How Non Profit Credit Consolidation Company Can Aid You

Are you so far in debt you can’t see any way out? Are you in danger of loosing your automobile or even your home? If so you need to take action now before your house goes into foreclosure or you have to take the choice of a bankruptcy..

Credit card counseling debt consolidation non profit companies may be the way for you to pull yourself up out of the crushing weight of your bills and be able to breathe freely again knowing you are taking steps to pay off your debts.

In case you were wondering what these companies can do to help you I have provided a list of all the benefits of using one. 1. You can expect as much as a 70% reduction in your credit card debt.2. Phone calls from bill collectors will stop. 3. Get all of your bills into one easy monthly payment. 4. Your debts will instantly be reduced and interest charges will be erased 5. You will have credit counselors working with your creditors to get you a lower payment. 6. You won’t have to worry about making multiple payments anymore as the nonprofit debt consolidation company will make them for you. 7. You only have to send one payment to the credit agency and they will make sure that everything is paid on time. 8. You won’t be left in the dark has each month you will receive a statement that includes Bill payment times and amounts. 9. Your statements from the creditors will still be received by you.

The annual interest rate on credit cards is normally between 18 and 24% If you decide to only make the payments on credit card in 30 years you will still be paying for them. When you take advantage of the services of a credit card counseling debt consolidation non profit company you will be able to reduce your interest rate and eliminate late fees in some cases. Another good thing about it is that your creditors will end up getting their money and you have the possibility of saving your credit rating. It is a win-win situation for everybody and the span of time that you are in debt gets dramatically reduced.

You need to remember that, as with all things of such importance, you need to research the company that you want to do business with thoroughly before you sign any type of agreement with them. There have been some of these companies who have taken the money from clients and used it for their own designs, stating that the monthly amount was a fee for their involvement. Others have been late on payments and their clients have paid the price by having their credit destroyed.

Make sure you are clear about how much they will charge for a fee. Don’t leave it up to the company to make the decisions on what they do with the money, you need to make sure to let them know that the money is to be paid out to the creditors as soon as they receive it. Consolidating your debts can be a real blessing but you need to make sure that what she wanted stated clearly and you need to be sure what the company’s methods of business are.

In the long run, as long as you are aware of the problems with some of these companies you have the advantage. If you find a reputable credit card counseling debt reduction company, they can truly benefit you by helping you to restore your credit and helping you to get a hold of any other financial troubles you are experiencing.

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The Best Ways To Rebuild Your Credit

A good credit score or credit rating is very important when come the time of applying credit. The better your credit score is, the better deals that have attractive low interest rate will be offered to you by many lenders, enabled you to have choices to select the best offer among the good deals. Hence, you have the responsible to maintain it and ensure it always have a high value. Actions such as default a loan, delay of credit card payment or miss payment and filing a bankruptcy can jeopardize your credit rating. If you already go through this bad phase, then, it is important for you to build your credit and get it back to order. Here are a few ways that you use to rebuild your credit and achieve a good credit score.

• Credit Repair Secrets You Should Know Before Hiring One
  You've probably heard myths that suggest that credit repair specialists have some divine dispensation with the credit bureaus...

The Credit Repair Kit: Everything You Need to Know to Maintain, Rebuild, and Protect Your Credit by John Ventura A bad credit record can make it tough to get a loan or adequate insurance, find a good job, or rent an apartment. Yet, nearly half of all credit records contain serious errors. The new edition of The Credit Repair Kit provides consumers with all the information they need to order a copy of their credit record, understand what their records say about them, and deal with any problems they may find in those records.

Build Your Credit With A Secured Credit Cards
When you are in debt, many experts will advise you to put away you credit card and not to charge your credit card again, so that you won't add new debt into your current debt. They are right, because the uncontrolled use of credit card can make your debt situation worse. But, if you want to rebuild your credit, the best way is "Use Your Credit Card".

Instead of using unsecured credit card that you still own, it's better for you to apply for a secured credit card.

You probably had given up your credit cards if you had gone through a debt management program during the process of getting you debt issue resolved. And if you credit score is not good, you probably won't be able to be approved for an unsecured credit card if you apply for one now; hence, applying for a secured credit card is the only way you can get a credit card that you can use to rebuild your credit.

What is secured credit card? Why it difference from my existing credit card? If you have not owned a secured credit card before, these questions may rise in your mind. Well, a secured credit card is the same physically with any other credit cards; the only different is a secured credit card is like a pre-paid card where you need to pay first before you use. It requires you to deposit a certain amount of cash as the collateral for a credit line. And the credit limit is the same with the amount of deposit. For example, if you put $500 into the account, you will be able to charge up to $500.

You use the secured credit card to purchase items and make the monthly payment in full on time. The issuing bank will report your good payment behavior to the credit bureau, and you will be on your way to establish a good credit history over time.

Build Your Credit With A Secured Personal Loan
Besides applying for secured credit card, you can also rebuild your credit by getting a secured personal loan. Like in secured credit card, a secured personal loan required you deposit cash or other valuable asset such as automobile, boat and jewelry as the collateral for the loan. The maximum loan can up to the collateral's value, but most of time, you can only get about 80%-90% of collateral's value.

Build a good credit history by making monthly loan repayment on time so that your good payment behavior will be consistently reported to the bureau and get it recorded into your credit report.

Summary
Rebuilding your credit after it has been jeopardized need time, patient and commitment. Secured credit card and secured personal loan are among the easier ways to regain your good credit score. Make your full monthly payment consistently and you will see your credit back to order when the time comes.

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Credit Dispute Dangers, Avoid Red-Flagged

The first thing you should know is that the credit reporting system is rigged to serve corporate interests first. The key to repairing your credit score quickly is knowing how to safely (and legally) maneuver within the consumer protection laws. Your goal is to beat creditors and collection agencies at their own game, and force the credit bureaus to help you do it.

The law is on your side. Nobody wins if you spiral down to bankruptcy.

