Category: Credit Counseling

There Is No Shortcut to Credit Restoration

Got a Low Credit Score? Avoid Quick-fix Solutions

Claims like “We can improve your bad credit instantly, no questions asked!” “Contact us to make a new credit identity – legally” or “Credit problems? Fix them in a month” are common in TV ads, radio, flyers, emails, and online space. According to the attorneys at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), no legitimate credit restoration company claims credit repair is a quick-fix solution.

There is no shortcut or quick fix to improve your credit. It takes time, conscious effort and following a stringent debt repayment plan. You need to know your rights before hiring a credit restoration services company. Some people say that you don’t need any help to fix your credit and it is advisable to try it yourself. However, that will involve a lot more time and effort on your part.
Your Rights

In any case, you need to be aware of your rights:

– Each of the three nationwide credit bureaus – Equifax, Transunion and Experian are obligated by law to provide a free credit report to all consumers once a year. You can order the three free credit reports at the same time or leave a gap of 3-4 months between each report. The latter is a better idea because it allows you to monitor the progress of your credit status periodically.

– You are entitled to receive a credit report for free if any organization has taken an “adverse” financial action against you. This includes denial of credit, insurance application or employment. You need to ask for the report within 60 days of receiving the notice of an adverse action. People, who are unemployed, are allowed one free credit report if they are planning to find a job within 60 days. People on welfare and whose report is inaccurate due to fraud, such as identity theft are also entitled to a free credit report.

– There is no cost associated with disputing inaccuracies in your credit report. You can raise a dispute both with the credit bureaus and the information source that provided some of your personal financial details.

What to Do When You Need a Real Solution?

If you are wondering, “How can I restore my credit now?” it may be a good idea to delegate this task to seasoned professionals with years of experience in credit restoration. Legitimate and reliable credit restoration companies would first scan through your credit report and leverage their years of experience to find items that can be disputed successfully. They not only detect inaccuracies and errors, but also verify their authenticity with the concerned parties.

How to Fix Your Credit Score and Maintain Good Credit

One of the most frustrating things is seeing people get out of debt but then get right back into it. Sometimes we know what’s bad for us, but we do it anyway. Next thing you know, you’ve got collectors calling at all hours.

How can you fix your credit score and maintain that healthy credit rating long into the future? It’s not rocket science, but it can sometimes seem that way. So let’s break it down.

Here are some things you can do to keep that credit score healthy and to stay out of debt:

• Payments: Always pay your monthly bills on time. One of the biggest reasons people slip back into debt and bad credit is because they miss one payment and then feel like they can miss another. This is not a good strategy for having a healthy credit history.

• Stay Current on Your Payments: Missing a payment happens. Maybe you had some time off from work; perhaps a family emergency came up. Now you don’t have the money and you miss a payment, but the next month you get back on track. The important thing is to get back on track and to stay there.

• Pay on Time: Are you paying your bills, but you’re paying them late? Many times your credit score will be damaged beyond belief simply because you refused to pay on time. Consider paying your bills with your first paycheck after they come, not before they’re due. Just a few late payments can destroy all the hard work you do to get that healthy credit score.

• Collections: Whatever you do, do not let a collection agency get its hooks into you again. A bad debt that is sent over to the collection agency will stay on your credit report for 7 years! That means for 7 long years you’ll have bad luck when it comes to loans, and you’ll always pay more than the other guy. Don’t let this happen – pay your bills on time!

• Communication: Are you having a tough time staying above water? When you know a bill isn’t going to be paid, calling or sending an email to the company or creditor is always a good idea. And if you’re in debt now, contacting the creditor directly is a lot better than having a collection agency sent out after you.

• Survey your credit reports for precision: It’s extreme enough paying for your own errors; you don’t have to be punished for somebody else’s. Verify that your credit reports precisely reflect your obligations and the installment history.

• Set up installment updates on your bills: Paying on time, additionally called your payment history, means 35% of your credit score.

• Quit utilizing your credit cards as much: This is an alternate method for saying to live inside your methods. While you get your credit card obligation under control, it’s a great thought to depend predominantly on great, hard trade in for the money request to pay off some of your obligations. Get a protected credit card if you have to develop your credit history. Secured credit cards work sort of like check cards.