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Keeping your credit clean is essential to your overall financial health, and taking a proactive approach can help you stay on top of mistakes or behaviors that may dragging down your credit score. There are four primary steps you can take to give your credit a boost and protect your financial reputation.

1. Examine Your Credit Reports Closely Obtain a copy of your credit reports from each of the three national credit bureausExperian, Equifax and TransUnion. Each one may have slightly different information on file because lenders have discretion over which bureaus they report your payment information to. Therefore, its imperative to check your report with all three companies. Recent studies show that nearly 80 percent of credit reports contain some form of error, and roughly 25 percent of errors are serious enough to warrant a denial of credit. For this reason, check all of your information, ranging from your personal identifying data to your account balances.

2.

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If you plan on brandishing that black diamond engagement ring, popping the question, buying a home, and starting a family anytime this century you’re going to need good credit. Or, if you just need to take out a loan for your small business, this will require you having at least a 700 credit score, if not higher. No one’s going to lend money to someone with bad credit, nor is any real estate agent going to give you the time of day. The age of predatory lending is over; the dawn of financial responsibility is upon us. Here are some ways to beef up your credit score.

Make regular credit card payments. If you’re frequently late on making payments on your credit card, it’s going to adversely affect your credit score. If you can’t afford to pay off what you spend, you shouldn’t be using it. Period. And, if possible, have your available credit lowered. As it ridic

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Bethy

Credit Score: 709

Credit Health To-Do: I want to open a new credit card to continue building my credit. Ive only ever used credit minimally, so its time to start working on my credit in a more proactive way.

Best Money Tip: Save up cash for big items. Thanks to my parents money-saving ways, I hope to always keep debts to a minimum, only taking on a mortgage and maybe a car payment (eventually).

Danielle

Credit Score: 737

Credit Health To-Do: Id like to establish more credit. I also want to contribute more to my savings account and 401(k).

Best Money Tip: Always live within your means.

Eric

Credit Score: 757

Credit Health To-Do: Increase my credit lines and pay off auto loan.

Best Money Tip: Dont spend on luxuries just to impress others.

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Last week, one of our Credit Karma engineers snuck over to Berkeley and went to a vegan bakery to buy a very Berkeley-esque, gluten-free scone. When he went to pay, in place of the traditional “ka-ching” cash register was the sleek and sexy profile of an iPad equipped with a credit card terminal. In the midst of the busy downtown area where many local businesses are cash-only, a quick swipe and a few touch-screen clicks later, our CK engineer was out the door and munching healthfully ever after.

The use of mobile payments through mobile devices—iPhones, Androids, other Smartphones, and iPads—was a hot topic in the media, but yet to be seen around the consumer marketplace. It’s been mulling around news and blogs for months: companies competing for who has the better credit card swiping gadget, start-ups offering business transactions via text message, and special “bump” technology to exchange money when two phones make contact. But, cash reg

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The economy is driven by consumers and their buying power is enhanced through lines of credit available to them. Banks and other financial institutions whose business is to offer lines of credit and loans, need an effective system to evaluate the creditworthiness of loan applicants. For this purpose, credit scores were introduced. An excellent credit score almost guarantees that you will be favorably considered for a loan by any financial institution. The question that often keeps popping up all the time is, ‘What is an excellent credit score?’. In this article I’ll provide an estimate of what constitutes an excellent credit score rating.

About Credit Scores

In most countries, including the USA, the system used to make an objective evaluation of creditworthiness and debt repaying ability of a loan applicant, is the usage of a credit score system. Full Post…