Dirty Little Secrets: What the Credit Bureaus Won't Tell You by Jason R. Rich For anyone who is about to buy a home, refinance their mortgage, buy or lease a car, apply for credit cards, or make any type of large purchase Includes in-depth interviews with credit experts from well-known companies Includes sample letters that can be personalized and sent to credit bureaus and creditors to speed up the process of updating and/or correcting credit reports Compact, concise guide with low price point

There's no shortage of information on the internet about credit repair strategies. Filing credit disputes is a favorite. But tread carefully. Much of the information floating around out there is self-serving... Made-For-Adsense content that exists only to get you to click advertiser's ads... or a masquerade secretly (or not so secretly) shilling for some pricey "credit repair specialist." If you visit enough credit repair sites, you'll begin to notice that the same drivel is recycled again and again.

Here are a few drivel-free insider credit dispute secrets to get you started...

1. Boilerplate credit dispute letters almost always do more harm than good.
   As with medical diagnoses, blanket prescriptions for credit repair can be dangerous. Make the wrong moves and you'll actually drop your credit score! Plus, credit bureau investigators don't take boilerplate letters seriously -- especially boilerplate threats. They feel that the consumer who takes the time to write a concise, legally binding letter is more likely to hold the bureau's feet to the fire until they get what they want. They know this type of consumer is more likely to report them for FCRA violations, and more likely to sue.
2. Don't dispute negative credit items online.
   Send all dispute letters by U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail, Confirmation of Delivery -- no signature required. The credit bureaus typically refuse letters which require signatures. If a credit bureau doesn't properly verify your disputed item, you'll need the paper trail to gain the sort of leverage which will force the bureau to delete the item.
3. Don't file frivolous disputes.
   For example, don't pretend to the credit bureaus that you don't owe a particular debt when you do. That's a good way to get red-flagged and lose your right to dispute. Plus, such a ploy is highly unlikely to accomplish your goal of getting the negative item removed.
4. Dispute factual inaccuracies, and file foolproof disputes.
   The good news is that you can almost always find a factual dispute, if you know what to look for. You must learn how to identify which disputes will actually lower your credit score, or worse -- get your credit file red-flagged, which will cost you the right to dispute for up to 12 months!

Credit Secrets: How To Erase Bad Credit by Bob Hammond This expanded Credit Secrets will save you thousands of dollars in fees, finance charges and interest payments as you learn the very latest techniques to get rid of debt once and for all and establish good credit. Discover proven tricks used by lawyers, credit counselors and other pros who charge handsomely for their services.

Now, many credit courses and so-called credit repair specialists will tell you to dispute every single negative item in your credit file in the hopes that all those items will simply vanish because your creditors are too lazy or too busy to respond to the credit bureau's request for verification, or because the credit bureaus are too lazy to verify the item. Rarely happens that way, and it's a good way to get your credit file red-flagged. This "bazooka gun approach" is dangerous. The credit bureaus may very well be too lazy to investigate some items (and you can indeed use that for leverage), but not all of them.

Your success will lie in properly executing the Triage phase -- collecting and organizing every tidbit of ammunition that could be used as leverage to erase negative credit items -- and in sending (and documenting) the right series of letters. Credit histories can turn on a dime -- both positively and negatively.

Above all, your goal should be fast, safe credit repair. Often, the smallest changes can have an enormous impact on your credit file. With a little work, you can become the person every choice lender wants to loan money to, and in a relatively short period of time.

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Avoid Cash Advances at all Cost

After receiving your online credit card approval, you sit down and wait for your credit card that offers a 0% intro APR. When you receive your credit card, you realize that it is not enough for your needs. Luckily, you can get a cash advance on your credit card if you need cash quickly. It’s an easy thing to do, and you can get cash from any ATM accredited by your credit card issuer.

Using a credit card, especially for cash advances, is very easy. However, paying it off is not. Read on and learn the reasons why you should avoid cash advances on your credit cards at all times.

The first reason why you need to avoid cash advances on your credit card is the upfront fees for getting some cash. When you withdraw cash from any ATM, you will incur two charges automatically from some of the credit card companies. The first charge will be the processing fee. This could be a percentage of the amount taken or the minimum amount set by your issuer, which ever is higher. The other charge comes from the owner of the ATM, which is another bank. When you receive your bill, it will show the amount of the charge for the transaction fee, which could be a flat fee or percentage of what you’ve taken from their ATM.

The next reason is that the interest that is applied to your cash advance is much higher than your purchase rate. Normally your credit card after the 0% intro APR will be from 12%-18%. However, the cash advance will have a rate from 20% to 25% not including the additional fees that we have previously mentioned.

Another bad thing about using cash advances with your credit card is the application of interest. Your purchase APR will take effect after a month has passed, and it will include all the interest. If you have the money, you can immediately pay off your balance with minimum interest. The interest rate on cash advances is completely different in terms of the application on the cash advance. The moment you withdraw your money from an ATM, interest will be applied to it immediately. Even if you pay it back after a day or two, you still need to pay for the interest rate.

Lastly, and maybe the most hurtful is that cash advances are on your account itself. When you pay for the balance of your purchase, the cash advances are combined on your credit card bill, and the money that you are paying will not go to the cash advance first, but to your purchased bills. This will create a big disadvantage for you since as we just indicated; the rate of your cash advance is much higher compared to your credit card purchases.

This is the most upsetting truth about cash advances. If you can get hold of cash in another way, do it. Credit card advances will cripple your finances and once you get hooked on it, it’s really hard to pay it off.

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How Long Does Credit Repair Take?

If you are looking for a quick fix to your bad credit read no further. Real credit repair is hard work, time consuming, and an ongoing affair. For whatever reason your credit needs fixing, be it a divorce, bad personal decisions, loss of job, or any other of a hundred and one reasons, it can be accomplished, but with time and effort. How much time? Seven years on average for most bad debt situations, excluding instances where a bankruptcy is filed. When a bankruptcy is introduced into your credit file, it will stay put for an average of ten years! Those lengths of time in reality are longer. They start from the time the information was listed or filed, not from when the debt occurred.

The Credit Repair Handbook: Everything You Need to Know to Maintain, Rebuild, and Protect Your Credit by John Ventura How to identify problems with credit, rebuild credit histories & boost credit scores, & protect credit from identity thieves. Comprehensive, thorough, and up-to-date, this is the only guide readers will need to get your financial lives back on track.

