The Importance of Good Credit

The future of your finances will inevitably depend on your credit score. It's not a typical topic of discussion; however, it is necessary to know the importance of having good credit. Without establishing positive credit you will be unable to buy a home, purchase a new car, or take out any loans for school or other personal matters.

Your credit score is based on your history of paying all bills on time, repaying any accumulated debt, and indications of stability. An example of stability would be a record of keeping a steady job and positive balance in your savings or checking account over the long-term.

Bad credit is detrimental to succeeding in taking out loans for a new car, a home, school, or even remodeling your home. The bad rating will immediately label you as a risk to loan money to. This is because they have no way to put faith in you paying back the loan on time and in full. The best way to avoid gaining bad credit while in a tight money situation is to make the minimum payments on any bills when they are due. Collectors will not frown upon your effort to take care of your finances, and you should not see any negative reflection in your credit report.

An effective way of assuring that your credit report is free of errors and reflects positively on you, you should get a copy of your report once a year. The Fair Credit Reporting Act entitles you to review your credit report to check for errors that may be reflecting negatively upon you. This can be very helpful if you have been turned down and feel that you were misrepresented. In order to do this, you must submit a written letter to the consumer reporting company, as well as the company that is providing the information, in which you explain exactly what the error is. Be specific and point out each single mistake and why you think it should be changed or removed.

Building and maintaining a good credit score is a part of adult life that everyone should consider as a top priority. It may not seem like a big deal to make late payments on bills or switch telephone companies because your bill is too high to pay in full, but it will appear negatively on your credit report. Tight finances and temporary money struggles can happen to anyone at some point in their life and it is important to handle this with responsibility.