If you want to stay on top of your finances, a good credit score is essential. There are things that will improve your credit score.
Your credit score can help you qualify for loans. It gives you better interest rates and even gets you a lower insurance premium.
If your score is not looking good, It is worth taking the time to improve your number. Here are seven things you can do that will help improve your credit score.
1. Pay all Bills on Time
This is the first point that can’t go without mentioning. It is what gets most people on the lower end of the score. If you want a good credit score, you need to pay all your bills on time. This has the biggest impact on your overall rating.
2. Keep Balances Low on Cards
Your credit utilization ratio (how much of your available credit you’re using) is another major factor in your FICO score. Keeping your balances low will help improve your score in this area. Avoid using more than 30 percent of each card limit each month.
The higher the balance in comparison to the limit, the more it can affect your score negatively. Utilizing less than this amount will help keep your score up while paying down balances. This means if you have $15,000 in available credit across several cards and use more than $5,000 at any given time, it can hurt your score.
3. Keep an Eye on New Credit Inquiries
Every time someone pulls your credit report, it shows up as an “inquiry” and can lower your score slightly. Credit inquiry doesn’t have a huge effect as long as you get the quotes within 30 days of each other. Doing so will limit the impact on your credit score. Also, ensure you aren’t opening many new accounts or have more than six inquiries.
When applying for new credit cards or loans, get quotes within 30 days of each other. Doing so will limit the impact on your credit score.
If you suspect unauthorized inquiries, dispute those errors, and the fastest way to dispute and boost your score is with the help of a credit expert like Ascent Network. Limit Inquiries on Your Credit Report.
4. Pay off Debt to Improve Credit Score
Paying off debts is a great way to improve your credit score or utilize debt consolidation services. The lower the debt you have, the better your chances of improving your score. You can also consolidate your debts into a single large debt with favorable interest rates and payoff terms and pay them quickly. Focus on paying off your credit cards with the highest interest rates first and, if possible, pay more than the minimum payment due.
5. Keep Old Accounts
Don’t close old accounts that you don’t use anymore. But rather keep them open and active by using them once in a while. If they don’t have an annual fee, there’s no reason to close them in order to improve your credit score.
If you have bad credit, you’re not alone. According to the Federal Reserve, more than half of Americans have a credit score under 680.
6. Check Your Credit Report
It is very important to check your credit history at least thrice a year to know your credit score. You will detect fraudulent activities since it is easy for criminals to open credit cards in your name.
7. Get a Secured Credit Card
A secured credit card will help you manage your finances better. You will be required to deposit some cash to open the account. Credit card companies will report your credit score to credit bureaus as you keep using the secured credit account. So, be sure to make at least minimum payments on time to improve your score.
Key Tips to Managing Your Finances
What should you do to manage your finances and not default in repaying your debts? Organize: Make sure your files are in order, so it’s easy to find bills and statements needed to create a budget.
Set goals: Determine what you want to accomplish, such as paying off debt or building an emergency fund of three to six months’ living expenses.
Create a budget: Figure out how much money comes in each month and where it goes. You may need to cut back on spending money on unnecessary things until you reach your goals.
Build an emergency fund: This will help you pay debts even when you lose your job or in the case of unexpected expenses. Have savings worth three to six months in your emergency fund.
Key Takeaway
Credit scores are used by lenders as a way to predict how likely you are to repay the money you borrow. The higher your score is, the more willing lenders will be to take a chance on you. People with higher scores than yours are offered lower interest rates and better terms on loans and credit cards. It is best to take charge and improve your credit score to enjoy the
benefits.
A more positive outlook toward a more financially secure future starts today. Give the Ascent Network a call today at 1-877-871-2400. Ascent Network helps consumers all over the United States and is available locally in Huntington Beach, CA, Coachella Valley, Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho
Mirage, Palm Desert, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Indio, and Thousand Palms.
The Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) mentions that credit inquiries are only 10% of your FICO score. However, a significant number of inquiries reduce your score by several points. It is important to have and maintain a good credit score to enjoy the benefits that come with it. Learn how to remove credit inquiries from your credit report and what credit inquiries are.
What are Credit Inquiries?
When you apply for a credit card or loan, the lender looks at your credit reports. They will determine whether to approve you for the account. The result is an inquiry on your credit report, which can temporarily tank your score.
Types of Credit Inquiry (Credit Pull)
There are two types of inquiries:
Hard inquiry
Soft Inquiry
Hard Inquiry (Hard Pull)
Hard inquiries occur when you take out new credit or loans, and these always affect your score. If there are too many inquiries on your report, it sends red flags to lenders as to why you are seeking so much credit. According to FICO, each hard inquiry knocks about five points off your score, although this amount varies depending on several factors, such as good credit history.
