improve credit score

Managing your finances is not easy, especially if you have not been educated on how to do so. Throughout my life, I have learned how to manage my finances throughout a series of mistakes that have taught me valuable and costly lessons. I am sharing my story with you in the hopes that you can avoid some of the pitfalls that I experienced.

I learned that when you are young, financially naive, and making the least amount of money, that creditors are happy to extend you credit. Since your credit report is clean, lending institutions and credit card companies are willing to take a risk on your ability to manage money and use credit responsibility.

Before I was 28, I had a hefty car loan, three credit cards, and monthly bills that I could not afford. I ate macaroni and cheese and worked as many hours as I could to keep my head above water. Despite my good efforts, I became delinquent on my bills and my credit report suffered as a result.

I spent some of my hard earned money on a credit counseling service, but all they had to offer was a repayment plan that made my credit file even worse as it compromised the debts. They did nothing to increase my credit scores. At times, it almost seemed like they were working for the lenders. By the time I was ready to move on, they had taken over $400 of my money, and done nothing to improve my situation. Oh, and did I mention, they offered no guarantees, nor refunds.

My story is not a unique one. Managing lines of credit is difficult and many people fall short of success. I was able to help my situation by working with credit repair professionals. They worked tirelessly on my behalf to clean up my credit report.

They contacted my creditors and collection agencies and helped me settle old debts for pennies on the dollar. They also challenged the negative items on my credit report with the lenders. As it turns out, some of those black marks could not be verified as accurate and they were removed.

In the end, I learned that sometimes good people have bad credit. A poor credit report is nothing to be ashamed of unless you do not do anything to correct it. The best way to take control of your credit file is to hire a professional to increase your credit scores correctly.