| Your credit report is the roadmap for your financial | | | | are negatively affecting your score. Do you have |
| future. It affects everything from the type of car you | | | | maxed out credit cards or a defaulted student loan? |
| can buy, how much home you can afford and even | | | | All of these things hurt your score. So you should map |
| whether or not you receive a raise or get offered a | | | | out a plan of action to tackle these debts and get |
| new job. So if your credit is less than perfect, what | | | | back on track with your accounts. Be sure to make |
| can you do to raise your score? | | | | payments on time, every time. Once you pay off a |
| Well the first thing you need to do is know where you | | | | credit card, don't cancel it! This actually hurts your |
| stand. Checking your credit report is free and it only | | | | credit. If you think you might be tempted to rack up |
| takes a few minutes. You should review your report | | | | more debt, simply cut up the card, but keep the |
| to determine if there are any errors. Mistakes are fairly | | | | account open. This will help build your credit history and |
| common, in fact 3 out of 4 credit reports contain | | | | boost your score. |
| errors, but they can negatively affect your score. If | | | | They key to successfully rebuilding your credit is time. |
| you find inaccurate information on your report contact | | | | Over time if you maintain a financially responsible |
| the credit reporting agency and find out what steps | | | | lifestyle and don't make late payments, your credit will |
| you need to take to have them removed. | | | | repair itself. You may not be able to erase the past, |
| Then you should identify the areas of your report that | | | | but you can work towards building a better future. |