Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #46: Build assets and capital

Whether it is buying a car, a home, or creating an investment portfolio, having assets can help improve your credit score by allowing you take out secured credit, or credit in which your assets are used as collateral.

When you take out secured credit (such as a mortgage) you enjoy lower interest rates and easier approval. As you repay your secured debt, your credit score will improve. Even better, lenders do look at the types of credit you have. If you have a mix of secured and unsecured credit, you will enjoy better risk rating scores as it will indicate that you have the means to repay your debts.

Building assets and capital is also a way of building financial stability which can help protect your credit score. If you have assets such as savings or investments, then you have a way of generating income or repaying debts in case of an emergency. You also have ready money you can use in case of unexpected medical bills or other problems.



Visit http://www.credithelp21.com/ for you very own “DIY” Do It Yourself Credit Repair Kit.

If you are looking for mortgage financing or need to use a free financial calculator go to http://www.questgroup-usa.com/

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

ip #45: Take out one pleasure and save it up

-Do you have cable?
-Do you subscribe to lots of magazines?
-Do you build your DVD collection so fast that you can’t even watch all the movies you collect?

We all entertain ourselves with money, but most of us have at least one or two entertainments that we have either outgrown or don’t enjoy as much as we once did. Cutting that expense out and investing the savings can put us well on our way to saving for retirement or paying off our bills. If you give up your cable television, for example, you can pay off your credit cards that much faster, improving your credit score.


Visit www.credithelp21.com for you very own “DIY” Do It Yourself Credit Repair Kit.

If you are looking for mortgage financing or need to use a free financial calculator go to www.questgroup-usa.com

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #44: Keep track of your money

Most people are surprised by how quickly their money seems to be spent. This is because impulse spending and small-change spending really adds up. Small-change spending is small spending we do without even thinking about it - buying a coffee or a newspaper we don’t need.

Impulse spending refers to simply buying things we don’t use or need. In both cases, we end up spending too much unnecessarily, and this is a problem in credit repair because you want to be channeling as much money as you can into savings and debt repayment so that you can repair your credit.

For a month, try keeping a daily record of every penny you spend - including the money you spend on phones, the money you spend on tips, everything. You will be amazed where your money goes. Keeping track of your money this way does two things:

1) It automatically cuts down on spending. If you have to write down where you spend your money, you will be much more careful what you spend your money on.

2) It allows you to see where you waste your money and take steps to stop the bad habit. If you notice that you always buy the newspaper on Saturday but never read it, for example, you can stop buying the paper on that day. Small savings can add up over the years and can put you in good financial shape which will be reflected in your credit risk rating.


Visit www.credithelp21.com for you very own “DIY” Do It Yourself Credit Repair Kit.

If you are looking for mortgage financing or need to use a free financial calculator go to www.questgroup-usa.com

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #43: Save

One of the best ways to ensure that your credit rating stays good is to save money each month. Whether you are able to save $25 a month or $200 or even more, saving and investing your savings will prepare you for financial emergencies, will get you out of overspending, and will allow you to build investments that can help you in later years.

With savings at your bank, you don’t have to worry that sudden illness will make you unable to pay your bills, resulting in dings on your credit.

Saving ten percent of your income is a nice, reasonable goal. You can use your invested savings to make certain that your debts never get overwhelming. Most employers and banks will even deduct a certain amount of money from your paycheck or account each month to be put into investments.

This can be a very convenient way to save, as you are unlikely to miss or spend money you have taken out before you can get your hands on it.


Visit www.credithelp21.com for you very own “DIY” Do It Yourself Credit Repair Kit.

If you are looking for mortgage financing or need to use a free financial calculator go to www.questgroup-usa.com

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #42: Get out of the spending habit

We are surrounded with advertisements that tell us to buy, buy, buy. When we want to read a book, we buy it. When we want to go somewhere, we take a cab or drive rather than walking.

Stopping spending consciously can be hard, but heading to your local library, walking instead of taking a car, buying a used computer instead of a new one - all can help you spend less and save more. There are several ways you can save money and pay off your debts faster by spending less:

1) When you head out, carry a small amount of cash with you and leave your credit cards at home. That way, you will not be able to overspend.

2) Stop catalogs from arriving at your house or discard them unread - advertisements and catalogues encourage you to spend and buy when you don’t need to.

3) Do it yourself. Eat in rather than dining out. Dining at restaurants or getting food delivered is always more expensive than doing your own cooking. Also, do your own taxes rather than farming the job out to someone else. Wash your own car, run your own errands, mow your own lawn. When you do something yourself, you spend less.

4) Watch less television. It sounds strange, but television can make you overspend - television contains many professionally-created advertisements pushing us to spend and spend. These ads are so well done that not spending after watching them is sometimes very difficult (just what advertisers want!). Switching off your television can help you avoid temptation.

5) Make do or do without. While you are repairing your credit, channel all your extra money into paying off debts and reestablishing good credit. Make so with what you have and avoid shopping as much as possible.

6) Buy discount or used. Whether it is furniture or shoes, you can save money by refusing to pay retail price.

Saving your money by spending less can let you pay off your debts faster, something that can improve your credit score dramatically.


Visit www.credithelp21.com for you very own “DIY” Do It Yourself Credit Repair Kit.

If you are looking for mortgage financing or need to use a free financial calculator go to www.questgroup-usa.com

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #41: Live within your means

Many people believe that if they only had more money, they would not have to worry about credit. In fact, this is not true. Many people who have money - or at least have all the trappings of money, including cars and nice homes - in fact have terrible credit.

The secret of this is that it is not your income that decides whether you are a good credit risk or a bad one but rather how you handle money. You could be earning $7 per hour and still paying your bills and meeting your financial responsibilities - in which case you will have terrific credit.

You could also be earning $300 000 a year and be in terrible debt and financial shape due to unpaid bills and excessive debt. The best way to ensure that you have a good credit rating - no matter what your income - is to spend less than you earn. That means living below your means. If you have a very small income, you may need to live with roommates in order to keep costs down. If you have a medium-sized income, that may mean saving more and entertaining less.

You may be interested to note that your income is not a factor in determining your credit score. Although your past and current employers are listed on your credit report - and although lenders may be able to guess your financial status from your loan amounts - your income does not count.

This means that if you won the lottery today or suddenly inherited a large sum, your credit score would not increase. With your credit rating, what matters is how you manage your money, not how much you make.

Visit www.credithelp21.com for you very own “DIY” Do It Yourself Credit Repair Kit.

If you are looking for mortgage financing or need to use a free financial calculator go to www.questgroup-usa.com

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #40: Learn to budget

One of the biggest reasons that people develop poor credit is overspending. In many cases, this overspending is caused by a lack of budget. A budget can tell you how much you should be spending on each item in your life. This allows your financial life to stay nicely organized.

Contrary to popular belief, a budget does not have to be constricting or boring or complicated. Simply note how much you earn each month, and on a piece of paper, write down how much you really need to spend on savings, rent, utilities, food, personal care, transportation, spending money, entertainment, hobbies, education, and other items. Make sure that you account for every expense.

Then, simply commit yourself to spending that particular amount on each item on your list. Of course, some expenses on your list will change each month - you may spend more on heating bills in the winter than in the summer, for example - but estimating can help ensure that you can meet all your financial responsibilities.



Visit www.credithelp21.com for you very own “DIY” Do It Yourself Credit Repair Kit.

If you are looking for mortgage financing or need to use a free financial calculator go to www.questgroup-usa.com

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #39: Your bank has good and reliable credit information

One free and professional source of credit information is your bank. Your banking officer may be able to offer you a great deal of professional, free advice, especially as banks are trying harder and harder to provide good personal services to customers.

Your bank may also have a number of credit solutions - such as overdraft protection - that can help you keep your credit in good repair. Banks are realizing more and more that many of their clients are dealing with less than ideal credit. Banks are trying to meet the demands of this new group and can actually be a powerful ally for those who are trying to improve their credit.


General Good Financial Habits Build Good Credit Scores


Your credit score in some ways is meant to be a snapshot of your overall financial habits - especially your habits surrounding debts and other financial responsibilities. Developing some good financial habits can help your credit score by putting you in a good financial position.

Good financial habits will ensure that you don’t get into too much debt and that you are able to meet your financial duties easily. There are a few financial habits that are especially credit-friendly: Visit http://www.credithelp21.com/

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Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #38: Get a good team on your side to help you with your credit score

A good team of professionals can help you get your credit score back in shape. Your most important member of your team is yourself - you are the one with the financial agency and (with www.credithelp21.com credit repair kit) the knowledge to become your own best advocate in credit repair. Besides this, you may want to check with your local library for financial help books. You may also want to include financial experts such as credit counselors or others to help you. If you decide to seek a team of experts to help, be sure that you check each person’s credential, standing with the Better Business Bureau, and past clients to make sure that the person or company can really help you. Beyond this, make sure that you sign a contract or agreement with each professional member of your team.




