for about seven years. It is possible, however, to remove errant information.
When starting to repair your credit, pay your bill on time from now on. You should always make an effort to pay your bills on time and in full. You will notice how quickly your credit score increases when you start paying off those overdue bills.
Some sound advice to follow, is to be sure to take the time to contact your credit card company and work with them. Talking to them will help keep you from drowning further in debt and making your credit worse. This can be accomplished by negotiating with them for a change in due date or monthly charges.
Learn what affect a debt settlement plan will have on your credit rating before you sign up. Some debt settlements are better than others. Do your homework and find out how your score will be impacted before agreeing to anything. Most of the time they want their money and don’t care about your credit score.
It will be easier to increase your credit rating if you only have one open credit card account. Making one monthly payment will be easier than paying off different bills. You will be able to pay one bill instead of a plethora of small ones.
If you are able to negotiate a repayment plan with your creditor, be sure to get it in writing. You want documentation to back yourself up so there will be no problems in the future, and if the company owner changes you will have more of a chance of keeping your plan. Once it is paid off, you should get that in writing to send to the credit reporting agencies.
Do everything you can to avoid filing bankruptcy. This will have damaging consequences to your credit score for ten years. Though it may seem necessary at the time, you should weigh the costs over the next ten years before you decide to go through with the filing. Bankruptcy destroys your ability to get any sort of loan for at least a few years, so don’t file unless you have to.
Your credit cards are not doing you any favors; avoid using them. Purchase with cash. If you do use a credit card, pay the full balance each month.
These tips will make a big difference in your fight against bad credit. The time you take to learn how to repair your credit is worth the trouble it saves you.