We hear from a lot of people in January or February when they find out that they have a late payment on their credit report.  They often say that they were out of town and didn’t get the mail in time, or perhaps they just missed that bill among all the other mail they had to go through when [...]

   The number one factor in your credit score is Payment History.  Paying all bills on time, each and every month, is the best way to build your credit rating over time and to get better credit scores. 
WHAT IS A LATE PAYMENT ON A CREDIT REPORT?
Typically, late payments of less than 30 days do not [...]

Today, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) approved new rules for the credit card industry; the Federal Reserve and the National Credit Union Administration are expected to approve the same rules later today.  They are supposed to protect consumers from unfair and expensive practices.  But they don’t go into effect until July 2010, [...]

   It happens every year.  We hear from people in February or March who just found out they have a late payment on their credit report.  Followed by, “We were out of town and didn’t get the mail in time” or “I just missed it in all the other mail that piled up while we [...]

As part of your personal Financial Fitness Plan, you need to read every financial document you get.  Yes, really.  Everything.  You’re probably wondering how this could possibly be connected to improving your credit rating and getting a better credit score.  There are actually several ways.  The bonus is that almost all of them can help you save [...]