If you ask most consumers what the most important aspect of their credit score happens to be, many of them will tell you that they simply don’t know.
There are a number of factors, no doubt, including payment history, late payments, whether you pay your balance in full at the end of every month and even the fact that there is more than just one credit score.
Today’s blog puts together a list of the most important facts and factors you need to know in order to make sure that you are Credit Score is as good as it can be, and stays that way. Enjoy.
Fact #1: Credit scores change constantly
Here’s a simple truth; information is added and removed from your credit scores all the time. Sometimes they can actually change quite quickly, both positively and negatively. One thing’s for sure, your credit score is always changing. That being said, being vigilant and keeping track of your credit score is a good idea. It will alert you to changes that might be caused by mistakes or identity theft, so that you can quickly get things back in order and protect your credit as well as your money.
Fact #2: Reviewing your Credit Report is vitally important to your financial health
Credit reporting agencies Equifax, Experian and TransUnion all base your three digit credit score on the information available on your credit report but, interestingly, these three agencies do not share that information. That means that if you only check one, you might miss something that the other two show, and vice versa. That’s why he reviewing your credit reports at least once a year, if not more, is an excellent idea
Fact #3: Your credit and spending habits shape your credit score
The habits that you have today, had yesterday and will have tomorrow all have an effect on your credit score and your credit report. If you have bad credit caused by mistakes you’ve made, or possibly identity theft, you might find it frustrating to try and rebuild your credit and increase your credit score, but it is possible. Even something as small as getting a secured credit card and using it carefully to build up credit again will help.
The fact is, when it comes to rebuilding credit and increasing your credit score, time is definitely your ally. If you’ve made mistakes in the past, but you’ve corrected those mistakes and created better habits, you simply need to be patient as, within seven years, those negative reports will fall off of your credit report and your credit score will increase.
Of course, once it does, you’ll want to keep up those good financial habits and make sure that you don’t do something to damage your credit score or your credit report again.