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1. Know your credit risks
You can check your credit report for free once a year from each of the three main credit reporting agencies, TransUnion, Equifax and Experian. But your score won't be included on these free reports — you'll usually have to pay to see it.
If you do purchase your score, it usually comes with a list of risk factors, explained Rod Griffin, director of public education for Experian. This will give you a good starting point on what areas you need to improve.
"There are as many as 300 different risk factors in a credit score," he said.
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3. Manage the debt you have
Keeping your balances low will help boost your credit score. Aim to keep your debt utilization — which is amount of available credit you actually use — as low as possible.
"You never want the balance to be more than 30% of the credit limit — that is, any on...
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2. Pay your bills on time, all the time
Your payment history is the biggest factor in determining your credit score. Lenders don't want to give money to someone who has a history of missed payments.
Paying a bill more than 30 days late can drag down your score. "One single missed payment can drop your score anywhere from 100 to 3...
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4. Open a credit card if you don‘t have one
There's no need to have a wallet full of credit cards, but having one or two that you use responsibly will help your score.
"You should apply for credit when you need it and know how you are going to repay it," said Griffin.
But if you don't have a credit card, he recommended opening ...
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Key Points For Building Credit
Your credit score is calculated using a mix of data, including your payment history, how much credit you have and length of credit history.
Here's the golden rule: Only charge what you can afford to pay every month in full.
Keeping your balances low will help boost your credit score. ...
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5. Be patient
Good credit scores don't just happen overnight.
For instance, the positive effects of opening and making on-time payments on a credit card could take a few months to show in on your score, according to Griffin.
Correction: An earlier version of this story stated t...
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Other curated ideas on this topic:
Credit scores are different from credit reports
A credit report documents your credit history, your current status of accounts and payments, and when companies have pulled your report when you've applied for credit. A credit report is the source of your credit score.
It is vital to keep an eye on your reports and notice...
Know Your Scores
Knowing your credit scores and the details of the mortgage, loans and credit card activities that impact it, can help you manage your financial credit. You can find ways to improve your credit score once you check it for free using a variety of apps and websites available.
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