credit score

Congratulations! You've Ubered and Grubhubbed and online-shopped your way into credit card debt. Now you're an adult who's incurred enough debt to make a credit card company very frustrated with you. Welcome to the maxed out club!

The first time you realize that you've maxed out a credit card, you may panic, but there are many recourses you can take that aren't openly advertised by credit card companies. Some will impact your credit score more than others, but if you've come this far, you've probably realized that a credit score is just life's homework, and there's always a way to half-ass the assignment during homeroom.

Debt Forgiveness

NationalDebtRelief.com

Listen: Credit card companies are like distant relatives from whom you've been forced to borrow money. You are fully expected to pay it back; but sometimes they just give up on you. If you've been missing multiple payments and are clearly falling behind what you could ever feasibly repay, you can call your creditor to negotiate a way to settle your debt. You reach an agreement to pay a lower amount than what you owe, and they agree to forgive the difference.

It's not a perfect plan, however; a note is added to your credit report that you've settled a debt you couldn't pay. Your credit score could take a hit, plus any forgiven balance over $600 is counted as "taxable income" by the IRS, meaning you could end up owing taxes on it.

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Most people don't shop around for the best car loan before taking the plunge on a new ride. But if you financed your car at an auto dealership or if your credit has improved in recent years, you're probably one of the majority of Americans paying too much on their auto loan. Luckily, rateGenius is here to help you refinance your car loan payments. rateGenius has over 20 years experience in negotiating with lenders, meaning you don't have to! It takes minutes to apply and you'll be in charge the whole way through. You probably don't realize how much you could be saving if you simply restructured your monthly payments…..


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Deciphering the factors that contribute to a credit score and the ways to improve that magic financial number might seem intimidating, but achieving the great credit score of your dreams is a somewhat simple matter of discipline and attention.

Whether your score is poor or on the verge of great, you know you want to improve it because you've already checked it. Understanding what constitutes your score means more than knowing the number, though. There are three major bureaus that report your credit: Equifax (yes, that Equifax), Experian and TransUnion. It's smart to check all three reports annually for errors or inaccurate information.

A credit score is based on payment history, credit utilization, length of history, credit mix and the amount of inquiries on your accounts.

Some of these factors are worth more than others and the two highest-weighted factors are your payment history and credit utilization. To optimize your score, you'll need to manage all of these factors carefully. Here are the best tips to improve your credit score.

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