Credit scores plague us all: from the young adult just starting out with no score to speak of, to the post grad drowning in student loan debt, to the people still struggling to overcome a past foreclosure. Raising your credit score is not a quick process, but you can get started today by taking the first steps.
Know Your Score
Knowledge is power; it can’t be said enough. If you don’t know exactly what your score is and how it got there, you will never know how to fix it. There are lots of ways to find out what your credit score is for a small fee. Your credit report is available to you at least once a year for free.
Current Bills First
No matter how overwhelmed you feel by negative accounts, the first thing to do to raise your credit score is to keep paying your open and good standing accounts on time every month. If you do nothing but pay your current bills without opening new accounts, your credit score will begin to go up slowly over time.
Prioritize
Nothing lasts forever on a credit report. Pay back old accounts by starting with the most actionable ones, like the $200 doctor bill you let slip into collections. Wait on the bigger accounts, and you might receive a settlement offer for a fraction of the original debt.