5 Simple Steps You Can Take Now to Repair Your Credit

Most people who find themselves in need of debt relief because of a bad credit report don’t even want to think about credit repair. It takes way too long to do, it’s complicated as hell, and why oh why do we have to live in a society that places so much value on one number?! Well, cheer up. The process of fixing bad credit is a long one, but it’s nowhere near as hard as most people fear it is. To help ease you into the process, and try and make it a little less painful to think about, here are 5 easy steps you can take towards rebuilding your credit NOW. 1. Check your credit report. This is where you’re going to need to start, so order a free copy of your credit report from annualcreditreport.com if you don’t have one already. Review the report for any and all inaccurate information (anything from duplicate accounts to errors in dollar amounts or misspelled names) and write a letter to the bureau containing the information and ask that they have it looked into by your creditors. If any information in your credit trade lines is verified as inaccurate, it will be corrected. 2. Order your credit score. If you’ve been avoiding looking at it this long, it’s time to saddle up and order your credit score online. Knowing your credit score will give you a good idea of where you stand now, and how much work you’ll have to do. While there’s no free way (yet) to check your score online, you can sign up on myFICO.com to peek at your numerical worth for $15. Just be sure not to sign up for their monthly watch program, unless you want updates on your credit score every 30 days. 3. Fire up those old credit cards. If you’ve got a stack of old credit cards laying around that you never touch anymore, it’s time to decide what you want to do with them. Depending on the age of the cards (how long you’ve had them open), you may want to consider keeping them around. After all, the length of your credit history makes up 15% of your overall credit score, according to FICO, so check each cards’ limits and rates and keep at least 3 open and in good standing. 4. Weigh your rewards. Everybody loves credit card rewards, but not everyone actually cashes in on them. When you’re going through your credit cards, check their reward and rebate options and see if you’re eligible for any that you haven’t followed up on already. You can also use each card’s reward options to decide which ones you want to keep open, and which would best be left untouched. 5. Call in the pros. If you’re still feeling overwhelmed by the process, of you just don’t have the time to deal with it all on your own, consider consulting a service for credit repair help. I know many of them seem like scams, so look for companies that stay away from making high financial promises and instead work to help you negotiate pay for deletion agreements so you can wipe out your existing debts so you can start fresh.