Create An Action Plan To Deal With Your Poor Credit Score
When you receive your credit report and credit score, the first
step is deciding where you stand and where your main problems
may lie:
-Have you defaulted on a loan, failed to pay taxes, or recently
been reported to a debt collection agency? -Do you have too much
debt? -Too many unpaid bills? -Have you recently faced a major
financial upset such as a bankruptcy? -Have you simply not had
credit long enough to establish good credit? -Have you defaulted
on a loan, failed to pay taxes, or recently been reported to a
collection agency? The problems that influence your credit
problems should dictate how you decide to start to repair your
credit score. As you read this article, make a note of those
tips that apply to you and from there develop a checklist of
things you can do to improve your credit situation.
When you take professional credit help, counsellors will
commonly work with you to help you develop a personal strategy
that directly confronts your financial history and credit
problems. This article allows you to develop a similar strategy
on your own in your own time and at your own cost.
When developing your action plan, know where most of your credit
score is coming from:
1: Credit history (can account for more than a third of your
credit score). Whether or not you have been a good credit risk
in the past is considered the best indicator of how you will
react to debt in the future. For this reason, loan defaults,
late payment, bankruptcies, unpaid taxes and other debt
responsibilities will count against you the most.You can't do
much about your financial past now, but starting to pay your
bills on time - starting today - can help boost your credit
score in the future.
2: Current debts (can account for approximately a third of your
credit score). If you have lots of current debt, it may indicate
that you are stretching yourself thin financially and will have
trouble paying back debts in the future. If you have a lot of
money owing right now, especially if you've borrowed a lot
recently, this fact will bring down your credit score. You an
boost your credit score by paying down your debts as far as you
can.
3: The length of time you've had credit (can account for up to
15% of your credit score). If you've not had credit accounts for
very long, you may not have enough of a history to let lenders
know whether you make a good credit risk. Not having had credit
for a long time can affect your credit score. You can counter
this by keeping your accounts open rather than closing them off
as you pay them off.
4: Types of credit you have (can account for about one tenth of
your credit score). Lenders like to see a mix of financial
responsibilities that you handle well. Having bills that you pay
as well as one or two types of loans can actually improve your
credit score. Having at least one credit card that you manage
well can also help your credit score.
As you can see, it's only possible to estimate how much a
certain area of your credit report affects your credit score.
But, keeping these four areas in mind and making sure that each
is addressed in your personal plan will go a long way towards
making your personal credit repair plan comprehensive enough to
boost your credit score effectively.