If you are looking for mortgage financing or need to use a free financial calculator go to www.questgroup-usa.com

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #38: Look out for credit repair scams

There are a number of credit repair scams out there. These scams often promise to help free you of bad credit, when in reality the “experts” offering these services will either overcharge you, involve you in illegal activity, or actually put you in a worse financial situation. Look out for these most common scams:

1) Credit repair companies that tell you to lie on loan applications or suggest that you develop a second identity. This is illegal and dishonest. If a company suggests that you open accounts in a new name or falsify your information on loan applications, run, don’t walk, away.

You can be charged with fraud for doing this - and you will be held responsible for your actions, even if you were acting under the company’s advisement. You certainly don’t want to add legal troubles to your credit woes.

2) Credit repair companies that charge you fees or hidden fees for things you could do for free yourself - such as work out a budget. Also be wary of companies that ask for money up front.

3) Credit repair companies that promise to pay your creditors from money you pay to them and which they keep in an escrow account. This is a common scam and it presents a huge problem for the debtor.

Here’s how it works: the debtor gives money to the credit repair company, presumably for paying off debts. The company places the money in an escrow account where it grows. The idea is that the company will eventually pay off your debts when the amount reached in the account matches the debts. The problem is that in the meantime, the credit repair company is removing some money from the account for administrative fees while creditors are becoming more and more anxious, increasing the interest on the debts and even starting legal action against the debtor. This type of “credit help” can actually ruin your credit rating!

4) Credit repair companies that pressure you, don’t listen to you, or want you to sign a contract you have not read. Such companies are not to be trusted and should be left well enough alone.

5) Companies that offer you fast or instant credit repair - no matter how bad your credit. This is simply a misleading a claim that no company can legitimately deliver on. If you have very bad credit, it may take years to fully repair.

In many cases, these companies will claim that they can remove your poor credit history from your credit report by disputing it. This is false information. You simply cannot remove true and accurate information from your credit report. It is true that a credit bureau must investigate a claim of inaccurate information within thirty days, but this does not mean that the company will automatically remove the information.

In fact, if the information is accurate, the data will stand. Credit bureaus are aware of this common credit repair scheme and have become very good at detecting it. Many credit repair companies (and even some individuals) will try to dispute every ding on a credit report, hoping that the backlog of disputes will cause the credit bureau to automatically remove the offending items from the report (the credit bureau is legally required to remove disputed items it has not investigated within 30 days). This technique is a scam and is dishonest since you are not disputing inaccurate information.

Refuse to do business with credit help companies that use this practice.

6) Companies that don’t tell you your rights or try to take money for things you could do yourself. You can get copies of your own credit reports and have the errors on them fixed for free yourself - a company that does not tell you can do this yourself ifs taking money form you for things you can easily do yourself.

It is a dishonest practice, and companies who follow such business practices should be avoided at all costs.

Also, if a company does not advise you of your credit rights, then that is an indication that they are not really on your side in the first place. Why would you want to do business with a company that does not help you? Visit www.credithelp21.com

If you are looking for mortgage financing or need to use a free financial calculator go to www.questgroup-usa.com

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip # 37: It will be easier for financial experts to help you if you seek credit repair help sooner rather than later

If you do decide to seek credit repair help from the experts, it makes sense to seek that help before your financial situation spirals too far out of control. After all, credit repair experts can do little for you if your credit and financial situation is so bad that the only option left to you is bankruptcy. www.credithelp21.com


If you are looking for mortgage financing or need to use a free financial calculator go to www.questgroup-usa.com

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #36: Seek free or inexpensive help before seeking paid credit repair help

If you need credit repair, odds are good that your finances aren’t in the best possible shape. That likely means that you should attempt to spend as little as possible on credit repair - the money you save can be channeled into repaying your debts. Before seeking credit repair services, follow the tips in this blog and visit www.credithelp21.com and order your very own DIY Credit Repair Kit.

Also, seek out free or inexpensive sources of credit repair help. Some non-profit credit counseling services are actually registered charities and will work on your behalf. If you can get help from one of these companies or undertake credit repair yourself, you will be able to save money quite easily.

In addition, these companies tend to be more legitimate than credit repair companies that take your money, anyway.
If you are looking for mortgage financing or need to use a free financial calculator go to www.questgroup-usa.com

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

ip #35: Look out for credit repair companies.

Many companies out there advertise that they can help you with credit repair, but the quality of these services - not to mention what they offer - varies widely. Some companies really can help you with credit repair while others are actually under investigation for suspect business practices. If you decide to seek help from a credit repair company, be sure that the company is legitimate and offers you viable services.

In general, you should be looking for non-profit credit counseling services rather than credit repair companies (some of which are really just lenders offering home equity loans anyway, which are of limited use to you if you want to improve your credit).

Check to make sure that the company has good standing with the Better Business Bureau and clients who are happy with the credit repair services they received from the company. Always read the paperwork carefully before you sign and make sure that you understand how much you are paying for and how much you are paying.

Before deciding to seek help from a credit help or credit counseling service, be sure that the problem cannot be resolved on your own. Indications that you may need credit counseling include:

-You cannot pay your bills and avoid the necessities of life.

-You avoid the phone, the mail, and the door because you are being harassed by collection agencies.

-You have avoided going out because you feel terrible about your financial state.

-You have no idea how you will repay your bills and loans - you do not know where to start. Visit www.credithelp21.com for your DIY credit repair kit

If you are looking for mortgage financing or need to use a free financial calculator go to www.questgroup-usa.com

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #34: Seek professional help

If you are in over your head, and your credit is so bad that you cannot get a loan and may even be facing bankruptcy, you may want to seek help from professionals. There are a number of financial professionals that can help you with credit repair: www.credithelp21.com

Bankruptcy lawyers and bankruptcy advisors: Bankruptcy lawyers can help represent you in bankruptcy proceedings. Advisors can help you decide whether to apply for a bankruptcy and how to proceed once you do decide to file. Look on the right hand side of this blog for law firms.

While getting a bankruptcy lawyer and filing for bankruptcy can be upsetting and can dramatically affect your credit score for many years, it can also give you a chance to start over financially and can help you reestablish good credit again in the long run.

Credit repair companies and credit counseling companies: These companies can help you by acting on your behalf with credit companies, by advising you on what you can do to repay your bills faster, and by helping you make better financial decisions. Visit credithelp21.com

Accountants and tax services: Accountants and tax filing services can help you make the most of your money by making sure that you do not end up overspending on taxes.

Bankers and bank officers: Most banks today want to not only help you keep your money but are willing to work with you to make the most of it. As a banking service, many banks today offer free investing advice, saving advice, and personalized meetings with bank officers that can help you figure out your money situation.

Lenders and bad credit lenders: How you deal with lenders will determine how well your credit score works. Avoiding too many inquiries by not applying for too many loans, establishing long-term business relationships with bankers, and doing business with bankers in an organized and professional way (i.e. paying your debts on time) will go a long way towards giving you a credit rating. In turn, a good credit rating will make it easier to deal with lenders.
If you are looking for mortgage financing or need to use a free financial calculator go to www.questgroup-usa.com

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #33: Learn from your mistakes.

Everyone makes some credit mistakes sooner or later - it is very rare for someone to go through their entire lives without at least a few dings on their credit risk record. Don’t beat yourself up over your mistakes - even if they are large ones. Instead, learn from your mistakes by analyzing them. Think of your credit mistakes as clues which can help you in the future to avoid the same problems:

-Do you develop credit problems because you overspend while shopping?
-Are you so disorganized that you forget to pay bills?
-Are your bills simply too large for your current income?
-Do you routinely get overcharged for things and fail to notice until much later?

Knowing what your mistakes are and finding solutions to the problems can go a long way towards helping you develop a good credit risk rating.


Dealing With Professional Credit Help


Credit repair is big business, and there are many companies that will promise to help you get out of bad credit problems. There are a number of legitimate resources that can help you in improving your credit score but there are also a number of less than reputable companies out there that will take your money but offer you few (if any) valuable services. A few basic tips will help you see the difference: Visit www.credithelp21.com

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #32: Don’t choose bankruptcy as an easy out.

