Your Credit History

How to Repair Your Credit

Do you have too much debt? Are you stressed about what you owe? You can click here to take a quiz about how you are doing.

You may have a bad credit report you would like to fix. It takes time, but you can do it.

Pay your bills on time.

Pay more on your bills.
Don’t get caught in the trap of just making the minimum payment.

Talk with your creditors.
If you owe money and cannot make the payments, talk to someone at the company to make a plan to get the bill paid. Do not wait for them to turn it over to a collection agency.

Get credit counseling if you have a lot of debt.
A good credit counselor can help you learn how to manage your money. They can help you negotiate with your creditors and get out of debt. A bad one can make you end up owing more money. You can ask your friends. You can also visit this website to find a Consumer Credit Counseling Service near you.

Ask the credit counselor:

• What will it cost?
  (Look out for “voluntary” fees or high monthly fees.)
  
  
• What services do they provide with the cost?
  
  
• Is the organization certified with the National Foundation for Credit Counseling or the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies?

You may need a debt management plan that helps you “consolidate” all of your bills into one payment.

For more information, you can visit the Bankrate website which has a section on problem credit with helpful quizzes and tips.

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