Disputed Information in Your Credit Report:
Your first defense in cleaning up your credit file should be to know what is in it. The three major credit-reporting agencies are Equifax, Experian and Trans Union. If you have recently been denied credit, you may be entitled to a copy from the reporting agency free. Laws are also under way to ensure everyone has the right to a free combined report yearly. For now, a copy of each can be purchased from the individual agencies for a nominal fee. Once you have the reports, go over them carefully. If you notice any errors, file a dispute report. Information from each company will be included with the reports on how to file. Transunion offers convenient web access to file a dispute instantly. Be aware that when a dispute is in progress it is best not to apply for any new credit. Most disputes will be resolved within thirty days. A note of caution: Be sure to only dispute actual discrepancies. Frivolous disputes are not treated lightly.

What Can You Dispute:
All errors. For example, upon recently applying for a car loan, I was denied. I had what I thought was good credit. Upon receiving a copy of my credit report, imagine my surprise when it came and showed active accounts for not only my current mortgage, but a duplicate for the same…My bank had recently been acquired by a larger bank. Account numbers were changed, but no one notified the credit agencies that the old loan numbers were closed. It looked as if I was paying for two houses on my relatively modest income. The same for an overdraft account on a checking account through the same bank, and what was actually a checkbook balance to the good, showed as a loan. We still have not actually figured that out, but it was removed successfully from my credit report.

FTC:
The Federal Trade Commission can offer additional assistance to consumers who believe they are not being treated fairly.

Assess:
Assess how you got where you did. Be honest with yourself if there is any doubt about how you have arrived where you are. If the reason for your bad credit is a one-time life occurrence, such as the death of a spouse who was under insured and the main breadwinner for instance, the outlook may be bleak, but probably not as bad as you think. If you have a tendency to buy first and think later about how you are going to pay for that must-have purchase, take an honest look at how these ‘purchases’ affect your life.

Interest:
Oftentimes, people are truly astounded when they look at how much interest costs them on a month-by-month basis. Everyone, seemingly, wants to get credit at a low rate, but even those that truly shop for the best rate they can qualify for, often do not look at the actual cost their credit costs them from month to month. Pull out your statements and look at the bottom line: How much of your payment went towards the principal? How much went towards the interest? Quit a shocker, isn’t it? This is the fastest way to explain why it is necessary to pay as much as you can afford on any money owed. For every dollar paid towards the principal amount owed, it will be that much more, additional interest saved.

Keeping Out of Debt:
Once you have found the edge of your debt and crawled over it, keeping from falling back in, can be as hard, or harder, than it was to get out. You suddenly feel rich, like all the burdens of the financial world you call life, have been lifted. Stay strong, be realistic, and make a list. A list? That's right, a list of goals, wants, needs, etc., along with a budget, will give you hard insight into what and where your money needs to be spent on. If you are not by nature a list maker, you may scoff at this, but try it. Pick up a notebook from the local dollar store, and within its pages; map out a budget. Start with the basics, such as mortgage/rent, insurance, utilities, vehicle expenses, including car payments, insurance, and gasoline, and don’t overlook groceries, annual bills such as tax payments, or visits to the vet for your dog or cat’s yearly shots. Be generous when you mark down what you spend on each item, do not mark less, thinking you can get away with spending $50 a week on groceries, when you know you currently spend at least twice that much. You may be able to spend only the $50, but at this point, we want the ‘big’ outlook of your spending.

Next, make a list of things you would truly like to purchase in the next year or two. Also, make a note of how much you spend on holiday shopping, and other gift giving, such as birthdays for both family and friends. This list may grow in the coming days, as you remember this one or that, but do not worry, that is why we are making the list. Often overlooked when making a list such as this, but that should be a priority, are two items: Savings and fun money. If you tell yourself that you are going to put away a set amount off the top of each check for savings and do it, after a learning curve, you truly will not miss it. It may hurt at first, but once you see that amount grow, it can actually be a bit addictive and you will find yourself trying to save a few dollars extra here and there. The fun money is just as needed, even if it is only $5 a pay period. You work for the money. Do not begrudge yourself a favorite magazine or a couple of lottery tickets, if you truly obtain pleasure from purchasing them. Now, once you have down all the expenses you can possibly think of, write down what your earnings are. If the bottom line does not meet what your expenses are, see if you can trim your expenses anywhere. Be realistic; remember you do have to eat! If the figures do not add up, and you have cut everything you can, think about ways to increase your income. A second job, a possible raise, selling a few possessions, even a stay at home spouse taking on a part time job. A few final words: Keep a perspective of your spending. It is only money and it will only do what you allow it to do.

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Your Credit Repair: Date of Last Activity

When repairing your credit, one of the most important items on your credit report is the date of your last activity. To verify the dates of your accounts last activities, you need a copy of your credit report. Your credit report will give you all the information on past and present accounts. To get a copy of your credit report you can contact your credit bureaus and they will send you a copy of your most current credit report. There are three credit bureaus that you can contact: Equifax (800) 685-1111 www.equifax.com; Experian (888) 397-3742 www.experian.com and Trans Union (800) 916-8800 www.tuc.com

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The last date of activity is when the credit bureau lists on your credit report the actual last date of any transaction that was done to your account. That date can be the actual last time you charged an item on your credit card, the last payment you made on an installment loan or when you paid off an account. The date of last activity can also be negative. It can state when an account went into collection, the date it was charged-off, the maximum delinquency date and the date when someone inquired about your credit. Your last activity date will tell you and anyone else how you handle your credit. Creditors review your last date of activity to see when you made your last payment on an account or when you paid off an account. This can help you get new credit if everything is paid on time and as agreed. If your last date of activity shows something negative like a charged-off, collection or a delinquent account, you could become a credit risk. The last activity date is guidance for good or bad credit.

To repair your credit your first step is to find out exactly what dates are on your credit report. This will tell you how bad or good your credit is. Also it will let you know if you should apply for any new credit. If your last dates of activities are all coming up negative, you will not be able to get any new credit. The date of last activity will also tell you if any of your accounts have expired. If you don’t check your credit report you won’t know what accounts have expired to be removed from your report. Keeping up with that will help repair your credit report by watching your dates to inform the credit bureau which accounts needed to be dropped off. Bankruptcies stay on your report for ten years, whereas a tax lien can stay on your report indefinitely. Collections, judgments and delinquent credit will stay on your credit report for seven years. You need to know the date these items were placed on credit report and how long it will be before they are dropped off.

