5 Ways to Improve Your Credit

Your credit score affects your ability to get a loan, get housing, and even obtain/maintain a security clearance. Improve your credit score with these five tips.

1. Pay your bills on time, every time. 35% of your credit score is built on credit history. If you’re in the habit of making late payments, it can significantly impact your score. Depending on how late your payments are and for how long you continue to make late payments, you could hurt your score.
2. Maintain a low credit card balance because the closer you reach your credit limit, the more points you’re likely to knock off your credit score. High utilization could drag down your score!
3. Refrain from constantly closing old accounts and opening new ones. Your credit score can take a hit when you open new lines of credit; plus, the age of an account factors into your score, so the longer you’ve had an account open, the better. Opening new lines of credit could decrease your credit score.
4. Look out for fraudulent activity. Identity theft can cost thousands of dollars to repair and can ruin your credit. Check your credit report for suspicious activity – like accounts you didn’t open – that may mean someone has stolen your personal information, so you have a better chance of catching fraudulent acts before they get out of hand.
5. Periodically check your credit report for errors. Each major credit bureau (Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian) has action steps for reporting and correcting errors; therefore, if you see a mistake, visit the reporting agency’s website.  Visit AnnualCreditReport.com to request your free credit reports from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

Did you know that MSA members can view their TransUnion credit score and access their TransUnion credit report right from their member dashboard? Plus, viewing them through MSA won’t negatively impact the score. MSA members can also get 24/7 credit monitoring of credit activity reported by TransUnion. When suspicious activity is detected, alerts are sent via email or text to help provide the ability to confirm whether that activity is fraudulent or not.

If you have more questions about how credit scores work, talk to your Money Coach, who can help you create an action plan to boost your credit score and provide some next steps for looking through your credit reports and protecting yourself from identity theft. It’s easy to get started. Call 888-724-2326 today.

This content is for informational purposes only and does not guarantee eligibility for the program or its services. My Secure Advantage® does not monitor every transaction at every business. No service can stop all identity theft events. My Secure Advantage, Inc. or any of its representatives do not endorse any of the websites or company names listed here.