How do you improve your credit score?

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Many individuals hit a bump in the road with finances at some point in life. Others are limited to very few opportunities to build credit history. Here are some great tips to help get your credit score going in the right direction:

1. Pay your bills on time, paying at least the minimum amount due.
2. Be mindful of your credit balances vs. your credit limits and keep your balance at or below 30% of your total credit available on each card.
3. If you have delinquencies or collections, work at getting them paid off and caught up.
4. Making multiple smaller payments throughout the month instead on one payment on your credit card can help to improve your score. This equates to paying less in interest and helps to keep your credit utilization ratio lower throughout the billing cycle.
5. Monitor your credit reports for inaccurate information and file a dispute on any items you find that are not right. This may include your identity, the spelling of your name and last names, etc…,

Improving your score takes time. Be patient and continue working at it, you’ll thank yourself later because many decisions are based on your credit score.    For more information, we recommend contacting a credit counselor.