The date of your last activity is very important. Those dates should be taken very seriously along with any other transactions on your credit report. You are responsible for keeping up with your activities dates and your credit information placed on your credit report.

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When To Consider Outside Help For Credit Repair

Certainly, you would like to handle all of your credit payments on your own in a timely and efficient manner, but sometimes your best bet is to consider outside help for credit repair. Here are some of those times…

When You’re Up to Your Ears in Debt
If your monthly minimum payments cannot even be satisfied by your monthly income, you need to seriously consider outside help. Many people start out with one credit card, thinking that it’s no problem, and that they’ll charge some purchases, and then pay it off in full at the end of the month.

Guess what? That often doesn’t happen. In fact, what often happens is that not only is the card maxed out, and only the minimum payments are made on it, but also new credit card offers come in and are accepted. A vicious cycle ensues – paying with credit cards for everything – and then one day you realize that you don’t make enough money to support your out-of-control spending habits. Credit cards can be very addictive.

Many college students fall victim to the allure of having multiple lines of credit even though they do not have an income yet. They assume that once they graduate from college, they will be able to pay it off. Unfortunately, that is often categorically untrue. In fact, many young people who have gotten mixed up in this credit trap find that they ruin their credit before they are even out on their own in the world, and then when they want to get out there, their bad credit severely impedes them in getting an apartment or a mortgage or a new car. If you are in more debt than you can handle, you should contact a financial planner or a debt consolidation advisor to explore your options for getting out of this debilitating debt.

When You Lose a Job
If you lose your primary source of income, you may find that you cannot juggle your bills anymore. If you had a high-paying job, you may have become accustomed to enjoying a luxurious lifestyle. You may have gotten credit accounts based on your high salary, and you could have paid them off if you hadn’t lost your job unexpectedly. Unfortunately, despite your good intentions, you cannot stop the world from being an unfair place sometimes. If you lose your job and you have to adopt a new lifestyle as a result, it is a good idea to speak with a financial planner or analyst so that you can create a plan for managing your debt until you get a new job. Once you get a new job and you know what your new salary will be, you should seek outside help again so that you can restructure your payments.

When a Straw Has Broken The Camel’s Back
Sometimes it can seem as if one unplanned financial burden can completely topple your financial house of cards. The fact of the matter is that you were probably in over your head before this unforeseen financial burden. If you have so much credit that you are “just making it,” as in you are living paycheck-to-paycheck, and one more payment will be your undoing, you need to seek outside help. Your financial plan has to cover unforeseen emergency pay-outs – because they are inevitable. Like the great saying goes: “Expect the unexpected.” Speak to a financial planner about setting up an emergency fund so that you don’t have to lose complete control over your finances when things don’t go your way.

When You Can’t Sort It Out
If you have a large quantity of accounts to tend to every month at bill-paying time, you may feel overwhelmed and confused. Even if you have enough money to cover your expenses, you may need to consider outside help so that you can get organized and under control. It may sound ridiculous – if you have money, then why would you need any help, right? Well, even wealthy people are not immune from getting bad credit scores. Having too many open accounts can make you more susceptible to accidentally missing payments or losing track of specific payment dates. Consult financial planners so that you can either consolidate some of your accounts or develop a strategic plan for managing the plethora of accounts that you have.

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When You Should Not Use Credit?

Decades ago, it used to be that credit purchasing privileges were reserved for the rich and famous. While farmers, miners, and other small blue-collar communities could buy "on credit," large-scale purchases were made primarily by cash.

Not anymore. Today, it is rare to meet someone who does not use a credit card. Many people have several. The down side of this development is that with the easy access to credit card use, consumer debt has mounted significantly, with some hapless victims running tens of thousands of dollars into debt that may be difficult to escape without incurring bankruptcy.

If you have a credit card or are thinking of getting one, here are a few guidelines to consider in making purchases.

• Don't charge if you can't afford to pay it off in one statement cycle. For many middle-class consumers, the limit might be an amount in the range of a hundred dollars. Charging a more expensive item could impact your monthly budget if you strain to pay it off, jostling existing obligations. Or you may be tempted to make several monthly payments instead of paying the balance in full with the first statement. Check your credit terms to see if interest accrues from the date of purchase or when the first billing cycle (usually 30 days) ends.
• Don't charge if you don't need it. "Make do or do without" is the motto of some thrifty people. A "needed" charge expense might be an unexpected car repair or a veterinarian bill, though a healthy budget includes savings for items like these. A new dress or shirt along with a visit to a classy restaurant are not true "needs" for most people. Pause before pulling out the plastic to determine if this purchase is worth the eventual wear and tear on your wallet.
• Don't let someone else use your charge card. Even well-meaning friends or family members can get careless about paying back a charge on someone else's account. The old saying "business and family don't mix" particularly applies to a credit situation. Keep your card to yourself.
• Don't buy something just because it's on sale. Those 50 percent off signs are like magnets, pulling us in against our will. A lower price doesn't necessarily mean you need to rush out and buy something on discount. Consider it only if you have been planning the purchase for some time.
• Don't charge presumptuously. "I'll pay it off with the income tax refund." Sometimes expected windfalls blow the other way. You don't want to get stuck with a large debt and no way to pay it off. If you plan to buy something using a special or one-time income, wait until you have the money in hand. It's safer that way and you'll have peace of mind.
• Don't be pressured into charging a purchase. Guilt, joy, forgetfulness, or empathy can cause us to want to run out and buy something for another person that they may not need and we cannot afford. The resulting charge will only make you feel worse when the statement comes in the mail.

Credit cards can convey a sense of financial power and well-being. But the mature consumer will control his spending and credit card use before it takes control of him. If you are having trouble limiting your credit purchases, meet with a financial adviser who can help you set limits.

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How to Establishing & Protecting Good Credit

Rich Dad's Advisors: Turn Bad Debt into Good Debt and Bad Credit into Good Credit by Garrett Sutton Know yourself, get your attitudes and behavior under control, and then use the author's formulas and action steps to wrestle your credit report, account by account, back into something respectable.

