
CHECK YOUR CREDIT REPORT
Today was a hot day in Los Angeles. It was over 100 degrees. I am happy to be at my desk blogging in 74 degrees! We had talked last time about paying on time every month. This is HUGE! Once you do that for a while, you need to check your credit with Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. Why? Mistakes happen. You have worked hard to reestablish your credit. You need to check it at least once every six months. You also want to obtain your score at least once a year. Yo

DO NOT APPLY TOO MUCH FOR CREDIT
Welcome to the month of August. Parents, enjoy your last days of no school with your kids. Soon, you will be making lunches, taking them to school, helping with homework (or at least trying. I don’t know if I am smarter than a third grader anymore), and dealing with school activities. You are about to get a lesson in credit here. Everytime you apply for a credit card or a loan, your credit score gets affected. Although it is minimal, it still makes a difference. There i

PAY ON TIME EVERY MONTH
Why is it so important for you to make your payments on time? You have to understand that the way creditors judge a score is called a risk score. That is, how much of a risk are you to go bad with your payments? When you are currently late with your payment or have been late last month, you are much more of a risk to go delinquent than someone who has never been late. The most important thing you can do is to build up and maintain your score by paying your bills on time.

ONLY CHARGE WHAT YOU CAN PAY
Blogging on a Saturday night in Los Angeles. My life is a little slow these days! But it is helping my credit. How, you might ask? This is the second step in our conversation. It has been an expensive month. Kids had some unexpected medical bills and my house had some plumbing issues. How is me being home helping my credit? Because I am not charging up my credit cards. I have disciplined myself into charging only what I can afford. If I am not going to be able to pa