Bankruptcy is a serious credit problem - it is not just a “ding” on your credit report - it is a huge red flag to lenders. After a bankruptcy, you will be ineligible for credit cards, many types of credit and will even be told what you can and cannot buy. The procedure of bankruptcy can also be draining. Bankruptcy should only be chosen as a last option if you really require your debts to be forgiven because you have no way of repaying them.

www.credithelp21.com

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #32: Don’t choose bankruptcy as an easy out.

Bankruptcy is a serious credit problem - it is not just a “ding” on your credit report - it is a huge red flag to lenders. After a bankruptcy, you will be ineligible for credit cards, many types of credit and will even be told what you can and cannot buy. The procedure of bankruptcy can also be draining. Bankruptcy should only be chosen as a last option if you really require your debts to be forgiven because you have no way of repaying them.

www.credithelp21.com

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #31: Don’t overlook bankruptcy.

A bankruptcy will affect your credit score more than just about anything. Worse, it will affect it for many years. In the first few years after a bankruptcy, you may not be able to get loans at all.

In short, a bankruptcy is a legal proceeding that either forgives you of your debts or allows you to pay off just a small fraction of your debt. It will nearly ruin your credit rating at first, but it will also allow you to dig out from overwhelming debt and reestablish a good credit rating again after years. A bankruptcy will no longer show up on your credit report after ten years.

If you are very seriously in debt and have no way of repaying your bills, a bankruptcy can help you by stopping collection call agencies and other problems. Also, if you have been very negligent in paying your large debts, your credit rating has already likely suffered greatly.

While a bankruptcy will depress it even further, at least it will give you the chance to repair your credit by giving you a “clean slate” free from large debts.
www.credithelp21.com

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tips #30: Consider co-signing for loans - but consider well before taking the leap.

If you have very poor credit scores following a bankruptcy or other disaster but need to get a loan, consider getting a co-signer. If your co-signer has assets or a better credit record, you may qualify for a better loan rate.

However, be wary - if your co-signer refuses to make payments, then both of you will suffer the credit fallout. Co-signers share responsibility for loans and credit - both of you will have worse credit scores if one of you does not pay.

On the other hand, if your cosigner has good credit and makes payments, then the co-signed loan can actually boost your credit score. www.credithelp21.com

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #29: Start repairing your credit right away after a big financial upset.

A big financial problem is an emotional as well as a monetary burden. Plenty of debtors feel so terrible about their financial problems and so uncertain about their money that they go into deep denial, refusing to think or work on their financial problems. This is likely to only make the problem worse.

Everybody suffers from financial difficulties once in a while and every professional in the field of finance - from loan managers to bankers - knows this. Plus, financial professionals - including lenders - want your business and so are willing to work with you to help you solve your problems.

If you have had a financial problem, or are even headed towards one, start working on repairing the situation right away. If your credit is suffering because you have not paid some bills, for example, don’t make it worse by waiting until you are reported to a collection agency (by which time your credit rating will have taken an even worse hit). Instead, work on paying off your bills or arranging a payment schedule right away. Visit www.credithelp21.com



If you are looking for mortgage financing or need to use a free financial calculator go to www.questgroup-usa.com

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #28: Contact your banks and ask credit limits to be reduced.

If your credit risk rating is poor, and especially if it has taken a beating lately due to non-payments or other problems, you can ask that your bank reduce the credit limits on your credit cards, credit lines, and other debts. You should do this if:

1) You can pay off at least 50% of your debt loads as they are readjusted. For example, if you have a credit limit of $5000 on your credit card and get it reduced to $2500, you should make sure that you can leave a balance of $1250 or less. If you owe $4000 and have no way of repaying it, getting your credit limit reduced can actually hurt you. On the other hand, if you need to get a larger loan and can pay off your credit card in full and reduce your limit to $2500, you may be able to improve your credit score in this way.

2) You have lots of credit. If you have several types of debts and credit accounts - lines of credit, credit cards, store charge cards, a mortgage, a car loan, and a personal line of credit - you may be close to overextending your credit, especially if each of these accounts is fairly large. You can’t always close down your accounts - especially if you are still paying your debts off - but reducing the limit may make you eligible for a loan should you need it.

3) You have some credit but you don’t want to close your accounts entirely because you have not had credit for very long. Sometimes, if you have several types of credit, it is not wise to close them, even if you can, since lenders like to see long-term relationships with lenders. Reducing the limits can make monthly payments more affordable and can actually give you a bigger credit boost than closing long-standing credit accounts.

4) You will not be taking out a loan very soon. In the short term, reducing your credit limits may actually lower your credit rating because your balances will make up a larger portion of a smaller credit, but in the long run smaller charge accounts will actually boost your credit score by making repayment of loans easier and by making you further from overextending your credit. Visit http://www.credithelp21.com/



If you are looking for mortgage financing or need to use a free financial calculator go to www.questgroup-usa.com

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #27: Give it time

Many people believe that simply paying off debts will improve their credit score at once. This is not true, unfortunately. If you have experienced a bankruptcy, have been reported to a collection agency, or have had charge-offs, the record will remain on your credit report - even after you have repaid your debts and resolved the problem.

In fact, major problems such as a bankruptcy will remain on your credit report for seven or ten years, affecting your credit score. Even if your credit problems stem from simply not paying bills on time, it will take some time for the mark to fade from your credit report and for your credit score to reflect your better repayment.

Paying off your debts and resolving problems will help your credit score (since overdue accounts will be marked as “paid” on your credit report), but only time will remove the mark of the problems from your record entirely.

This means that if you have faced a major setback such as a bankruptcy, you may have to wait in order to get the best interest rates on larger purchases. The good news is that the further away you are from a major financial problem, the less dire it appears.

For example, if you have declared bankruptcy, you can expect it to have a huge impact on your credit score for the first two years, during which time you will have a hard time getting any credit at all.

However, after two or three years, if you have been paying your bills on time, then the bankruptcy from two years ago will matter less because you have been rebuilding your credit. Your credit will still suffer - but you will slowly be starting to work your way out of the credit problem. Persistence and good financial habits will get you there.

This means that if you plan on making a major purchase (such as a house of car) that may require a loan, you should start working on improving your credit well in advance - even years in advance - of your actual purchase. This is because you simply will not have enough time to radically alter your credit score in time if you wait too long.

Even if your credit score is already fairly good, you may need to give yourself several months of time to boost your credit rating enough to get the best loan rates. Visit http://www.credithelp21.com/

If you are looking for mortgage financing or need to use a free financial calculator go to www.questgroup-usa.com

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #26: Try secured credit if you cannot qualify for other types of credit

Secured credit is credit or a loan which uses something as collateral. In some cases, this could be an asset like a house. In some cases, this collateral could be money frozen in an account by the bank for just such a purchase.

If you need credit following a big problem with your credit score, secured credit may be something you can qualify for. You can use this secured credit to reestablish a good credit rating so that you will qualify for other loans in the future. You may have to pay slightly higher interest if your credit score is quite low, but in the long term repaying this type of loan can improve your credit score. Visit http://www.credithelp21.com/


If you are looking for mortgage financing or need to use a free financial calculator go to www.questgroup-usa.com

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #26: Try secured credit if you cannot qualify for other types of credit

Secured credit is credit or a loan which uses something as collateral. In some cases, this could be an asset like a house. In some cases, this collateral could be money frozen in an account by the bank for just such a purchase.

If you need credit following a big problem with your credit score, secured credit may be something you can qualify for. You can use this secured credit to reestablish a good credit rating so that you will qualify for other loans in the future. You may have to pay slightly higher interest if your credit score is quite low, but in the long term repaying this type of loan can improve your credit score. Visit http://www.credithelp21.com/



If you are looking for mortgage financing or need to use a free financial calculator go to http://www.questgroup-usa.com/

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #25: If you have bad credit, establish better credit by taking out credit and repaying it quickly

If you have terrible credit following a bankruptcy or other major financial upheaval, you may need to get back into a good credit rating by taking out a loan you can handle. Make an appointment to see your bank or bad credit lender a few months or years after the problem in question and arrange for a small loan.

You should have enough savings to pay for the loan before you do this. Pay back the loan quickly. It will not hugely boost your credit score but it will show lenders that you are having an easier time paying your bills. Taking out a small loan you can repay is part of the slow process of reestablishing good credit following a big financial problem. Visit http://www.credithelp21.com/

If you are looking for mortgage financing or need to use a free financial calculator go to www.questgroup-usa.com

Do It Yourself Credit Repair "DIY" (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #24: Look out where you get your credit report - and what it contains

You can get your credit score from any number of resources. One place you can get it from is from credit bureaus themselves. You can pay for the service, but you qualify for one free credit report a year or qualify for a free credit report if you have recently been turned down for credit or if you think you may have been the victim of identity theft.