Many people claim they will never need to use credit in order to obtain the goods and services they need, but credit is necessary unless a person is financially well off and can pay cash for everything. The average person cannot obtain a home or a new vehicle without making monthly payments. It would be ideal to never have to pay interest in order to obtain the luxuries and necessities of life, but few are able to do so. You may think you’ll never need credit, but you may find yourself unable to buy what you want if you haven’t established and maintained a good credit history.

If you want to establish credit, one of the ways of doing so is with a credit card account. Some credit card companies are willing to take a chance on a new customer, and offer a small credit line to those who have yet to establish credit. The easiest credit cards to obtain are department store cards and service station cards. They are however not as valuable in the eyes of credit reporting agencies. Even if you always remit the required payment on time, your credit score won’t improve as much as if the major credit card companies such as Visa or MasterCard issued the cards. Try to obtain a small line of credit with one of the major credit card companies, but keep in mind that every time you apply for credit and are turned down, this information ends up on your credit report, even if you haven’t established credit. This can become a vicious circle that is sometimes difficult to break into.

Some credit cards are considered secured, which means you must maintain a savings account to secure the balance of the card in case you default on the payment. These types of cards are useful if the issuing company doesn’t inform credit-reporting agencies that the account is secure. If the card is reported as being secure, your credit score will actually become damaged instead of improved. Avoid secure credit card accounts if at all possible, or at the very least, find out what the company policy is regarding sharing information about the account.

If you are in need of new furniture, appliances, or electronics, you can begin establishing credit by shopping at a rent-to-own store. Items sold in rent-to-own stores are often more expensive than other retailers, but this is sometimes the only way people without credit can obtain items such as these. Not only will you get the items you desire; you’ll be establishing good credit when you pay the monthly amount due on time, every time.

Some stores, such as carpeting and flooring stores, offer credit accounts to their customers. Carpeting and flooring is rather expensive, so credit customers are important to the success of a business such as this. It is for this reason that this type of credit is relatively easy to obtain. Improving your home by purchasing new flooring is a great way to begin establishing credit.

Once your credit has been established, it’s of the utmost importance to maintain good credit by paying your bills on time. Everyone makes mistakes and forgets to pay a bill now and then, but if you pay a bill more than 30 days late, chances are it will be reported to the major credit bureaus. Make a habit of paying your bills late, and your credit score will take a major nosedive.

Don’t let your credit get out of control. People often make the mistake of overextending themselves, and they become buried by credit card debt. Use your credit wisely, and it will be there for you when you need it.

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Myths of Instant Credit Repair

If you are looking to buy a new house or a new car, your credit may be on your mind. Knowing your credit rating and what it means can help you decide if the time is right to buy or if you should do some credit repair first.

When you apply for credit of any sort, a company will look at your credit history to decide what interest rate to offer you, or if they want to offer you anything at all. Your FICO score is a cumulative number that represents what your credit looks like at that moment. Your FICO score will go up and down from week to week.

7 Steps To A 720 Credit Score by Philip X. Tirone,Jocelyn Baker Teaches you everything you ever needed to know about credit & perfect resource for people who have great credit, bad credit or no credit at all.

Depending on your past credit and your current credit standings, your FICO number will range between 300 and 850. 850 is considered perfect credit. Anything under 650 may be labeled as "risky". This varies from company to company; each set their own standards as to what is acceptable. There are three major credit reporting companies. They are Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Your number or report may differ from company to company.

Debt-to-income ratio, payment history, closed unpaid accounts, up-to-date open accounts, defaults and liens are all considered when your FICO score it tallied. The number of times someone has requested your credit score can also influence this number. If there are an excessive amount of requests, this may paint you as desperate for a loan. This may make some companies think twice about offering you a loan or line of credit. Bankruptcies are also accounted for in your FICO score.

Not only are loan companies looking at your credit when you apply for a loan, so are potential employers and potential landlords. You can request your credit report to see where you stand. If you do not like what you see, there are a few things you can do to raise your credit score.

One thing to avoid is a company that claims that they can instantly "fix" your credit, wipe your credit report clean and erase all debt. Some even guarantee that they can do this. The only thing they can really guarantee is that they will take your money.

There are no quick fixes to credit problems. There are only a few things these companies can do for you, and you can easily do them for yourself. What surprises many people is that credit reports often contain errors that are lowering their credit score. You can write to the credit reporting companies to have these errors removed. Any listed debt that cannot be verified in thirty days must be removed from your report. Outdated listings (those on your report longer than seven years), can usually be removed.

Mistakes are often made about payments and the closing of accounts. You may even find someone else's listing in your report. If you find a discrepancy that might be lowering your score, you can often get this ironed out as well. One thing that you cannot change is factual information. No company can clear away valid debts. If you made your car payment three months late, there is nothing you can do to get this erased from your report. If you defaulted on a loan, that information stays on your report for 7 to 10 years. Any company that tells you that they can get rid of these types of factual listings are simply not telling you the truth.

If you find a legitimate credit counseling service, there are a few things to remember. They may be able to help you negotiate a lower payoff amount for some of your debts. However, this may not reflect well on your credit report. If the company chooses to do so, they can list the debt as “closed, but not paid-in-full.” This can hurt you, even though you think the debt is gone. It depends on the company. Some will simply mark it as “paid-in-full.”

Just as with everything else in life, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Be careful with who you trust when it comes to credit repair, and remember that with a little work, you can do most of this yourself.

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How to: Credit Repair Information

Credit repair has become a necessary part of today's life as more and more people fall victim to bad credit. Credit repair takes time, however, and should never be viewed as a "quick fix" for your credit. Credit repair is a million dollar industry with a lot of scams. If you decide to respond to a credit repair offer, look for these tell-tale signs of a scam: companies that want you to pay for credit repair services before they provide any services.

The Complete Credit Repair Kit (+CD-ROM) (Complete Credit Repair Kit) by Brette McWhorter Sember This easy-to-use guide explains how to clean up your credit report, lessen your debt and cope with your financial woes. It teach you how to get back on track.

Under the Credit Repair Organizations Act, credit repair companies cannot require you to pay until they have completed the services they have promised. For example, a credit repair company cannot: make false claims about their services charge you until they have completed the promised services perform any services until they have your signature on a written contract and have completed a three-day waiting period. Many states have laws regulating credit repair companies. If you’ve had a problem with a credit repair company, don’t be embarrassed to report it.

