How To Get a Credit Score You Love

If You....Are Just Starting Out and Have Little or No Credit - OR If You....Have Had Credit for a While, But It Stinks -

1) Open a credit card. These are the kinds of cards that people with little or no credit or poor credit can qualify for:

Starter credit cards - These are specifically for people with a limited credit history. Do not expect a high credit limit or rewards with these cards. Some examples are Capital One, Discover, Citi, Bank of America, OpenSky, and some credit unions.
Secured credit cards - These require a security deposit, which usually becomes the most you can charge. All of the companies above offer these, as well as Wells Fargo and US Bank. OpenSky offers a secured credit card that doesn't require a credit check, so if your credit is super stinky, this one is a good option.
Student credit cards - These are for college students that the bank hopes will become high-earning people that continue to use the card far into the future. They may offer rewards. Discover, Capital One, Citi, Wells Fargo, Chase & Bank of America are some banks that offer student credit cards.
Authorized user cards - If you have a family member or friend with good credit, they may be willing to get you an authorized user card on their account. PLEASE be responsible if you do this. I don't want your Mama to be disappointed in you. THEN....

2) Charge one small item a month, and pay the credit card off every month. Do this for a while, and your credit score will start to rise, as long as you are not neglecting any of your other credit.

If You....Have decent credit, but want excellent credit - These are the parts of a great credit score -

1) Make payments on time (set up bill pay through your bank!)

2) Don't use all the credit you have access to. Use only about one-third or less of the available balance on any credit cards.

3) One factor you can't control is the length of your credit history. People that have paid a lot of things on time for a long time are just naturally going to have better credit. One day you will be one of those people.

4) Have different types of credit. Avoid these types: payday lenders, signature loans, short-term loans. Cut back on expenses instead of funding them that way. Everyone can find ways to cut back on expenses. Fix your own lunch most days instead of eating out. Drink coffee at home and bring a travel mug of it to work rather than buying coffee on the way to work. Eliminate some streaming services. Color your hair yourself instead of paying a salon to do it. Cancel that gym membership unless you are consistently going at least three times a week. Avoid wasting money - food that gets thrown away, short-term pleasures, and get your kids on that boat as well! These are just a few examples. There are many other ways to reduce your spending.

5) Avoid credit inquiries - an inquiry is necessary sometimes, but severely limit who you allow to do a hard inquiry on your credit.

6) "Public records" as they are called, such as bankruptcy, collections, judgments, liens - these are going to hurt your credit the worst. Stay away from these if you want to have good credit.

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