If you can, get a copy of your free credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus. If you can’t get a free credit report, you should still try to get one, even if costs a few dollars. The savings you will enjoy on your loan rates when you improve your credit score will more than pay for the cost of the reports.

There are a number of online companies that offer free online credit reports. These offers are very attractive because you get an online report without having to wait for a report to be sent to you, and you often can get several reports from the different credit bureaus at once, which can save you time.

However, these online companies vary widely, so you will want to compare a few different firms before choosing one. You will also need to read the online company’s agreement very carefully - some promise free credit reports only with the purchase of a credit repair program or some other kit. In some cases, you can decline the offer and still get the report but in other cases you cannot.

Buyer beware.

Also, some companies will offer you free credit reports that are really a combination of reports from the three major credit bureaus. This is not useful, since you will want to compare each of the three credit bureau reports and fix each credit score separately. You will want to look out for online companies that offer credit reports that are very condensed and you will want to avoid companies that will spam you (send you unsolicited emails) trying to get you to subscribe to some service. Always read carefully to see whether the free credit report offer is legitimate.

That said, there are a number of online companies that offer credit reports and credit scores at no charge and these can be a useful way for you to start your credit repair, especially if you are comfortable around computers.

If you don’t qualify for a free credit report from the credit bureaus, a legitimate online company may be your best bet of getting your credit information so that you can start repairing your credit risk rating.

You do qualify for one free credit report per year. You can get this credit report through email at www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling 877_322_8228.

You can also ask for your free credit report by mail by sending a letter to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348_5281 or by filling out the form available at the Federal Trade Commission's Web site at: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/credit/docs/fact_act_request_form.pdf.

No matter where you get your credit score and credit report, make sure that you get the most complete information package you can. Credit reports are not very exciting or even easy to read. If you are ordering your report online, look for one that includes graphs or lots of details that are easy to understand.

Make sure that you get both your credit report and your credit score - even if you have to pay extra. If you get just your report, you will not be able to follow the secret and complicated math formulas used to arrive at your score and the report itself will not make as much financial sense to you if you don’t have your score in front of you, as well.

When you do get your credit report you will notice that it contains lots if information about you, including:

1) Your personal and contact information. This will include your name and your address, as well as your past several addresses, your social insurance number, your employers (past and present) and your birth date.

2) Your personal information about credit. A credit report notes all the details of your loans, including the types of loans you have now and have recently had, the dates these loans were opened, the credit limit on each loan, how well you have been repaying those loans (this is important - skipped or late payments count heavily against you in your credit score), and who your lenders are.

3) Information about you that is on the public record. This may include bankruptcies, unpaid taxes, unpaid child support, tax liens, your dealings with collection agencies, foreclosures, loan defaults, civil lawsuits that you have been involved in, and other information. Much of this will stay on your credit report and will seriously affect your credit score.

4) Information about who has looked at your credit report and credit score. Every time that someone looks at your credit score it is called an “inquiry.” Your credit report lists who has looked at your credit report in the past two years and how often you have applied for loans and credit in that period of time. Too many inquiries tends to look bad and tends to affect your credit score.

When you get your credit report, it is important that you look at all parts of your credit report and understand what you are reading. Mistakes in any area of your credit report can affect your score, so be sure to check the entire report for inaccuracies and errors.


Dealing With a Credit Score after a Big Problem


Big, bad problems can happen to you - bankruptcies, divorces, law suits, non-payment of taxes. These are big problems that can affect your credit score in as big way. If you have faced a large problem that has ruined your credit, you need to take action fast and work consistently to boost your FICO score: Visit http://www.credithelp21.com/




If you are looking for mortgage financing or need to use a free financial calculator go to www.questgroup-usa.com

Do It Yourself Credit Repair "DIY" (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #23: Contact creditors as well as credit bureaus when correcting inaccuracies in your credit report

When debtors find mistakes on their credit report, they often only contact the credit bureaus. While this is the most effective way to resolve the issue, you should in some cases contact the creditors whose account has caused a ding on your credit report. This can help future dings and resolve problems faster.

Consider an example: Let’s say that you were late sending a credit card payment two months ago because you were sick. The late payment is listed as a ding on your credit report even though you have paid it already. You should contact the credit bureau in order to get the error removed.


However, if you notice that the same credit card company has you listed as having late payments three months when you paid on time, then it is time to contact the credit company and ask how to resolve the problem.

The information reported about you to credit bureaus should be accurate - if it is not, then the credit company should work to make sure that they correct the problem so that it does not happen again. You have an advantage in this - the credit company, unlike the credit bureau, depends on your business for their money.

This means that the credit company (or any other bill company presenting inaccurate information about you) is well motivated to correct the problem or risk losing you as a client.

If you find that a company consistently reports inaccurate information about you to credit bureaus, consider making a formal complaint to the company about it or switch companies. There is no reason why one company’s poor organization should cost you your good credit score. Visit http://www.credithelp21.com/

If you are looking for mortgage financing or need to use a free financial calculator go to http://www.questgroup-usa.com/

Do It Yourself Credit Repair "DIY" (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #22: Know the difference between soft and hard inquiries

When you pull your credit report to look at it, it is counted as a “soft inquiry.” Only “hard inquiries” from lenders will affect your credit score dramatically. Although checking your credit score too often is an expensive habit, you should not avoid checking your credit report because you fear it will make your credit rating worse. Visit http://www.credithelp21.com/


If you are looking for mortgage financing or need to use a free financial calculator go to www.questgroup-usa.com

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #21: Make sure you know who is looking at your credit report and why

Many inquiries look bad on your credit report, but more than that you likely want to know who can see your personal financial information, now that you know that your personal information is stored in a credit report. If you sign a document with a lender or apply for credit online, you can be sure that someone is looking at your credit report.

However, you may want to look over other documents in order to see who is taking a peek. Insurance agents will often look at your credit report, for example. Some landlords and potential employers will, too. You need to be careful about online sources, too. In general, when you provide someone with your social insurance number, you may be giving permission to look at your credit report. You shouldn’t bar people from looking, but knowing who is looking is good financial practice.

Visit www.credithelp21.com

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #20: Add a note to your credit report if there is a problem you can’t resolve

Sometimes, there are legitimate reasons why you didn’t pay a bill. If a contractor refused to finish a job or did a poor job, then you may have refused payment, but the non-payment may still count against you on your credit report. If there are any unusual circumstances surrounding your credit report that may affect your credit rating - such as a case of identity theft - you can ask that a note be attached to your credit report to explain the problem.

Some lenders will pay attention to this and some will not, but it is a better solution than nothing at all. Such a note will not affect your credit score but will affect your credit report. More importantly, it leaves a paper trail of the problem that lenders can look at if they choose.
Visit www.credithelp21.com

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #19: Dispute errors on your credit report

Contact each of the three major credit bureaus - TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian - and get copies of your credit reports and credit scores. Carefully read over the reports and note any errors. In writing, contact the credit bureaus and ask that mistakes be removed or investigated.

This is called a dispute letter and once it is received, credit bureaus have to investigate your dispute within thirty days of receiving your letter. It is important to keep a copy of your letter and it is important to note the date the letter was sent. You should not be accusatory or abusive in your letter - calmly and clearly state the problem and request an investigation.

Note that you are aware the agency is required to investigate the claim within thirty days and note that you will follow up. Be sure that you do follow up with the issues you raised in your letter - just because the agency investigates does not always mean that your credit report will end up error-free.

Many credit bureaus now make it possible for you to correct errors on your credit report online - and many have information on their web sites that tells you exactly how disputes must be handled to be effectively removed. It is important that you follow this information exactly so that the inaccuracies on your credit report are removed promptly and your credit score is updated as soon as possible. Visit www.credithelp21.com

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #19: Dispute errors on your credit report

Contact each of the three major credit bureaus - TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian - and get copies of your credit reports and credit scores. Carefully read over the reports and note any errors. In writing, contact the credit bureaus and ask that mistakes be removed or investigated.

This is called a dispute letter and once it is received, credit bureaus have to investigate your dispute within thirty days of receiving your letter. It is important to keep a copy of your letter and it is important to note the date the letter was sent. You should not be accusatory or abusive in your letter - calmly and clearly state the problem and request an investigation.

Note that you are aware the agency is required to investigate the claim within thirty days and note that you will follow up. Be sure that you do follow up with the issues you raised in your letter - just because the agency investigates does not always mean that your credit report will end up error-free.