Soft Inquiry (Soft Pull)
Soft inquiries occur when someone checks your report without your knowledge, such as an employer conducting a background check. They could also be credit checks that you do on your own, and they don’t affect your score.
The impact of credit inquiries on your score doesn’t last forever. After two years, the effect drops off, while hard inquiries affect your score for only twelve months. However, if you’re struggling to repair your credit, waiting two years to see an improvement in your scores is no fun. Fortunately, there is a way to remove inquiries from your credit reports.
Why Do Lenders Use Hard Inquiries?
Lenders use hard inquiries to check if there is a loan that will impact credit repayment for a loan you are applying for. Credit lenders see you as a risk if you have over six inquiries on your credit report. They know you are more likely to declare bankruptcy than those with no inquiries.
How to Remove Credit Inquiries From Your Report
Can someone remove credit inquiries from their credit report? If you have several hard inquiries within a short period of time, it could be a sign to lenders that you’re having financial difficulties, and they may deny your application based on this.
Dispute Unauthorized Inquiries
According to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), credit bureaus should inform consumers whenever there is a hard inquiry on their credit report. Creditors should inform by noting the inquiry in their credit files. This helps you note any inaccuracies in your credit report.
If you see any hard inquiries on your report that you didn’t authorize, dispute them with the three major bureaus. They are TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax. They’re required by law to investigate within 30 days of receiving a formal dispute request.
However, you’ll need to provide documentation of the circumstances surrounding the inquiry, such as an identity theft report or other documentation. When you submit your letter, make sure to provide your full name and address, your social security number, and a copy of some form of identification, such as your driver’s license. You should also include copies (not originals) of any supporting documents.
If it is a legitimate error on the creditor’s part, it shouldn’t be too difficult to resolve with proof. If someone has committed fraud using your identity, however, it may be harder to get everything resolved in a timely manner.
You can do nothing about inquiries that appear for legitimate reasons on your credit report. They are updated every 30 days by the creditors themselves.
Keep an Eye on Your Credit Report
You can only dispute a hard inquiry if you keep an eye on your credit score. When you regularly check your credit score, you will note any drop in your score since you can detect a drop in your score that you didn’t authorize.
Ensure you review what is listed and watch out for any suspicious activity, such as a bogus account that has gone unpaid.
The Bottom Line
Removing credit inquiries from your credit report requires you to work with the creditor and reporting agencies. Remember, you can only remove hard inquiries that you did not authorize. If you authorized any hard pull, you have to wait until they fall off naturally in two years.
A more positive outlook toward a more financially secure future starts today. Give the Ascent Network a call today at 1-877-871-2400. Ascent Network helps consumers all over the United States and is available locally in Huntington Beach, CA, Coachella Valley, Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Indio, and Thousand Palms.
In order for your Credit Profile/Report to be accurate, the law states that there must be
These 3 Credit Report standards are:
First, items in the credit report must be reported within the allowable time periods. It must be reporting timely information.
Second, item must be 100 % accurately reporting all the information on the account. So all of the information on the account – name of the creditor, account number, status, date of last activity, date the account was opened, date of last delinquency, balance, payment amount and history, all that information must be reported 100% accurately.
Third, The item must be verifiable. The item in question must be able to be verified by the credit bureau because they are the ones disseminating the information and by the creditor because they are the ones making the claim that money is owed. Well, disputes can be simply that this item is not verifiable, because there was no contractual obligation, or there was no written agreement amongst any of the parties, therefore this item is completely one hundred percent unverifiable. “If you can’t prove it, please remove it.”
These are the three thresholds that every item that they’re putting on a credit report must meet. If it doesn’t meet it, they must delete it.
If you want to stay on top of your finances, a good credit score is essential. There are things that will improve your credit score. Your credit score can help you qualify for loans. It gives you better interest rates and even gets you a lower insurance premium. If your score is not looking good, … Continued
The Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) mentions that credit inquiries are only 10% of your FICO score. However, a significant number of inquiries reduce your score by several points. It is important to have and maintain a good credit score to enjoy the benefits that come with it. Learn how to remove credit inquiries from your … Continued
In order for your Credit Profile/Report to be accurate, the law states that there must be These 3 Credit Report standards are: Third, The item must be verifiable. The item in question must be able to be verified by the credit bureau because they are the ones disseminating the information and by the creditor because … Continued