How to Boost Your Credit Score By Radu Antohi

Bad credit scores are common problems and these scores offer a number of challenges to the person- from difficulty in getting the loans approved and even the chances of not landing that job. These scores can be used by lenders to ascertain the credit-worthiness of the person, and landlords too can check the scores to see if an applicant is worth taking in. For these reasons, these scores are supposed to be taken seriously.

And when scores tend to hover near the low 300s, then it is a recommended approach to initiate strategies that can boost these scores and in the end get you back on the right financial track. The first thing to do to get back on the right track is to make sure that data and information on these credit reports are true and correct. So it is always a suggested move to request for your free copy of these reports every year.

What you can do is to check if there are some errors or inconsistencies on these reports and if these documents are clean then that is the right time that you start your work in cleaning up your act and in boosting your scores. Low scores tend to discourage a lot of people, but you should not follow their lead. There are a lot of steps that can be done that can stabilize these scores and boost them in the end.

Here we list five simple suggestions on how you can boost credit scores:

• Bills should be paid on time. The scores put a lot of weight on late payments and bankruptcies. Remember that payments- early payments or late payments- represent almost 35 percent of the total score that you can get from these agencies. If payments are up to date, then you can bet that scores will be boosted as well. And it follows that late payments and non-payments can hurt your chances of getting better scores.

• Manage your debts by paying off some of them and by reducing the use of credit cards. With less debts, then the higher the chance that you get higher scores the next time these credit reports are released.

• Don’t be tempted to close old accounts. Experts say that this move will not do you any favors. Having an old-standing account means that you give the agencies a longer history that they can check and see if you are credit-worthy.

• Go for credit counseling. Counseling is suggested for those who are facing a piling-up of high interest debts. Counseling agencies that can be tapped can help you maneuver out of the bind and help you get lower interest rates.

• And of course, it is important that you stay out of bankruptcy. Bankruptcy is something you don’t want to happen to you. It’s a sore eye on you and a big load you don’t want to carry.

As you can see, it’s never too easy to get out of that hole called low and poor credit scores. It takes a lot of hard work and of course dedication to get out of that slump and get back on course.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=377981&ca=Finances