Many credit bureaus now make it possible for you to correct errors on your credit report online - and many have information on their web sites that tells you exactly how disputes must be handled to be effectively removed. It is important that you follow this information exactly so that the inaccuracies on your credit report are removed promptly and your credit score is updated as soon as possible. Get all the tools you need in your very own Do It Yourself Credit Repair Kit www.credithelp21.com

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #18: Never do anything illegal to help boost your credit score.

It seems pretty obvious, but plenty of people try to lie about their credit scores or even falsify their loan applications because they are ashamed of a bad score. Not only is this illegal, but it is also completely ineffective. Your credit score is easy to check and not only will you not fool lenders by lying but you may actually find yourself facing legal action as a result of your dishonesty.


Dealing With Your Credit Report to Deal With Your Credit Score


If you want to improve your credit score, you need to go right to the source - your credit report. Your credit report contains the information and data on which your credit score is based. If you can alter or update the information in your credit report, your credit score will change to reflect the alterations. For this reason, getting and checking you credit report is one of the first things you should do when you attempt to repair your credit score. There are a few tips that can help you deal with your credit report so that you can give your credit score a boost: If you are looking for mortgage financing or need to use a free financial calculator go to http://www.questgroup-usa.com/
and as always visit http://www.credithelp21.com/

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #17: Don’t think that having no loans or debts will improve your credit score.

Some people believe that owing no money, having no credit cards, and in fact avoiding the whole world of credit will help improve their credit score. The opposite is true - lenders want to see that you can handle credit, and the only way they can tell is if you have credit that you handle responsibly. Having no credit at all can actually be worse for your credit score than having a few credit accounts that you pay off scrupulously. If you currently have no credit accounts at all, opening a low balance credit card can actually boost your credit score. Visit www.credithelp21.com

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Do It Yourself Credit Repair "DIY" (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #16: Don’t assume that one thing will boost your credit score a specific number of points.

Some debtors are lead to believe that paying off a credit card bill will boost their credit score by 50 points while closing an unused credit account will result in 20 more points. Credit scores are certainly not this clear-cut or simple.

How much any one action will affect your credit score is impossible to gauge. It will depend on several factors, including your current credit score and the credit bureau calculating your credit score.

In general, though, the higher your credit score, the more small factors - such as one unpaid bill - can affect you. However, when repairing your credit score, you should not be equating specific credit repair tasks with numbers. The idea is to do as many things as you can to get your credit score as close to 800 as you are able. Even if you can improve your credit score by 100 points or so, you will qualify for better interest rates.

Get your Do It Yourself Credit Repair Kit and save hundreds if not thousands of dollars www.credithelp21.com

Do It Yourself Credit Repair "DIY" (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #15: Don’t make the mistake of closing lots of credit accounts just to improve your score.

This seems like a contradiction, but it really is not. Many people think that to improve their credit score, they just have to pay off some debts and close their accounts. This is not exactly accurate. There are several reasons to think carefully before closing your accounts.

First, if you close an account you need (for example, if you close all your credit card accounts) then you will have to reapply for credit, and all those inquiries from lenders will cause your credit score to actually drop.

Secondly, most credit bureaus give high favorable points to those who have a good long-term credit history. That means that closing the credit card account you have had since college may actually hurt you in the long run. If you have credit accounts that you don’t use or if you have too many credit lines, then by all means pay off some and close them. Doing so may help your credit score - but only if you don’t close long-term accounts you need. In general, close the most recent accounts first and only when you are sure you will not need that credit in the near future. Closing your accounts is a bad idea if:

1) You will be applying for a loan soon. The closing of your accounts will make your credit score drop in the short term and will not allow you to qualify for good loan rates.

2) Closing your accounts will make your overall debt balance too high. If you owe $10 000 now and closing some accounts would leave you with only $1000 of possible credit, you are close to maxing out your credit - which gives you a bad credit rating.

Use your credit wisely stay around 30% of your available credit limit for your strongest scores. got to www.questgroup-usa.com and use their free calculators (debt, rent vs. buy, refinancing, purchasing) you can also go to www.credithelp21.com and get your very own Do It Yourself Credit Repair Kit and save hundreds if not thousands of dollars.

Do It Yourself Credit Repair "DIY" (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #14: Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you only have one credit report.

Most people speak of having a “credit score” when in fact most people have at least three or more scores - and these scores can vary widely. There are three major credit bureaus in the country that develop credit reports and calculate credit scores. There are also a number of smaller credit bureau companies.

Plus, some larger lenders calculate their own credit risk scores based on information in your credit report. When repairing your credit score, then, you should not focus on one number - at the very least, you need to contact the three major credit bureaus and work on repairing the three credit scores separately. Go To www.credithelp21.com and get your very own Do It Yourself Credit Repair Kit with all the information you need.

Do It Yourself Credit Repair "DIY" (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #13: Be careful of online loan rate comparisons.

Online loan rate quotes are easy to get - type in some personal information and you can get a quote on your car loan, personal loan, student loan, or mortgage in seconds. This is free and convenient, leading many people to compare several companies at once in order to make sure that they get the best deal possible.

The problem is that since online quotes are a fairly recent phenomenon, credit bureaus count each such quote estimate as an “inquiry.” This means that if you compare too many companies online by asking for quotes, your credit score will fall due to too many “inquiries.”

This does not mean that you shouldn’t seek online quotes for loans - not at all. In fact, online loan quotes are a great resource that can help you get the very best rates on your next loan. What this information does mean, however, is that you should research companies and narrow down possible lenders to just a few before making inquiries. This will help ensure that the number of inquires on your credit report is small - and your credit rating will stay in good shape. The NEW rule is when looking for mortgage fin acing you have a 14 day window to have looks or pulls (inquires) and it will be treated as one inquiry. Go to www.questgroup-usa.com for more mortgage information and to www.credithelp21.com for more on your credit.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #12: Be careful of inquiries on your credit report.

Every time that someone looks at your credit report, the inquiry is noted. If you have lots of inquiries on your report, it may appear that you are shopping for several loans at once - or that you have been rejected by lenders. Both make you appear a poor credit risk and may affect your credit score. This means that you should be careful about who looks at your credit report. If you are shopping for a loan, shop around within a short period of time, since inquiries made within a few days of each other will generally be lumped together and counted as one inquiry.

You can also cut down on the number of inquiries on your account by approaching lenders you have already researched and may be interest in doing business with - by researching first and approaching second you will likely have only a few lenders accessing your credit report at the same time, which can help save your credit score. If you are looking for mortgage financing or need to use a free financial calculator go to http://www.questgroup-usa.com/ and go to http://www.credithelp21.com/ for you Do It Yourself Credit Repair Kit.

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #10: Check your credit score regularly

You are more likely to notice problems and inconsistencies if you check your credit score on a regular basis - at least once a year and preferably three times a year. Be sure to check your credit rating with each credit bureau, too. If you notice anything odd or anything you don’t recognize (such as a charge account you did not open) report it immediately.

Sometimes, these errors are caused by mistakes made at the credit bureau, but they could be an indication that someone is using your identity. In either case, such mistakes could hurt your credit score. Fixing such errors improves your credit score. Go to http://www.credithelp21.com/ to get more information and your "DIY" Credit Repair Kit.

If you think you have been the victim of identity theft, take action at once:

1) Contact the three major credit bureaus and ask to speak to the fraud department. Explain that you have been the victim of identity theft (or believe you may have been) and ask that an “alert” be placed on your file. This will let anyone looking at your report know that you may have been the victim of fraud. It will also mean that you will be alerted any time a lender asks to look at your file - each time a lender does look at your file, it may be an indication that the identity thieves are trying to open a new account in your name.

When the lender sees that the person applying is not you, they will deny the thieves credit and in most cases the criminals will stop trying to access your identity. Most alerts on your file last 90 or 180 days but you can extend this period to several years by asking the credit agencies for an extension of the “fraud alert” in writing.

In some states, you can even ask for a freeze to be placed on your credit score and credit report which will prevent anyone but yourself and those creditors you already have from accessing your file. Any lenders the thieves contact to set up a new account will be refused access and the thieves will not be able to get any more money in your name.

You are entitled to a free copy of your credit report if you have been the victim of identity theft. Be sure to take advantage of this offer so that you can check exactly how your credit has been affected. Dispute those items that are not yours. Go to http://www.credithelp21.com/ to get all the contact information by getting your Credit Reapir Kit.

2) Call the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-438-4338. This is the special hotline that the FTC has set up to help customers deal with fraud and identity theft. You will be able to get up-to-date information about your rights and advice as to what you can do to improve your credit score and keep in safe in the future.