Don't pay money upfront for credit repair services. It's against the law for a company to require payment before the promised credit repair services have actually been performed. If the services are offered through an interstate phone call, the federal Telemarketing Sales Rule says that the company cannot ask for payment until it has provided you with proof of the promised results by giving you with a copy of your credit report that has been issued by a credit bureau more than six months after the corrections were made.

Depending on your time, patience, perseverance, and complexity of your case, you can successfully dispute inaccurate credit report items on your own. However, credit bureau’s strategies and tactics make the process often time-consuming, overly-burdensome and ineffective for the consumer.

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How to Improving & Establishing a Great Credit Score

Our credit scores are extremely important for buying houses, new cars, and getting other types of loans. Often when we are young we don’t realize how important it is to keep our credit scores on the high end of the scale. In order to get our credit scores on the excellent side of the scale we first have to establish credit, so it is kind of a catch 22. In order to improve your score there are many things you can do.

• Keep your credit cards below 49% balance. In other words do not exceed your limit by more than 49%. The loan companies are looking to make sure your debit ratio is within a certain limit and when you exceed the 49% mark you tend to get higher interest rates.
• Do not keep switching cards and transferring balances. While there are credit cards that offer a great introductory rate you may be hurting your credit score if you continue to change credit cards every six months or less. Generally you need to keep paying down the cards and only exchange credit cards when you have a very high interest rate. When you do switch cards you need to make sure the interest rate is a fixed rate.
• If you are trying to establish credit the first thing you will want to do is get a credit card. Make sure there is no annual fee, a low fixed interest rate, and that it has perks. Perks can be cash back bonuses, or flight miles. You will want to use the card once a month to avoid having it stolen, however you will want to pay off the balance every month. The key is to barely use it, but let the loan company see that you are establishing a credit history by having the card.

Your credit score is your way of getting great deals on mortgages, car loans, and other loans.

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How to Avoid Bad Credit & Repair

Pay your bills on time to avoid getting bad credit. Research the marketplace before coming to a purchasing decision, and continue on your way to reestablishing your good credit.

Understand all applications, including credit cards, student loans, mortgages, and car loans carefully to avoid being overcharged. Make wise decisions ahead of the game as the ultimate solution to maintaining good credit. Most people are not aware of the options available to them when they take out a home mortgage loan. Many walk into the bank, fill out an application, and accept the terms & conditions when offered to them without concern for the fine print.

People are filing bankruptcy because they can’t afford their homes anymore. This is because these people did not take the time to check the marketplace for options available to them. Millions are, instead, in debt and searching for a way to repair their credit. The real solution is to avoid bad credit in the first place.

Research, invest wisely, make good decisions, and budget. Information and education are two of the best tools offered to us. Some mortgage loans offer overpayments and underpayments. These loans include vacation packages and lump sum payments to the borrowers. Other loans offer low mortgage monthly installments and low interest rates with attached insurance policies that will pay your mortgage if you are sick, unemployed, in an accident and so on. On the other hand, some mortgage loans have high interest rates, high mortgages, and balloon payments attached. When balloon payments are attached to home mortgages, it’s almost guaranteed in a few years you will be searching for a solution to repair your credit.

There are very few home lenders willing to tell you the truth about all the home loans available. Most of the lenders are making money off the loan. Your debt is their source of income. Scope out the terms & agreements carefully, and read all the fine print on any loan contract before you sign.

If you want to avoid bad credit and repair, stay on the right path. Loans are agreements that are made between two parties. Interest rates and other fees are always attached to those agreements. If you are applying for a home loan and want to avoid bad credit, learn what fees are included and how much those fees are. You will be charged fees up front any time you take out a mortgage loan. In some cases, however, you can get a home for little or no money out-of-pocket. Search the marketplace to save time and money.

Some home loans offer an “acceleration clause,” which covers missed mortgage payments. Lenders apply the clause by allowing leniency for one month, providing you make payments the following month on time. This type of loan is great for avoiding bad credit, foreclosures, and repossessions.

The marketplace is swarming with realtors and other resources that will help you get an affordable mortgage loan with benefits included. One tip to consider is painting your home and adding a little landscaping to increase curb appeal and property value.

If you are applying for a car loan, it is also important to search the marketplace carefully before agreeing to terms & conditions. Make sure that your find the best deal affordable to you. Most car dealers increase fees on cars 15%. This means if you can negotiate a price reduction with the dealer up to that amount. Stay away from credit cards that have fees attached and high interest rates. Avoid credit card offers that have upfront fees or offer a high line of credit. Consider a student loan. You may be qualified for a student grant from the government. These lower-rate options should be considered before you commit to a loan agreement.

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How to Choose a Credit Card

When it comes to choosing a credit card, you have many options to consider as a means of achieving your goal. Ultimately you want a credit card that is the cheapest, and that gives you the most flexible terms and conditions. However, judging those two factors can be difficult for those of us that are not credit card experts. Before you decide for sure that you wish to get a credit card, why not consider the alternatives that are available?

The Alternatives
Debit Card – should you want a credit card as a means of ensuring that you can pay with a card, then why not consider getting a debit card instead? This will mean that you are not borrowing any money and that they money is coming out of your bank account.

Bank Overdraft – you should consider using a bank overdraft if you are wanting to borrow money over a longer period of time, as you may find that it will work out cheaper than a credit card. A bank overdraft is basically like a loan of money, however all it means is that you are allowed to have a negative balance in your bank account.

Bank Loan – a bank loan is often the best solution when you need a loan of money over a longer period of time, or if the amount you need to borrow is a larger amount than what a person would usually borrow using a credit card or a bank overdraft.

Friends & Family – if you want to borrow money, then you could consider asking your friends and family rather than asking a financial institution. Although many people are in a position where they are not able to do this; some are, and if they can, then it can often work out to be a good solution.

Factors to Consider when Choosing a Credit Card
APR – when choosing a credit card, one factor you need to look at it APR. APR is the amount of money that you will get charged for borrowing money. This amount means the interest rate that you will be charged over the course of a year, and is usually presented in percentage form.

