6 Tips You Can Use to Help Improve Your Credit Score
AppleMagazine|October 14, 2022
Credit scores are complicated and because rating agencies consider many factors, the process of improving them can look different for everyone.
6 Tips You Can Use to Help Improve Your Credit Score

When Willard Carpenter, 68, wanted a loan to open a new business, he realized that his credit score was not high enough to get approved. After checking his credit history, he found several issues he needed to solve.

Carpenter’s credit was heavily affected by credit card debt that his father left on their joint account after his death over a year and a half ago. He’s also had no credit cards for at least 10 years — he stopped using them after he declared bankruptcy due to credit card debt.

Now, he is working with a financial advisor to erase his father’s debt from his history and start building up his credit in a safe way.

Here are some tips for how you can do the same:

KNOW YOUR STARTING POINT

The first step towards increasing your credit score is knowing your current score and what is showing in your credit report, said Kristin Myers, editor in chief of The Balance, a personal finance website.

“You can’t fix what you don’t know,” she said. “See if there are any errors or if you’ve previously made a dispute and it keeps showing up.”

Once you see what is in your report, you can start identifying where you might have weaknesses. For example, if you have a large amount of debt on one of your credit cards, start paying off that debt to reduce the credit utilization that is affecting your credit score.

This story is from the October 14, 2022 edition of AppleMagazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the October 14, 2022 edition of AppleMagazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM APPLEMAGAZINEView All
AUSTRALIA WON'T FORCE SOCIAL MEDIA USERS TO SHARE THEIR PERSONAL DETAILS WHEN CHILD BAN TAKES EFFECT
AppleMagazine

AUSTRALIA WON'T FORCE SOCIAL MEDIA USERS TO SHARE THEIR PERSONAL DETAILS WHEN CHILD BAN TAKES EFFECT

Australia’s communications minister said this week the government won’t force social media users to hand over their personal information to tech companies, as children younger than 16 are set to be banned from the platforms.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 22, 2024
FORD, FACING ECONOMIC HEADWINDS AND WEAK EV SALES, TO CUT 4,000 JOBS IN EUROPE
AppleMagazine

FORD, FACING ECONOMIC HEADWINDS AND WEAK EV SALES, TO CUT 4,000 JOBS IN EUROPE

Ford Motor Co. says it will reduce its workforce by 4,000 in Europe and the U.K. by the end of 2027, citing headwinds from the economy and pressure from increased competition and weaker than expected sales of electric cars.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 22, 2024
SPIRIT AIRLINES FILED FOR BANKRUPTCY. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR TRAVELERS?
AppleMagazine

SPIRIT AIRLINES FILED FOR BANKRUPTCY. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR TRAVELERS?

Spirit Airlines, the largest budget carrier in the U.S., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this week. The airline said customers should not see any disruption to their travel plans while the process unfolds.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 22, 2024
MEET THE WORKOUT GROUP THAT GETS PEOPLE EXERCISING OUTDOORS, EVEN IN THE DEAD OF WINTER
AppleMagazine

MEET THE WORKOUT GROUP THAT GETS PEOPLE EXERCISING OUTDOORS, EVEN IN THE DEAD OF WINTER

The sun had yet to come up in Edmonton, Alberta, and it was more than 20 degrees below zero. Tanis Smith layered up anyway, ready to run up and down hundreds of stairs among the trees in the Saskatchewan River Valley.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 22, 2024
ABOUT 20% OF AMERICANS REGULARLY GET THEIR NEWS FROM INFLUENCERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA, REPORT SAYS
AppleMagazine

ABOUT 20% OF AMERICANS REGULARLY GET THEIR NEWS FROM INFLUENCERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA, REPORT SAYS

About one in five Americans - and a virtually identical share of Republicans and Democrats regularly get their news from digital influencers who are more likely to be found on the social media platform X, according to a report released this week by the Pew Research Center.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 22, 2024
COMCAST TO SPIN OFF CABLE NETWORKS, ONCE STAR PERFORMERS FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT GIANT
AppleMagazine

COMCAST TO SPIN OFF CABLE NETWORKS, ONCE STAR PERFORMERS FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT GIANT

Comcast will spin off many of its cable television networks that were once at the heart of the entertainment giant, with people increasingly swapping out their cable TV subscriptions for streaming platforms.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 22, 2024
NEW PENTAGON REPORT ON UFOS INCLUDES HUNDREDS OF NEW INCIDENTS BUT NO EVIDENCE OF ALIENS
AppleMagazine

NEW PENTAGON REPORT ON UFOS INCLUDES HUNDREDS OF NEW INCIDENTS BUT NO EVIDENCE OF ALIENS

The Pentagon’s latest report on UFOs has revealed hundreds of new reports of unidentified and unexplained aerial phenomena but no indications suggesting an extraterrestrial origin.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 22, 2024
AMAZON AND ELON MUSK'S SPACEX CHALLENGE LABOR AGENCY'S CONSTITUTIONALITY IN FEDERAL COURT
AppleMagazine

AMAZON AND ELON MUSK'S SPACEX CHALLENGE LABOR AGENCY'S CONSTITUTIONALITY IN FEDERAL COURT

Attorneys for Amazon and Elon Musk’s SpaceX argued in a federal appeals court Monday that the National Labor Relations Board’s structure is unconstitutional, advancing a legal fight that may last into the Trump administration where Musk is expected to oversee bureaucratic cost-cutting.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 22, 2024
FORGET DRIVERLESS CARS.ONE COMPANY WANTS AUTONOMOUS HELICOPTERS TO SPRAY CROPS AND FIGHT FIRES
AppleMagazine

FORGET DRIVERLESS CARS.ONE COMPANY WANTS AUTONOMOUS HELICOPTERS TO SPRAY CROPS AND FIGHT FIRES

When Hector Xu was learning to fly a helicopter in college, he recalled having a few “nasty experiences” while trying to navigate at night.

time-read
4 mins  |
November 22, 2024
DELTA CEO SAYS THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WILL REVERSE GOVERNMENT OVERREACH' SEEN UNDER BIDEN
AppleMagazine

DELTA CEO SAYS THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WILL REVERSE GOVERNMENT OVERREACH' SEEN UNDER BIDEN

The chief executive of Delta Air Lines says the incoming Trump administration will be a “breath of fresh air” for airlines after what he called government “overreach” under President Joe Biden.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 22, 2024