3) Contact the police. Identity theft is a crime and you need to file a police report (be sure to keep a copy of this report) so that you can help the police potentially catch the criminals responsible. Contacting the police will also give you a paper trail and proof that a crime has been committed. Keeping a paper trail of the crime and your response will make it easier for you to repair your credit if it has been damaged by identity thieves.

4) Contact your creditors or any creditors that the identity thieves have opened an account with. Ask to speak to the security department and explain your predicament. You may need to have your accounts closed or at least your passwords changed to protect yourself.

You may also need to fill out a fraud affidavit to state that a crime has been committed - be sure to keep a copy of this form for your records. The security team of the creditors should be able to advise you as to what you can do. Be sure to note down who you contacted and when so that you have records of the steps you have taken to deal with the crime.

If you have been the victim of identity theft and you are deeply in debt to creditors you never contacted, you will not be held responsible for the charges - but you will have to prove that you have been the victim of identity theft, which is tricky since the thieves are using your name and claiming to be you.

It is a frustrating experience because lenders will want to be paid and you will want to avoid paying for charges you did not run up. Being persistent and keeping good proof that you have been the victim of a crime will help to clear your credit score. In the meantime, however, you will be faced with a much lower credit rating than you deserve and you may have to put off larger purchases that may require a loan.


Avoid Common Credit Score Mistakes


There are a few things that people do without realizing it that have a bad effect on their credit score. Follow these tips to avoid the common traps that can sink your credit risk rating:


Get all the information you need to protect your credit http://www.credithelp21.com/

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #9: Practice safe banking, safe computing, and safe business practices.

To stay safe from identity theft, always follow safe banking and financial practices:

1) Keep account numbers and PIN numbers safe. Cover your account and PIN numbers when using debit at the store and refuse to give your PIN number to anyone. Avoid writing down your PIN and account numbers - you never know when this information could fall into the wrong hands.

2) Only do business with businesses you trust.

3)If you get applications for credit cards in the mail that are “pre-approved” rip up the applications and enclosed letters before discarding them. No, this is not paranoid. Identity thieves sometimes go through garbage in order to find these forms so that they can fill them out and steal your identity.

4) If you use a computer, install good firewall and antivirus protection system and update it religiously. Better yet, take a course in safe computing at your local college or community center. You will learn many good tips for keeping all your information safe while you are online.

5) Never buy anything online from a company you do not trust of from a company that does not have encryption technology and a good privacy policy.

6) Even with all computer precautions, avoid providing private information through email or your computer. Be especially cautious if you get an email from your bank asking you to verify your information by clicking on a link - this is a popular scam that comes not from your bank but from criminals posing as your bank. Ignore the email and phone your bank about the message.

7) Be wary of unsolicited emails, phone calls, or mail advertisements. Most are from legitimate companies but there are companies who promise you a credit card over the telephone only to charge your existing credit card without sending you anything.

Similarly, letters will sometimes promise you specific items or services. Once you send in your credit card information (usually to a post office box) you hear no more from the company. If you need or want to buy something from a company, be sure to check the company’s standing with the Better Business Bureau first.

Send a money order instead of a check (which had your account number) or your credit card information. If you do use a credit card, report any unusual charges or any payments you made for a product that did not arrive to the credit card company.

In some cases, they can stop payment or refund your money as well as take steps to keep your credit card number safe.

8) Be wary of offers that seem too good to be true. If you get an offer for a ten million dollar check - for which you need to put down $5000 as a “sign if good faith”...if you get an offer for a free state-of-the art computer - if only you provide your account information... take a deep breath and consider before sending in your money and your information.

Offers that are too good to be true always are. Scam artists often rely on your belief in others and your trust to make money. They depend on the fact that you will be so excited about a product or service that you will throw good judgment out the window. Prove them wrong.

When faced with an offer that seems too good to be true, do some research on the web, through the Better Business Bureau, or ask the person making the offer some questions. Never take someone up on an offer that you have been given unsolicited unless the company and the offer both check out.

9) Read the fine print. Some services or companies will have tiny print in their contract or agreement that allows them to charge you extra hidden fees or that allows them to retract certain offers. If you get an offer through email or the mail, make it a habit to read the fine print.

10) Be alert for a sudden disruption in your mail service. If you do not get mail for some time, contact your post office and ask whether your address was recently submitted for a “change of address” service. It sounds strange, but it’s true.

One way that criminals steal identities is to change your address at the local post office. They redirect your mail to a post office box number and steal your mail looking for personal information such as bank statements, pre-approved credit card applications, and other pieces of mail they can use to steal your identity.

They use this information to pose as you with lenders and run up huge charges in your name. Simply keeping an eye out on your mail can help you keep your credit score safe. For all the facts and you very own "DIY" Do It Yourself Credit Repair Kit go to http://www.credithelp21.com/ and if you need mortgage information go to http://www.questgroup-usa.com/

Friday, December 12, 2008

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #8: Look out for identity theft.

Many people who are careful about paying bills on time and having minimal debts are shocked each year to find that they have low credit scores. In many cases, this happens as a result of identity theft. Identity theft is a type of crime in which people take your personal information and steal that information to pose as you in order to get access to your accounts or identity.

For example, someone with your PIN numbers can remove small amounts of money from your bank account each month or someone can use your name and personal information to get credit cards in your name and use those credit cards with no intention of paying back the money. You are stuck with the large debts and the poor credit score.

To prevent identity theft, always check your account statements carefully each month. Report any suspicious activity or any charges you don’t recognize at once. Also check your credit report regularly and immediately investigate any new credit accounts you do not recognize - this is the best way of detecting and acting on identity theft.

If you have been the victim of identity theft, report to the police at once and get a police statement. Send copies of this to your bank and credit bureaus. Better yet, get the credit bureaus to attach the report to your credit report, if you can. Close all your accounts and reopen new ones. You should not have to pay for someone else’s illegal activity.

www.credithelp21.com

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #7: Have a range of credit types.

The types of credit you have are a factor in calculating your credit score. In general, lenders like to see that you are able to handle a range of credit types well. Having some form of personal credit - such as credit cards - and some larger types of credit - such as a mortgage or auto loan - and paying them off regularly is better than having only one type of credit.


Keep Your Credit Score Safe


If you have a lower credit score that you would like, odds are that the score is caused by some small financial mistake or oversight you have made in the past. Not every person with bad credit has a low credit score caused by something they did, though. Sometimes, other people’s criminal activity can affect your credit score. There are a few tips that can keep you and your credit safe form online and financial predators:


www.credithelp21.com

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #6: Pay Down Your Debts

If you have a lot of debt, your credit score will suffer. Paying down your debts to a minimum will help elevate your credit score. For example, if you have a $1000 limit on your credit card and you regularly carry a balance of $900, you will be a less attractive credit risk to lenders than someone who has the same credit card but carries a smaller balance of $100 or so. If you are serious about improving your credit score, then start with the largest debt you have and start paying it down so that you are using a less large percentage of your credit total.

In general, try to make sure that you use no more than 50% of your credit. That means that if your credit card has a limit of $5000, make sure that you pay it down to at least $2500 and work at carrying no larger balance. If possible, reduce the debt even more. If you can pay off your credit card in full each month, that is even better. What counts here is what percentage of your total credit limit you are using - the lower the better.

www.credithelp21.com

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #5: Avoid excessive credit.

If you have many lines of credit or several huge debts, you make a worse credit risk because you are close to “overextending your credit.” This simply means that you may be taking on more credit than you can comfortably pay off. Even if you are making payments regularly now on existing bills, lenders know that you will have a harder time paying off your bills if your debt load grows too much.

The higher your debts the greater your monthly debt payments and so the higher the risk that you will eventually be able to repay your debts. Plus, statistical studies have shown that those with high debt loads have the hardest time financially when faced with a crisis such as a divorce, unemployment, or sudden illness.

Lenders (and credit bureaus who calculate your credit score) know that the more debt you have the greater problems you will have in case you do run into a life crisis.

In order to have a great credit score, avoid taking out excessive credit. You should stick to one or two credit cards and one or two other major debts (car loan, mortgage) in order to have the best credit rating. Do not apply for every new credit line or credit card “just in case.” Borrow only when you need it and make sure to make payments on your debts on time.

You should also know that taking out lots of new credit accounts in a relatively short period of time will cause your credit score to nosedive because it will look as though you are being financially irresponsible. Get your "DIY" Do It Yourself Credit Repair Kit at http://www.credithelp21.com/

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip # 4: Pay your bills on time.

One of the best ways to improve your credit score is simply to pay your bills on time. This is absurdly simple but it works very well, because nothing shows lenders that you take debts seriously as much as a history of paying promptly. Every lender wants to be paid in full and on time.

