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I actually cosigned for my younger brother. He had a good attitude and came prepared. Showed me his budget, how he’d pay what would happen if he lost his job, etc. I said yes because it felt like a partnership not a burden. So if you're asking, treat them like a partner not a bailout.

Honestly, just keep making on-time payments, don’t close old accounts and chill. Your credit score is like a plant. Water it (pay on time), feed it (use occasionally) and don’t dig it up every day to check the roots (stop obsessing lol).

I just started using Fresh Path Credit (not sure if they’re local or remote though?) and so far they’ve been chill. No promises, just a plan. They let me monitor all disputes through a portal and explained every step. It’s early days, but I’ll update y’all if anything big happens.

Haha i started helping my cousin and suddenly had a whole Facebook inbox full of people needing help. I turned it into a side gig too but the paperwork was not sexy. I used ZenBusiness to set up the LLC then got a surety bond via Colonial Surety. If you wanna keep it small you can do manual...

Girl i went to high school with started her own credit repair biz and now swears she’s a credit queen. She charges $500 a month for credit elevation. Like what even is that? Be wary of these social media gurus who took a weekend course and now think they’re TransUnion whisperers.

Honestly most repair companies charge for what you can do yourself. Like disputing errors via Experian/TransUnion/Equifax....it’s free. That said if your friend is overwhelmed, a service can help. I’ve heard good things about Credit Glory (though they’re national). For local, you might check...

Lmao no one told me I’d be spending half my day at the post office...Certified mail, return receipts, stamps… it adds up fast. But it’s still cheaper than buying the Pro Mail plan some SaaS platforms offer. I created a printable tracker and do mail drops twice a week. Still beats commuting to a...

Big fan of DIY + coaching combo. My wife and I took a budgeting course from Prosperity Works and also used a credit repair firm called Bright Path Financial. The combo really helped. Bright Path was honest.....they didn’t promise anything sketchy and helped remove a couple collections from old...

If you're gonna do credit repair, make sure the company is compliant with the Credit Repair Organizations Act (CROA). A lot of shady ones violate it by demanding upfront payments. That’s illegal. Look for someone who offers a written contract, a 3-day cancellation window, and no charge until...

Be careful with some of these companies promising 100-point boosts in 30 days. That’s marketing fluff. Legit repair takes time. Some charge-offs stay even after you pay unless the lender agrees to remove it. You need deletions not just paid.

The real issue is how normalized this is in some communities. I grew up thinking these places were just what adults do when things get tough. Nobody told us about credit unions or emergency savings. It wasn’t until I hit my 30s that I realized how deep the system is rigged against poor folks.

I used one through my job’s EAP (Employee Assistance Program). Didn’t even know we had that benefit until HR emailed it out. One-hour credit coaching call..totally free. Helped me challenge 3 medical collections. Check your benefits!

Totally understand the anxiety. Fixing credit feels overwhelming when you’re already under stress. I haven’t tried MyCreditApprove but i went with Lexington Law a while back and had mixed results. Whatever you choose make sure they’re FTC compliant and read that fine print!

I had a friend who tried to clean up her credit using one of those flashy sites and they literally ghosted her after 3 months of payments. No disputes no progress just pretty emails and broken promises. I’d stick to someone local with a storefront and real people behind the desk

I called PayPal support once just to check this exact thing. The rep said Pay in 3 isn’t tied to your credit file unless it goes to collections. It's more of an internal approval thing. So yeah use it but don’t expect a score boost.

I sold my house last year with a credit score in the low 500s and it didn’t matter one bit. Title company didn’t ask, buyers didn’t care. I actually paid off a bunch of debt with the profit so it helped my credit. It was weirdly empowering, lol. Selling is more about what you own not what you...

my old boss told me the only reason they ever checked someone’s credit was to weed out people applying for payroll roles. And even then it was more about patterns of fraud or identity issues not a late credit card. They hired someone with a 540 score because she interviewed well and had great...

I run a similar biz and can vouch: the margins can be insane if you run lean. Just make sure you’re not tied to one software provider you want flexibility. If this includes a proprietary system or custom CRM, i’d be interested.

I tried them and they were solid. Gave me updates every couple weeks and didn’t disappear once they had my payment. Also helped me open a secured card with some fintech I hadn’t heard of before. Saw about a 60-point jump in total. No regrets.

The real credit repair service is just patience and timely payments. Jokes aside if the accounts are already current, that’s a huge plus. Dispute the collections especially if they’re past SOL, ask for goodwill adjustments for late payments, and use something like Kikoff or Grow Credit to add...