Limit – this is the amount of money that you will be allowed to borrow. When you reach the limit on your credit card, then that is you; you are back to having no money. Despite that, limits can often work well for ensuring that you keep any debt under control.

Credit Rating – if you always pay your bills on time, then you will most likely have a good credit rating. If you manage to always pay your bills on time with a credit card, then this will also help to make you look like a person who is more than capable of sound financial management. Because it is important to keep a good credit rating, you should always do whatever it takes to keep your credit rating as good as possible.

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The Dos & Don'ts of Credit Repair Services

If you're in serious debt or have a very low credit score, it may be time to look into credit repair services to help you out. Let's be honest – few of us understand the details about how your credit score is worked up, what may negatively affect your score, how long bad credit information stays on your report, etc. Good credit repair services can help you to understand the credit process and even educate you on what you can personally do to buoy your own credit. The truth is, you can do the same things a credit repair specialist can do – but it would take a very long time and a whole lot of headache. Legitimate credit repair services have had years to perfect techniques and gain knowledge on how to improve credit scores.

The first thing to realize is there is no quick fix to erasing bad credit history. It takes time, effort on your part and a strict debt repayment plan to improve your credit score. The difference is, a good credit repair service will have these steps down to a science and can help save you unnecessary aggravation in figuring out just what these credit bureaus want from you!
When shopping around for a good credit repair service, there are things you should do and things you definitely should NOT do.

The Do's of Finding Good Credit Repair Services:

• DO shop around – have several options.
• DO ask questions about fees – legitimate credit repair services shouldn't take all your money up front.
• DO find out what kind of promises they make.
• DO try and get as much in writing as possible to protect yourself.

The Don'ts of Finding Good Credit Repair Services:

• DON'T believe claims that the service can erase any bad credit, can raise your credit score in a short period of time, etc.
• DON'T pay a large sum up front – many scams will take your money and run.
• DON'T sign up for any credit repair services who are unwilling to give you something in writing.
• DON'T use a service without thoroughly researching its credentials.

By law, credit repair services must give you a copy of “Consumer Credit File Rights Under State and Federal Law” before signing a contract with them. They should also spell out your rights and obligations in some sort of written contract that you should carefully review. A credit repair service cannot make false claims about their services or charge you in full until they have provided services. Your contract with them should specify details such as the company's name and address, the payment terms for the service, a detailed description of the service to be rendered, the expected time period to achieve results and any guarantees they may offer.

Not everyone who is in debt needs credit repair services, but if you have a very negative credit report, are bad at budgeting, or just lack knowledge in the area of credit and credit history, a credit repair service can be a great tool in educating you and keeping you on track with paying off debt. When it comes down to choosing credit repair services, just keep in mind: if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

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How To Read Your Credit Report

Anyone that has a credit card or any type of loan, also has a credit report. Most Americans are aware of this fact, they just don't have the ability to understand or access their credit report. The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, signed into law on Dec 4, 2003, a bill that gives every American the right to a free copy of their credit report every year from each of the three major credit bureaus. These are Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

Most credit reports will follow a basic format. If you didn't get a copy of your credit report directly from one of the bureaus mentioned above, your best option for a translation is the source that's providing your copy. There is a four part outline most bureaus use in writing your credit report. The first part is your identification information. This information would include your name, social security number, current address, previous addresses, date of birth, driver's license number, telephone number, spouse's name, your employer's name and length of employment with the company. When reading your credit report, make sure all of your identification information is absolutely correct. You might be surprised at the mistakes that can be made.

Your credit history is the next part of your credit report. This will be the majority of your credit report, especially if you have department store accounts, multiple credit cards, multiple bank and other financial institution loans, mortgages, car loans, lines of credit, home equity loans and other transactions involving credit. It can also be quite extensive if you've had credit for a long time. The credit bureau will refer to these accounts as trade lines.

The information listed on these accounts (trade lines) begin with when you initially opened the account, then follow with the type or kind of credit (installment, car loan, personal loan, etc.) and whether it is in your name solely or whether your sharing the account with someone. The total amount of the balance due on your loan or charge account is included along with your credit limit (how much you can spend on the account). The Credit Report will also show how much you still owe and if the payments are fixed or minimum monthly amounts. Your status, open/inactive/closed/paid, follow your payments. The most influencial part of your credit report follows next, were you on time with your payments? This is where the bureaus list if you were late with payments, and if late, how late and how often you've been late. If you are not late, it will show you pay on time.

The third part of your credit report is called Public Inquiries or Public Records. This section lists tax liens, judgments, foreclosures and bankruptcies. It is definately to your benefit to have this part bland want this part to be blank. If you see anything listed in this section, attempt to correct it immediately.

The fourth part of your credit report is the Inquiries section. It is divided into two parts. Part one lists the inquiries you initiate by filling out a credit application. This section is generally referred to as the hard inquiry section because you are the initiator of the inquiries. The second part is called the soft inquiry section. Here you'll find the names of companies who have sent you offers of credit or current creditors who are monitoring your account.

Sometimes, your credit report will have a fifth section called Remarks. This is a section where a creditor might make a specific remark about you. Hopefully, something nice. Your credit report will have an explanation of terms on the backside of the report. Here is where they explain what the numbers and letters you see next to your accounts mean and how good or poor your credit report actually is. It's really quite simple to read your credit report, once you understand the basics.

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Why Credit Card Companies Target College Students?

Many credit card companies see the marketing potential in college students. Credit card companies use promotional offers and free gifts like t-shirts, coffee mugs, or CDs to entice students on signing up for their company.

Many credit card companies see the marketing potential in college students. Credit card companies use promotional offers and free gifts like t-shirts, coffee mugs, or CDs to entice students on signing up for their company.

Have you ever asked why? Loyalty is a good reason. Credit card companies are competing to be the first credit card that the student will own. By being their first credit card, it is very likely that even when they graduate from college and enter the corporate world, students will be upgrading their credit cards with the same credit card company.

Students are Big Spenders
Aside from this, college students are great spenders. Let’s face it, credit card companies love customers who spend much using their credit cards. The more a person uses his credit card, the better it is for the business. And students are usually prone to over spending or using their credit cards excessively not just for their school necessities but on luxuries as well.