If you pay all your bills on time then the odds are good that you will make the payments on a new debt on time, too, and that is certainly something every lender wants to see. Experts think that up to 35% of your credit score is based on your paying of bills on time, so this simple step is one of the easiest ways to boost your credit score.

Paying your bills on time also ensures that you don’t get hit with late fees and other financial penalties that make paying your bills off harder. Paying your bills in a timely way makes it easier to keep making payments on time.

Of course, if you have had problems making your payments on time in the past, your current credit score will reflect this. It will take a number of months of repaying your bills on time to improve your credit score again, but the effort will be well worth it when your credit risk rating rebounds! Go to http://www.credithelp21.com/ to get your "DIY" Credit Repair Kit and start today and as always if you have a question please feel free to ask.

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #3: Develop an action plan for dealing with your credit score.

Once you have your credit report and your credit score, you will be able to tell where you stand and where many of your problems lie. If you have a poor score, try to see in your credit report what could be causing the problem:

-Do you have too much debt?
-Too many unpaid bills?
-Have you recently faced a major financial upset such as a bankruptcy?
-Have you simply not had credit long enough to establish good credit?
-Have you defaulted on a loan, failed to pay taxes, or recently been reported to a collection agency? Go to http://www.credithelp21.com/ and get your "DIY" Credit Repair Kit.

The problems that contribute to your credit problems should dictate how you decide to boost your credit score. As you read through these tips, highlight or jot down those tips that apply to you and from them develop a checklist of things you can do that would help your credit situation improve.

When you seek professional credit counseling or credit help, counselors will generally work with you to help you develop a personalized strategy that expressly addresses your credit problems and financial history. Now, with these tips, you can develop a similar strategy on your own - in your own time and at your own cost.

When developing your action plan, know where most of your credit score is coming from:

1) Your credit history (accounts for more than a third of your credit score in some cases). Whether or not you have been a good credit risk in the past is considered the best indicator of how you will react to debt in the future. For this reason, late payment, loan defaults, unpaid taxes, bankruptcies, and other unmet debt responsibilities will count against you the most. You can’t do much about your financial past now, but starting to pay your bills on time - starting today - can help boost your credit score in the future.

2) Your current debts (accounts for approximately a third of your credit score in some cases). If you have lots of current debt, it may indicate that you are stretching yourself financially thin and so will have trouble paying back debts in the future. If you have a lot of money owing right now - and especially if you have borrowed a great deal recently - this fact will bring down your credit score. You an boost your credit score by paying down your debts as far as you can.

3) How long you have had credit (accounts for up to 15% of your credit score in some cases). If you have not had credit accounts for very long, you may not have enough of a history to let lenders know whether you make a good credit risk. Not having had credit for a long time can affect your credit score. You can counter this by keeping your accounts open rather than closing them off as you pay them off.

4) The types of credit you have (accounts for about one tenth of your credit score, in most cases). Lenders like to see a mix of financial responsibilities that you handle well. Having bills that you pay as well as one or two types of loans can actually improve your credit score. Having at least one credit card that you manage well can also help your credit score.

As you can see, it is possible to only estimate how much a specific area of your credit report affects your credit score. Nevertheless, keeping these five areas in mind and making sure that each is addressed in your personalized plan will go a long way in making sure that your personalized credit repair plan is comprehensive enough to boost your credit effectively.


The Best Ways to Boost Your Credit Score

Because of the way credit scores are calculated, some actions you take will affect your credit score better than others. In general, paying your bills on time and meeting your financial responsibilities will boost your score the most. Owing a reasonable amount of money and being able to repay it will show lenders that you take your finances seriously and pose little threat of lost money. There are a few tips that, more than any other, will boost your credit score the most: for your very own "DIY" Do It Yourself Credit Repair Kit go to www.credithelp21.com

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

Tip #2: Keep the contact information for credit bureaus handy.

The three major credit bureaus are important to contact if you are going to be repairing your credit score. The major three credit agencies can help you by sending you your credit report. If you find an error on your credit report, these are also the companies you must contact in order to correct the problem. You can easily contact these organizations by mail, telephone, or through the Internet:

Equifax Credit Information Services, Inc
Address: P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374
Telephone: 1_888_766_0008
Online: www.equifax.com

TransUnion LLC Consumer Disclosure Center
Address: P.O. Box 1000
Chester, PA 19022
Telephone: 1_800_888_4213
Online: www.tuc.com

Experian National Consumer Assistance Center
Address: PO Box 2002
Allen, TX 75013
Telephone: 1_888_397_3742
Online: www.experian.com

You may want to note this information wherever most of your financial information is kept so that you can easily contact the bureaus whenever you need to. Your local yellow pages should also have the contact information of these credit agencies as well.

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself (100 tips in 30 days)

For the next 30 days I will be giving you 3 tips a day to help with your credit. Visit www.credithelp21.com for your very on "DIY" Do It Youreself Credit Repair Kit

Tip #1: Understand where credit scores come from.

If you are going to improve your credit score, then logic has it that you must understand what your credit score is and how it works. Without this information, you won’t be able to very effectively improve your score because you won’t understand how the things you do in daily life affect your score.

If you don’t understand how your credit score works, you will also be at the mercy of any company that tries to tell you how you can improve your score - on their terms and at their price.

In general, your credit score is a number that lets lenders know how much of a credit risk you are. The credit score is a number, usually between 300 and 850, that lets lenders know how well you are paying off your debts and how much of a credit risk you are.

In general, the higher your credit score, the better credit risk you make and the more likely you are to be given credit at great rates. Scores in the low 600s and below will often give you trouble in finding credit, while scores of 720 and above will generally give you the best interest rates out there. However, credit scores are a lot like GPAs or SAT scores from college days - while they give others a quick snapshot of how you are doing, they are interpreted by people in different ways. Some lenders put more emphasis on credit scores than others.

Some lenders will work with you if you have credit scores in the 600s, while others offer their best rates only to those creditors with very high scores indeed. Some lenders will look at your entire credit report while others will accept or reject your loan application based solely on your credit score.

The credit score is based on your credit report, which contains a history of your past debts and repayments. Credit bureaus use computers and mathematical calculations to arrive at a credit score from the information contained in your credit report.

Each credit bureau uses different methods to do this (which is why you will have different scores with different companies) but most credit bureaus use the FICO system. FICO is an acronym for the credit score calculating software offered by Fair Isaac Corporation company. This is by far the most used software since the Fair Isaac Corporation developed the credit score model used by many in the financial industry and is still considered one of the leaders in the field.

In fact, credit scores are sometimes called FICO scores or FICO ratings, although it is important to understand that your score may be tabulated using different software.

One other thing you may want to understand about the software and mathematics that goes into your credit score is the fact that the math used by the software is based on research and comparative mathematics. This is an important and simple concept that can help you understand how to boost your credit score. In simple terms, what this means is that your credit score is in a way calculated on the same principles as your insurance premiums.

Your insurance company likely asks you questions about your health, your lifestyle choices (such as whether you are a smoker) because these bits of information can tell the insurance company how much of a risk you are and how likely you are to make large claims later on. This is based on research.

Studies have shown, for example, that smokers tend to be more prone to serious illnesses and so require more medical attention. If you are a smoker, you may face higher insurance premiums because of this.

Similarly, credit bureaus and lenders often look at general patterns. Since people with too many debts tend not to have great rates of repayment, your credit score may suffer if you have too many debts, for example. Understanding this can help you in two ways:

1) It will let you see that your credit score is not a personal reflection of how “good” or “bad” you are with money. Rather, it is a reflection of how well lenders and companies think you will repay your bills - based on information gathered from studying other people.

2) It will let you see that if you want to improve your credit score, you need to work on becoming the sort of debtor that studies have shown tends to repay their bills. You do not have to work hard to reinvent yourself financially and you do not have to start making much more money. You just need to be a reliable lender. This realization alone should help make credit repair far less stressful!

Credit reports are put together by credit bureaus, which use information from client companies. It works like this: credit bureaus have clients - such as credit card companies and utility companies, to name just two - who provide them with information.

Once a file is begun on you (i.e. once you open a bank account or have bills to pay) then information about you is stored on the record. If you are late paying a bill, the clients call the credit bureaus and note this. Any unpaid bills, overdue bills or other problems with credit count as “dings” on your credit report and affect your score.

Information such as what type of debt you have, how much debt you have, how regularly you pay your bills on time, and your credit accounts are all information that is used to calculate your credit score.

