Your credit report determines how much interest you will pay for your mortgage, credit card, or home loan. You need to know your score and ways to improve it.
Q. How do I improve my credit report and score?
A. The best way to improve your score is to avoid doing the things that lower your score.
Every time you apply for credit, make a payment, or miss a payment, you add information to your credit report and that affects your credit score. The companies that calculate credit scores don’t reveal exactly how they do it, but they do offer general ideas for consumers. Learn more at www.myfico.com.
Pay on time. One of the best ways to boost your score is to improve your record of paying on time. Timely payment on all your debts is a must. Check your bills to see when payments are due; it may be sooner than you think. Late fees and interest penalties add up quickly and make it hard to pay the balance.
Pay more than minimum. Pay as much as you can on every account, and never less than the minimum.
Stay below the limit. Your credit score also considers how much credit is available to you and how you use that credit. If you regularly...