How to get out of debt fast (I did it; you can too!)
Pay off your debt by committing to not taking on new debt, getting organized, earning more, and paying down one debt at a time.
Credit
How to get your free credit reports and scores in 2024
Keeping track of your credit health is a critical part of responsible personal finance and can save money over time. Thankfully, it’s never been easier to get free credit report details and free credit scores online. Here are your best options.
How to improve your credit, step by step
With some strategic moves, like targeting any collections owed, lowering your credit utilization ratio, and using your utility bills as a credit-building tool, your score will start climbing.
How long does it take to build credit from scratch?
It generally takes three to six months to build credit from nothing, and you can even have a decent score within a year. But getting an excellent credit rating will take at least a few years, and will require you to demonstrate consistently responsible credit card habits.
What Is a FICO Score? And Why Do You Have Different Credit Scores?
Your FICO score is a three-digit number between 300 and 850 that indicates how likely you are to repay your debts. It is the score most often used by lenders when deciding whether you qualify for a loan or credit card.
How to Start Building Business Credit
The basic principles of building business credit are similar to those for building personal credit: Make your business’s loan and credit card payments on time, keep your credit utilization low, and avoid collections. But your business credit score is marked on a different scale than your personal credit score, and it’s monitored by different credit bureaus as well.
What Credit Score Do You Need to Get Approved for a Credit Card?
Most credit cards require a very good credit score of 700 or higher. And cards with lots of perks, like travel and cash back rewards, typically ask for excellent scores of 750+. But that doesn’t mean you can’t qualify for a credit card with a lower score — you just need to apply for the right one.
How to build credit the right way
There are a number of ways to build credit quickly without going into debt. Compare co-signers, starter credit cards, credit-builder loans, and other options to see which is best for you.
Soft pull vs. hard pull – how each affects your credit
Applying for a line of credit always involves a hard pull on your credit. While pre-approval or employee-based credit pulls involve soft pulls. Hard pulls affect your credit, soft pulls don’t. So make sure you know the difference.
What is a ‘good’ credit score, anyway?
What is a good credit score? The answer is tricky, but this guide tells you everything you need to know to qualify for loans, credit cards, and more.