If a credit collection agency balks at removing incorrect items, consider taking them to small claims court. The law gives you the right to sue for damage to your report, the expense of removal, and the emotional stress involved in dealing with it. In many cases, you can win by default as they fail to show up.
If you work every day but never seem to have any money, you should track how much you are spending and on what. By keeping a daily list of everything you spend your hard earned money on, you will be able to cut down or do away with those expenditures that are not required. You will be able to establish a realistic plan of how much money you need for a month, and you can use the rest to pay off other debts or just save the money, the choice is yours.
Be careful about which collection accounts you pay off. With the current way the credit reporting system is structured, paying off a collection agency may actually lower your score because the date of last activity will be reset. A paid collection has no less of an impact on your score than an open collection. This resetting of the date of last activity also means the seven year reporting clock will restart. If you can wait out a collection agency, do it.
Keep your first account open. Whatever credit account you have had open the longest, is the best one to keep on your report. Don't close this account because the limit is too low or the rate is too high. Try to get a higher credit limit, or ask for a lower interest rate, but even if they won't give that to you, keep the card and keep using it. The longer track record you have with an account, the more it will affect your score in a positive way.
When using a credit repair service, be sure not to pay any money upfront for these services. It is unlawful for a company to ask you for any money until they have proven that they have given you the results they promised when you signed your contract. The results can be seen in your credit report issued by the credit bureau, and this could take six months or more once the corrections were made.
An important tip to consider when working to repair your credit is to not fall victim to credit repair or debt consolidation scams. There are many companies out there who will feed on your desperation and leave you in worse shape that you already were. Before even considering a company for assistance, ensure that they are Better Business Bureau registered and that they have good marks.
Do not add on additional debt if you are working on repairing your credit. Opening a new account when you have missed payments and late accounts on file sends up a red flag to possible lenders. Fix the credit problems you have before opening up any new credit cards.
If you have bad credit, do not use your children's credit or another relative's. This will lower their credit score before they even had a chance to build it. If your children grow up with a good credit score, they might be able to borrow money in their name to help you out later in life.
Getting your credit score up is easily accomplished by using a credit card to pay all of your bills but automatically deducting the full amount of your card from your checking account at the end of each month. The more you use your card, the more your credit score is affected, and setting up auto-pay with your bank prevents you from missing a bill payment or increasing your debt.
When it comes time to rebuild your credit, the first thing to do is make a plan. Your plan should contain how you plan on rebuilding credit and how you plan on using your credit in the future. Without a plan of attack concerning your credit, you run the risk of getting into financial trouble again.
If you work every day but never seem to have any money, you should track how much you are spending and on what. By keeping a daily list of everything you spend your hard earned money on, you will be able to cut down or do away with those expenditures that are not required. You will be able to establish a realistic plan of how much money you need for a month, and you can use the rest to pay off other debts or just save the money, the choice is yours.
Be careful about which collection accounts you pay off. With the current way the credit reporting system is structured, paying off a collection agency may actually lower your score because the date of last activity will be reset. A paid collection has no less of an impact on your score than an open collection. This resetting of the date of last activity also means the seven year reporting clock will restart. If you can wait out a collection agency, do it.
Keep your first account open. Whatever credit account you have had open the longest, is the best one to keep on your report. Don't close this account because the limit is too low or the rate is too high. Try to get a higher credit limit, or ask for a lower interest rate, but even if they won't give that to you, keep the card and keep using it. The longer track record you have with an account, the more it will affect your score in a positive way.
When using a credit repair service, be sure not to pay any money upfront for these services. It is unlawful for a company to ask you for any money until they have proven that they have given you the results they promised when you signed your contract. The results can be seen in your credit report issued by the credit bureau, and this could take six months or more once the corrections were made.
An important tip to consider when working to repair your credit is to not fall victim to credit repair or debt consolidation scams. There are many companies out there who will feed on your desperation and leave you in worse shape that you already were. Before even considering a company for assistance, ensure that they are Better Business Bureau registered and that they have good marks.
Do not add on additional debt if you are working on repairing your credit. Opening a new account when you have missed payments and late accounts on file sends up a red flag to possible lenders. Fix the credit problems you have before opening up any new credit cards.
If you have bad credit, do not use your children's credit or another relative's. This will lower their credit score before they even had a chance to build it. If your children grow up with a good credit score, they might be able to borrow money in their name to help you out later in life.
Getting your credit score up is easily accomplished by using a credit card to pay all of your bills but automatically deducting the full amount of your card from your checking account at the end of each month. The more you use your card, the more your credit score is affected, and setting up auto-pay with your bank prevents you from missing a bill payment or increasing your debt.
When it comes time to rebuild your credit, the first thing to do is make a plan. Your plan should contain how you plan on rebuilding credit and how you plan on using your credit in the future. Without a plan of attack concerning your credit, you run the risk of getting into financial trouble again.
About the Author:
Stuart loves to play the violin, ride bicycles and post about credit repair read more posts at Whats a Good Credit Score. Make sure to check out the site and tell us how about yourself. Watch out for the soon to be released post on Excellent Credit Score
No comments:
Post a Comment