Despite the fact that college students are still in school and most do not have stable jobs to finance them, credit card companies are still doing everything to encourage these students on obtaining a student credit card. Furthermore, credit card companies are encouraging students to use their credit cards as often as they can.

Regardless of whether a student can afford to pay it or not, credit cards are willing to take the risk. Why? Because they can simply charge additional costs on the customer’s account if they fail to make their payments on time. For instance, credit card companies profit from charging interest rates and penalty fees on their customers. Obviously, customers who fail to pay their balances promptly pay more even if it takes them some time to repay their bill. In the end, the credit card company is still the one who benefits.

Students Need Credit
It is also interesting to know that students will do everything in order to repay their credit card debts. Although, students may fall behind on their payments, they will still find some way to pay off their debts especially as they are about to graduate and find employment. Students may get a part-time job, get a student loan, or borrow from their parents or relatives the money to get off their credit card debts.

Students need to clean up their credit report from any unimpressive records. They need to boost their credit rating so that future employers and creditors can find them worthy of their approval. Thus, credit card companies know that whatever happens, students will find a way to settle their credit card debts sooner or later.

In view of this, it is up to the students on how they will use their student credit cards to their advantage. Credit card companies do not have to be the only ones to profit. A student credit card can provide great help and support during a student’s college years as long as the student knows how to manage his finances responsibly.

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How To Lower Your APR Rate

Credit card companies do lower the APR rates if approached with the right attitude proper planning. What is the correct procedure to do it? In this article we take a look at 3 important things that could help you get that skyrocketing APR under control.

Keep a good re-payment record
If you pay  your credit card bills on time, chances are good that your credit history will be excellent. Paying bills on time gives you a good leverage for asking the credit card company to turn things in your favor. Having a good credit history will always help as there would be numerous other options available to you in case your present credit card company doesn't heed to your request of lowering your APR.

Do a good research
Before presenting your case to the credit card company it will help greatly if you find other credit cards floating in the market, which provide similar services but at a significantly lower APRs and balance transfer options. Once you have your data ready, it is time to call the company.

Call the credit company
Ask the credit card company to lower your APR, substantiating your request with your good repayment history, and other cards which offer better options. Having a good bargaining position doesn't mean in anyway that you loose your manners while calling the credit card company. Being polite and courteous always pays.

Contacting the right person, who makes the APR related decision will speed up the process. If the customer service representative denies your request, you always have other options to switch.

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How To Obtain Credit

Credit beginners usually have but one question, which is, “How do I get credit?” All the details about getting credit will follow, but the simple answer is, “Apply for it.”

Where to Apply For Credit
The best way for a beginner to get credit is by applying through a bank that specializes in credit cards for those who are just starting out. If you already have a checking or savings account, find out if your bank offers credit for people without a credit history. If the answer is yes, then you’re in business. However, if the answer is no, there are two things you can do.

You can often obtain a department store credit card or an oil company credit card easier than a major credit card, like Visa or Mastercard. Be careful, though. These cards may be easy to get, but they also come with a higher cost.

The interest rate, which is essentially the cost of carrying a credit card balance from month to month, is higher on department store and oil company credit cards. On the bright side, having a positive history with one of these cards helps you qualify for a major credit card later on.

You can also apply for a secured credit card. With this type of credit card, you first make a deposit into an account. The amount of your deposit will be the credit limit on your credit card. Some secured credit cards will convert to non-secured cards after a certain period of positive credit history.

How Old Should You Be?
Although most people believe that you must be eighteen years old to obtain credit, technically this is not true. What these people are thinking about is the age of majority at which a person can legally sign a contract. This age, which varies by state, is usually 18. Teenagers under the age of majority can usually obtain store credit from certain stores that cater to them. However, major credit cards, like Visa and Mastercard typically do not offer credit to applicants that are underage.

What to Watch Out For
Avoid making several applications for credit. Each will show up on your credit report making it appear as if you are desperate for credit.

Be wary of credit card offers that guarantee approval regardless of your credit history. Offers like this are usually scams that end up costing much more than you spend.

Once you obtain a credit card, it will be important for you to use it wisely. Building Credit guides you through using credit responsibly.

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10 Things You Can Do Today To Improve Your Credit

Blemished credit is both stressful and costly, but it’s not the end. As hopeless as the situation might seem, bad credit won’t last forever. There are things you can do right now to begin repairing your credit.

1. Stop using your credit cards.
   In a bad credit situation, one of the worst things you can do is continue accumulating debt by making credit card purchases. Put your credit cards away until you have more control of the situation.
2. Get a copy of your credit report.
   You can’t begin repairing your credit until you know exactly what you need to work on. Obtain a copy of your credit report from each of the three credit bureaus to find out which accounts need work and which are just fine.
3. Clean up your credit report.
   If your credit report contains incorrect information, you have the right to have it removed. Your credit report will include information about disputing inaccurate information with the credit bureaus.
   
4. Get current on past due accounts.
   Your payment history makes up 35% of your credit score. Getting current on your delinquent accounts will have a great impact on your credit.
5. Don’t put in any more credit applications.
   As long as your credit is in repair mode, you should avoid making any more applications for credit. It’s likely that you’ll get turned down for credit and the applications will only decrease your credit score.
6. Keep accounts with balances open.
   You might be tempted to close out credit card accounts that have become delinquent, but wait. Before you close any accounts make sure it won’t negatively affect your credit.
7. Call your creditors.
   Right now they’re certainly the last people you want to talk to, but you’d be surprised at the help you might receive. Talk to your creditors about your situation. Offer to send lower monthly payments for a period of time, until you are able to get on your feet.
8. Pay off debts.
   You will have to start paying off your debts to improve your credit situation. If you don’t have the money on hand, sell off some of your belongings to speed up the process. It will be a sacrifice, but the financial freedom you gain will be worth it.
9. Get help.
   Resources, like consumer credit counseling, are available to assist you. If you are overwhelmed by your credit situation, seek professional assistance. You can locate a credit counseling agency through the National Foundation for Credit Counseling.
10. Be patient.
    Your credit wasn’t damaged overnight, so don’t expect it to improve in that amount of time. Continue paying your debts and over time you will see an improvement in your credit.

    Even small steps toward repairing your credit are better than no steps at all. Start repairing your credit today.

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