Baby Steps to a Better Credit Score
Starting Today and sporadically through the next few weeks, I will chronicle the steps I take as I go through my credit report, disputing items and removing others. You are welcome to join me in the process, ask questions as I go or just sit back and see if I accomplish anything.
I had gone through my credit report about two years ago, disputing a wide variety of things that were wrong after the bankruptcy that took place 8 years ago. Therefore, the big items are pretty much cleared up, including the fun court process I got to go through. (A story for another time)
First item of business is getting my credit score. Personally, I only like to go through Myfico.com to get all three as they seem to have more history behind them and seem to be more standardized. Using a score from one of the credit agencies isn’t always a good idea as many times they are off from the fico, and the fico is the more preferred way to check your score by banks and others.
After buying my score, which comes with a report on all three agencies, I quickly go over anything that may stand out as incorrect. But in order to dispute an item, I will need the credit report from the agency itself.
Next step is to call, give my current address and get a free credit report, every state has this ability. Also,if you have been denied credit or a job, this entitles you to a free report as well.
Phone numbers to call the three credit agencies:
TRANSUNION – 800-888-4213
EXPERIAN — 888-397-3742
EQUIFAX – 800-685-1111
Now I just wait for the reports to show up and we’ll take it from there. Stay Tuned.
Summary:
1. Buy your credit score from MYFICO.com (code: CPPSAVINGS for 20% off)
2. Scan the report that comes with the score, for any errors
3. If you have disputes, call the credit agencies to get your reports sent
Ugh…I have been going trhough some credit spiff up myself the last few months. I have found http://www.creditboards.com an amazing resource. Also, From Credit Repair to Credit Millionaire by Donna Fox. This is such a great topic- credit is so powerful and so many of us don’t take the time to learn how to use it properly!
Thanks for walking us through this experience with you. I’ve worked with many people who ignore their credit scores and reports. They are intimidated by and afraid to deal with the credit bureaus. I look forward to learning from your journey.
I wish High Schools would teach kids about their credit scores and the impact they make in the real world.
You can actually get a free annual credit report from https://www.annualcreditreport.com from each of the nationwide consumer credit reporting companies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Again, you can get it once every 12 months. I thought the level of detail was decent. It isn’t the easiest site to use, but it did get me what I want. I believe i had to fork up a little $ to get my actual FICO score which I did because I wanted it.
Thanks for sharing your process with us. I agree with you that it would be swell if children were taught these real-world skills.