Either you have it or you don't. I'm referencing credit. Everyone has credit of some kind reporting on their credit bureau report. Whether it is good or bad reporting, it means everything to you. Society is approaching a time where you cannot get old and have bad credit. Never allow anyone to convince you otherwise. For those that either have great credit or bad credit, trying these three ideas will suit either credit status. They can help you maintain your credit or improve your credit. These ideas offer valuable concrete goals that will help obtain and keep the credit status you deserve.



Treat your credit to a spring and fall cleaning.

I strongly believe that no matter what your credit status is, you have to make sure everything on your credit is being reported accurately at any given moment. Let's start with your personal information such as your name and address. Make sure all other variations of information are deleted. Request to remove old and outdated information. Next, make sure all credit accounts are being reported correctly. For example, some accounts when paid in full, never state they are closed. If you are one of the unlucky consumers with collection accounts, make sure the collection agency verifies the account in it's entirety. Otherwise, it could just be an index card on someone's desk waiting to be called. After you have done your spring and fall cleaning make sure the results arrive from the credit bureaus around 35 to 50 days later. When I refer to spring and fall cleaning, I am merely referring to twice a year. Make sure you buy or obtain your reports for free. When you have your reports in hand, grab a red pen and start acting like your junior high English teacher. You will develop a habit that will save you time and money on any given day.

Try a credit simulator.

Another valuable source is the credit simulators offered by the credit bureaus. When you sign up for a monitoring service offered by TransUnion, Equifax and Experian make sure they offer a credit score simulator of some type. The simulator will allow you to change various aspects of your credit profile for 'what if' scenarios. The objective of this simulator is to get realistic ideas for improving your credit score. It may give you a scenario where you pay off some of your debt or pay over a longer period of time and factor in the history behind establishing accounts. Whatever the ability of the simulator it will ultimately give you an edge in understanding your credit in detail and give you goals to coincide with our Spring and Fall credit cleaning. Go look for one today and find out for yourself.

Get a free credit consultation.

Free this. Free that. I always see these so called credit repair organizations claiming they offer free consultations. In my opinion, if they check out, hold them up to it and show them a copy of your reports with your personal information blacked out. Pick their brains about what should be done. If they don't know anything, walk out. If they know enough about the subject to give you some insight, stay a while then walk out. Some do have decent advice and some are as worthless as a box of rocks. Whatever the case, get an opinion from someone who lives, eats and breathe this stuff. NOTE* don't ask anyone else because I have never met anyone who understands credit more than Professionals in the Credit Service Organizations.

These are great ideas to keep you content with your credit on a semi-annual basis. The goal for these ideas is to get proactive in your credit world because no one should understand your credit better than you. I have heard a lot of misinformation given to consumers from car salesman to mortgage brokers, who just don't know what they are talking about. I believe that is why we are experiencing the credit problems of today because people have been misinformed for so long that it has finally caught up to our generation. Bank on this; your credit is your life and your life is your credit.