How to improve your credit score in one year's time

Throughout the years, I have been asked the same question repeatedly. How do I improve my credit score? My answer for the questions was through multiple tactics. You see when you are suffering from a poor score you have to apply various techniques to improve it over time. In this article, I will disclose these tips that will help you increase your score over a year's time. 

Don’t pay off old debt

Paying off outdated negative bills can actually hurt your score by renewing the date of the last activity of the debt and making it current. Instead of paying off old debt, let them fall off or negotiate for a complete deletion.

Your true credit card balance

If you know that your credit card balance is lower than what the credit bureau is showing, write the card company, and have them update your card balance with the credit bureaus, so that your score will increase. 

Applying for a car or a mortgage

If you are planning to buy a new car or a house within six months, then don't apply for new a new loan, which can lower your score and stop you from getting the car or house. Instead work on improving your credit report by settling your debts for pennies on the dollar and having negative items completely removed.  By doing this will improve your score dramatically.

Don’t apply for a retail store charge card just to get the discount

If you apply for a retail store card, you will lower your score in three ways. First, retail cards have low limits, and if you buy an item that will push your card to the max, it will lower your score. Second, when you open a new account, it will lower the total age on the rest of your cards. Third, it will produce a hard inquiry, which can lower your score by five points. So don’t apply for these cards while you are trying to improve your score.

Ask them to remove the late entry

This technique is good if you have a long history with the creditor and have not been delinquent more than two times. Write a letter to the lender a professional letterhead explaining that you are loyal to the company, and that you would like their assistance in removing a few late entries on your credit report. If they grant the removal, this could increase your score by 30 points.

Check your credit report and score on a regular bases

You can check it once or three times a year, but it is best to check it every four months. If someone steals your identity and open accounts in your name, call the bureaus and asked them to put either a 90-day or a seven-year fraud alert (a notification by the creditor when someone tries to open an account in your name) in your file. You can even place a credit freeze (the creditor or lender can't pull your report without your permission) on your account. When you are a victim of Identity Theft, the law allows you to get a free credit report from all three bureaus. By monitoring your report, it will give you a chance to stop fraudulent use and damage to your score. You will also see if your score is improving as you pay down bills.  

As you can see it takes time and patience when trying to improve your financial picture, but it’s not impossible. Not that you are empowered with new information, go out there, and take action.