Search results

As someone who went from 520 → 690 in about a year, I’ll say this: consistency beats quick fixes. I paid off my smallest card, set up autopay for minimums on the rest, and put all my extra cash into the next balance. My score started moving after 3 months. The shame never helps, action does...

I don’t think it’s a huge deal unless you’re actively applying for something right now. If you’re just living your life and not seeking credit, who cares if your score dips 20 points? But if you’ve got a mortgage coming up, yeah, time those payments carefully.

Double check your reports. I had Capital One keep reporting me as 120 days late for TWO YEARS after filing. I filed complaints with the CFPB and they fixed it. My score jumped like 50 points after. So yeah, don’t assume the reporting is correct just because it shows up.

I use my AA card for utilities, but ONLY when I’m trying to hit a spend bonus. After that? Nah, I switch back to CFU. The AA card is basically a dead weight in my wallet otherwise.

I’m skeptical when people say just get a credit union loan. Not all credit unions are generous. Mine straight-up said no for 3 years after my repo. Ended up having to go through a subprime lender first before refinancing with them later. Just saying, don’t put all eggs in that basket.

Your dad isn’t totally wrong, but banks nowadays usually follow through with digital confirmation. I closed a Chase card online and they sent me a secure message confirmation. Never had an issue. It’s the credit score piece that’s trickier.......closing = higher utilization percentage = possible...

I actually made my own binder after taking notes from YouTube lawyers and CFPB resources. If you’re detail-oriented, you could literally DIY your own manual. But yeah, I get wanting something packaged and structured. Saves time.

I had the same issue with ad spend. Facebook flagged charges on one card and my campaigns shut down for 2 days. Lost like $3k in sales. After that, I got a backup card just for ads. Best decision ever. One card is fine until something goes wrong.

This is where Experian messes with people. They highlight stats like percent of accounts paid as agreed which feels like a grade, but lenders are using FICO or Vantage, not Experian’s dashboard. Think of it like your Fitbit giving you a stress score.....cool, but your doctor doesn’t care.

I’d also point out that the inquiry is the least of your worries if you’re not careful. PayPal Credit’s deferred interest promos can bite hard if you don’t pay in full by the deadline.

I went overboard and got four secured cards thinking I’d speed up my rebuild. All I did was stress myself out making sure each card was used and paid off monthly. My score improved, but not significantly faster than friends who only had one. Learn from my mistake.

One thing to consider if the late was less than 30 days past due, they shouldn’t have reported it at all. Anything under 30 days late is not supposed to be reported to the bureaus. If you were only a few days late, I’d double-check the dates.

I had a charge-off that was legit, but the date was reported incorrectly. Disputed it myself online through Experian and it got fixed in 30 days. My score jumped 22 points. If I’d paid a service, they would’ve taken credit for that “improvement” and charged me for it.

As a landlord, i once took a chance on a guy with a low score because he was upfront about his financial past. He showed me proof that he had paid off his debts and was rebuilding. Ended up being one of the best tenants i ever had.

Since your fiancé=e has great credit, have them lease the car in their name, then you guys have an agreement that you’ll handle the payments. Later, once your credit’s better, you can get a lease or loan solo. That way, you avoid being denied multiple times and tanking your score further with...

One underrated perk of business cards ...... many don’t count toward your Chase 5/24 limit. So if you’re into credit card churning, you can keep your personal slots open.

Even if they cannot sue, they can annoy you indefinitely unless you send a written cease-and-desist under the FDCPA. Once they get that, they can only contact you to say we will not contact you again or we are taking specific action (which they cannot if it’s time-barred).

I actually recommend finding an accredited credit counselor first, then maybe a financial advisor. Advisors are great for investing and long-term planning, but they’re not all trained for debt rehab. A counselor will focus 100% on getting your accounts current and your score up.

It’s not a silver bullet, but it’s a good negotiation chip. I’d lead with i know my credit is low, but I have stable income and can pay X months in advance rather than just emailing ......I’ll pay a year upfront.

I don’t know if this applies in your state, but some states only allow reporting of judgments for 5 years. Worth a Google for your state’s rules.