Customer Reviews

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Improving your Credit Score

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As a Certified Credit Consultant and Author of Hidden Credit Repair Secrets, I found the book to be very detailed when it comes to raising your credit score. If you are new to building or rebuilding your credit score, this book is definitely worth the money. The following key points of information were really helpful. The author talked about the amount of days you have to dispute a credit card charge, when to start cleaning up your credit if you are applying for a home, the best place to find a secured credit card, multiple ways to remind yourself to pay your credit card bills, and the steps to getting out of debt. There were two areas, that I need to add to. 1. The author stated that a collection account will stay on your credit report seven years from the time it was assigned to the collector. It is actually seven years from the date the account went delinquent. 2.The author stated that judgments can stay on your credit report for seven years. Judgments can stay on your credit report for 20 years if it's renewed, and your state statue allows 20 years. Besides those two corrections, the book was excellent.

Because there is no way to know the secret credit scoring algorithm, this gives very general suggestions which can be read on any Googled credit info site summed up as follows: Your score is based on your balances, length of credit history, payment history, recent inquiries and diversity of credit like auto, home, cards. So keep each cards balance to limit percentage low, Keep percentage of all balances to all credit limits low, Pay on time, keep old cards active, Don't apply for new credit unless necessary and if it is a car apply for all possible vehicles within 10 days so only counts as one inquiry. That's about it! Save your money.