Jump-Start Your Credit: Find and Fix Errors on Your Credit Report
February 1, 2021 8:00 AM Bev O Shea
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Checking your credit reports can help you ensure that the information being used to calculate your credit scores is accurate and up to date. That’s valuable when you’re working on building credit. It’s also good to see what potential creditors see when they check your credit.
Once you’ve used AnnualCreditReport.com to get your reports from the three major credit bureaus, here’s what to look for and what to do if you find errors.
Skim through your reports
Jump-Start Your Credit: Get Your Credit Reports
January 25, 2021 8:00 AM Bev O Shea
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Credit scores are designed to help lenders understand how likely you are to repay borrowed money. Credit-scoring companies apply a mathematical formula to data about how you’ve handled credit in the past and that data comes from your credit reports.
You have a right to see your credit reports, and taking a look at them is a key part of working on your credit. It lets you verify that the information is accurate and timely, and also gives you an idea of how potential lenders or even employers might view you.
Mark Lennihan/AP
FILE - In this April 3, 2019, file photo a tip box is filled with U.S. currency in New York. Refinancing can pay off your existing student loans, replacing them with a new loan with new terms and a single payment. Some private refinance lenders allow you to consolidate your loans with your spouseâs or co-sign a loan for him or her. This may benefit you if you wouldnât qualify for refinancing on your own. But combining or co-signing loans puts you on the hook for the entire debt. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
By: Bev OâShea, Nerd Wallet
WKBT
January 11, 2021 11:00 AM Liz Weston
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NerdWallet
Welcome to NerdWallet’s Smart Money podcast, where we answer your real-world money questions.
This week’s episode starts with a discussion of COVID-related scams, how to avoid them and what to do if you’re victimized including freezing your credit if you’ve revealed personal financial information.
Then we pivot to talking about small money goals and changes that can have an immediate positive impact on your finances.
Check out this episode on any of these platforms:
Our take
Ambitious money goals, like buying a house or saving for retirement, can take a long time to reach. But there are plenty of smaller money goals that can improve your finances quickly.