Credit, Credit Scores, Credit Reports

Good loans require very good credit scores. If you still want to borrow money in this tough economy, you better have very good scores. Below are some ways to maintain it.

Credit monitoring services like ones from myFICO is very good because it automatically keeps track of your credit report and alerts you whenever there are any changes. You can of course choose to do it yourself but that’s 1000x harder.

Of course, there’s always the free credit report that you can get from each of the three credit report agencies per year. To maximize the benefit, separate the time that you get the reports. For example, get one in January, then another one in May and another one in September so you are on top of your credit.

One way to keep your scores high is to keep your credit utilization rate low. What this means is that if you have a maximum credit of $10,000, don’t use it all up! Since lenders may check your credit at any time, it doesn’t matter if you pay off your balance every month because at the time that they are checking it, your balance may still seem high.

When companies pull your credit report, that activity is recorded and affects your credit score. Therefore, it is advised not to apply for any other type of credit before you make a big loan. Especially many credit card applications in a short period of time. That’s a huge red flag for credit companies. Don’t do it.

Use all your credit cards because having cards canceled on you is not a good sign that you are a good borrower. This will in turn lower your score.

In general, having 5 cards or more is a good way to make sure lenders see you as a person that is able to handle debt and pay them off. If you only have one card and no other debt, it’s hard for companies to see whether you have the ability to pay bills on a timely manner and they will be hesitate to lend you money.

Having multiple types of debt (car, mortgage, credit card, student loans) among others is good because it shows that you are able to handle bills that come due every month. It also works the same as having multiple credit cards.