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If your card allows balance transfer checks you might be able to write one to pay off his debt. Just watch out: some issuers count those as cash advances with no grace period. Ask first.

Not all heroes drive Teslas. Some drive 2009 Corollas with 180K miles that they paid cash for after getting screwed by subprime lenders. Ask me how I know

As someone who used to work at a credit union EBT has ZERO bearing on your credit report. If it ever indirectly mattered, it was because the person didn’t have provable income. That’s an approval issue, not a score issue.

I’m still using them actually. Mixed results. They’ve disputed some things but i haven’t seen any big score jumps. It’s been like 4 months. I'm giving it until month 6 before deciding to cancel. Their customer service is better than Lexington Law, i’ll give 'em that.

Honestly, the fact that you're paying on time and not taking on new debt puts you ahead of a lot of folks. Add a secured card or credit-builder loan if your profile is thin. These help build positive payment history and length of credit.

From a tax perspective, novated leasing is clever. Pre-tax income = lower taxable earnings, possibly higher tax return. But the ATO (in Australia) is watching closely now to make sure people aren’t abusing it for luxury cars. Stay under the fringe benefits tax threshold!

You can also try goodwill letters.....yes, even for judgments. I know it sounds crazy, but if you write a sincere letter explaining your hardship (pandemic etc.), some creditors are willing to help vacate or even retract. Especially smaller banks or local lenders.

I know this sucks, but you're not alone. Try focusing on the long game credit scores bounce back over time. Keep everything else solid and avoid new inquiries unless necessary.

Not gonna lie, anything with solutions in it is an auto-skip for me. Too generic. What about something like Vault Credit or Iron Ledger? Has strength and stability baked in. Feels like a place I can trust with my financial skeletons.

Call me cynical but visuals can be faked sooo easily. I’ve seen proof”of credit jumps that were clearly photoshopped. If you're using pics to promote a service, I hope you’re backing it up with legit documentation or case studies. Otherwise... 👀

They’re decent but don’t believe the hype. I paid $99/month for 5 months and they only got one item removed. The reps were polite but i always had to follow up. If you go with them, keep your expectations realistic. Not magic just methodical disputes.

I tried doing it all myself with Credit Karma and DIY letters, but it was so much work. Eventually caved and hired Clear Point Credit Repair (they’re local-ish). They didn’t overpromise and even told me which things weren’t worth disputing. That honesty is what sold me.

If you're planning to travel next summer after graduation, I’d say go for a basic cashback card now and upgrade later. A lot of travel cards aren’t worth it unless you're dropping $10k+ annually.

Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion each score differently. Mortgage lenders usually pull from one or two, and weight things like CCJs, missed payments, and utilisation differently. So always check all three.

Honestly they’ll probably bite. I offered $1,900 on a $3,300 garnishment and they settled. Some money now is better than slow money. But ihad to call twice and sound annoyed but professional.

I started tracking every due date in a spreadsheet and color-coded by interest rate. It’s tedious, sure, but I finally FEEL in control. Best part? Realizing I didn’t need to make big payments, just on-time ones consistently.

I used to laugh at people talking about manifesting their dream life, but fixing my credit honestly made me feel like i was doing witchcraft. I followed one credit coach on TikTok and just did exactly what she said. Score went up 100 pts in 5 months.

Not to rain on anyone’s parade but… is all this even worth it? i’ve been making payments, disputing stuff, staying under 10% utilization and my score went down 6 points?? The system feels rigged sometimes. Just saying. But i guess i’ll keep doing it because renting without good credit is a...

I used to think opening more cards was the answer but nah. What really worked was upping my income and attacking my balances. Picked up weekend gigs, funneled everything into my smallest balance first. That psychological win helped me power through the rest. Now i’m at 711 and climbing.

Don’t underestimate credit counseling from nonprofits. There's one tied to Catholic Charities in Laredo that offers financial literacy sessions + help with credit. Free or super cheap.