Your age, sex, and income do not count towards your credit score. The actual formula used by credit bureaus to calculate credit scores is a well-kept secret, but it is known that recent account activity, debts, length of credit, unpaid accounts, and types of credit are among the things that count the most in tabulating credit scores from a credit report. Get you very own "DIY" Do It Yourself Credit Repair Kit www.credithelp21.com with over 300 pages of help, reports, and letters you can use to rebuild your credit and save hundreds if not thousands of dollars.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

The “Get-Off-My-Back” Wage Earner Plan

Using Federal Bankruptcy Act, Chapter XIII - Wage Earner Plan, you can file for immediate relief form unmerciful creditors and collection agencies. To be eligible, your monthly bills must exceed your income, and your major income must be earned from a salary or commission.
You can file for the Wage Earner Relief Plan simply by contacting your attorney or the US District Court nearest you. Ask to speak to the person who administers the plan.
Generally within three days of filing, a restraining order will be issued to all of your creditors. Which Will:
• 1) Stop creditors, collection agencies, lenders, or anyone else who has been notified from contacting or harassing you any further.
• 2) Immediately stop all action against you that had been initiated by creditor. (Note: For this relief plan to work, it must be accepted by a majority of your creditors. If the majority agrees to the plan, all others must comply.
• 3) Immediately stop interest and late charges from accumulating any further.

Get your Very Own "DIY" Do It Yourself Credit Repair Kit NOW! Svae hundreds if not thousands of dollars. http://www.blogger.com/www.credithelp21.com

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Christmas is Under 3 Weeks Away!

Wow, a little over two weeks till Christmas lots of shopping already done and I am sure a lot left to do for most. I hope your not charging it to float it with high interest for six months or longer. This can hurt your credit if you are over 50% of your available credit the best place to be is no more than 30% of your available credit. Read more of my blog for more “DIY” Do It Yourself tips or go to www.credithelp21.com for your very own “DIY” Do It Yourself Credit Repair Kit and save hundreds if not thousands of you hard earned dollars.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Are you watching your Credit Report?

There are over 5,000 credit reporting and collection agencies operating in the United States today. If a credit problem exists it may or may not be brought to your attention. For example, damaging inquiries and variations may appear in your file without your knowledge. However, if you apply for credit and there is a problem whereby you were rejected, you would be notified by the lender and told that the credit application denial was the result of a credit bureau report.
If you either know or suspect you have a credit problem, there is no way to know what you are up against unless you get a copy of your credit report. This is where any major roadblock to getting credit will surface.

Even before you attempt to obtain or increase credit lines, you should first obtain all credit reports that are available on you. You can accomplish that by calling for one or more of the credit bureaus listed and asking for your credit report. There may be a small fee for this service. However, if your application for credit is denied by a creditor, then you can receive a credit report at no charge from the credit reporting agency. We recommend that you do not wait until a credit card company, bank, or other lender denies your application for credit, before you obtain the report. Go to http://www.credithelp21.com/ for more information.

CREDIT REPORTING AGENCIES

Credit Bureaus are extremely powerful organizations. Going against a credit reporting agency is almost like a military encounter. Fortunately, once you’re armed with the Guerrilla Tactics provide at www.credithelp21.com , you can rise to the occasion of winning both the battle and the war!

In the beginning it may appear as if Credit Bureaus have the advantage. After all, if you are an adult living in America, the overwhelming odds are that a credit bureau somewhere knows who you are, where you live, the name of every employer you ever have worked for, how many times you applied for credit, how many times you were
denied or approved, and how many times you were late in making a payment. Similarly, it’s all in a credit report that once accessed by a subscriber, will tell them whether or not you should receive additional credit. The ultimate decision is arrived at by looking at the entries in your file. To get your “DIY” Do It Yourself Credit Repair Kit go to www.credithelp21.com

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Credit Repair "DIY" Do It Yourself and Save!

Obtaining credit can be incredibly easy or extremely difficult. Once you have established credit, it can open doors of opportunity you never even considered being a possibility. Credit can allow you to take the dream vacation of a lifetime, drive a luxury car, dress in the latest fashions, achieve the American dream of owning your own home, or starting your very own business.

The fact is, now that society has rapidly shifted into the fast-lane of being a cashless society, it would be almost unthinkable not to have credit. People, who have the misfortune of losing their good credit rating in today’s world, will most certainly immediately begin to feel like social outcasts.

It is a very traumatic experience when people find out something is wrong with their credit. Millions of people have been, and will continue to be notified they now have bad credit. Many don’t seem to understand how it all came about! What they do know, however, is that all of a sudden they aren’t as well-off as someone who still has their good credit.
Without good credit, people soon discover it’s difficult to just keep up with the no-frills, everyday existence items that are needed. Unless an individual knows how to improve, increase and repair their own credit, they will have to overcome many obstacles.

Most people don’t have the slightest idea where to begin. That’s where www.credithelp21.com can help you quickly improve and repair your good credit starting today!

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

THE FREE CREDIT CARD TRAP!!! (LOL FREE)

They arrive in your mail - a conspicuous looking mail piece from some “official looking” bank claiming that you have been Pre-Approved for a MasterCard or VISA credit card.
Of course, you don’t have to have any credit. You can even have bad credit or have just filed bankruptcy or even be rated as a “slow payer.” It doesn’t matter because these
companies want to give you a second chance! These companies want to make it easy for you to obtain a credit card because they only want your money!

How the thing works is that you must send $35 to receive an application that provides you with a name and address listing of banks willing to give you a VISA and/or MasterCard without any credit approval. That’s a stiff price to pay for a sheet of paper, don’t you think? The instructions that come with the application will let you know how the scheme works. You must open up a bank account with the bank once that bank approves you. Big deal! They make it appear that you have won some contest or something and people will feel “good inside” that someone has approved them.

But that’s not all. The minimum amount you must deposit is $200 but you can deposit as much as you want. In return, you get a MasterCard or VISA credit card with a credit limit up to the amount you deposit. Wow! What a great honor! This is no break! Think about it. If a stranger gave you $200 to hold for him until Friday wouldn’t you feel safe in granting them a $200 loan? I mean, it’s their own money you’ve got. If they default, you’ve got the full amount to pay off the loan. It takes a twisted mind to take $200 from you, grant you $200 credit with your own money plus charge you astronomical interest rates just to take the money from your hand and give it back to you. That’s insane! Go To http://www.credithelp21.com/ and get my "DIY" Do It Yourself Credit Repair Kit it comes with over 300 pages covering every aspect of your credit.
Plus the best proven how to dispute letters, it's best value on the internet or anywhere else. http://www.credithelp21.com

Charge it or pay Cash? Your Credit is at Stake!

If you have $200 and want to buy an item for $200, go out and purchase it. That way, you’ll own it lock, stock and barrel. No interest, no payments, no hassle! Plus, you won’t owe your soul to the company.

Credit is a wonderful thing if you use it intelligently. I know people who charge $100 at the beginning of the month and use that $100 to make $300. It’s free money for 30 days. Then, when the bill comes, they immediately pay the entire balance and come out smelling like a rose with $200 to the good. Credit is also needed in certain circumstances for establishing clout and help rebuilding your credit. But like I have always said IF you charge it make sure you can pay it of at the end of the month. Go to my website www.credithelp21.com and get your “DIY” Do It Yourself Credit Repair Kit and be in control of your future.

Credit Counseling can be BAD for Your Credit!!

“Credit Counseling” and “Commercial Counseling” services are two completely different things. Before you sign any papers that end up causing you even more financial harm, you better know who you are dealing with!

Whereas credit counseling services are generally non-profit, commercial counseling services (clinics) may charge you 10%-15% or more of your total debt. Meanwhile, the services provided by the non-profit agency are basically the same.

Just about everyone at one time or another has experienced some kind of problem with their cash flow. That’s when it became difficult to pay the monthly bills and keep up with credit obligations. When that happens, damaging information may begin to appear in your credit file, and bad times can become even worse.

For many people it becomes difficult, if not impossible to obtain any further credit, just when there is a desperate need for it. Unfortunately, banks, lenders, and other creditors do not extend credit on the basis of need. Credit can swiftly be taken away form anyone who cannot demonstrate they are a good credit risk.

Most people can be successful in overcoming credit rejections that have resulted due to damaging information showing up on a credit report. The problem that most people run into, is that they become desperate and will resort to anything and anyone that comes
along with false promises. Then they find themselves in deeper trouble because they’ve handed out more money they don’t have, to a crook who gives them nothing in return.

Giving you a grand-slam, clean-credit slate doesn’t happen by accident. There are a number of techniques and methods that can be utilized to create or restore a good credit record. For more information and to get your "DIY" DO It Yourself Credit Repair Kit go to www.credithelp21.com don't wait.