04/23/2021
1. On-time payments (35% of your score)
The most important thing: Pay your bills on time! Even if you miss just one payment or pay late, your score can be affected drastically. Late or missed payments may usually have a less effect after three years but may stay on your report for seven to ten years.
2. Credit utilization rate (30% of your score)
How much you’ve spent on your credit cards compared to your credit limit. If you have a $1,000 credit limit and an outstanding balance of $150, then your credit utilization rate for that card would be 15%. Keep your utilization rate as low as possible; this helps to convince creditors that you use the credit you’ve been given responsibly.
3. Age of credit (15% of your score)
Creditors like to see that you have a solid history of managing credit. Your credit report averages together the length of time you’ve had each of your accounts to get your overall average age of credit — so if you had a 2-year-old credit card and a 4-year-old student loan, your age of credit would be three years. The longer the better.
4. Credit inquiries (10% of your score)
When you apply for some type of credit, the company processing your application will need to view your credit report to decide whether they want to lend you the money. They have to get your permission first, because every request the credit bureaus receive on your behalf stays on your report. Typically, three to four hard inquiries a year is considered good, and an inquiry drops off your report after two years. But if you’re trying to boost your score, try not to get any new inquiries for a while. You can also dispute any inquiries that are wrong to get them removed from your report.
5. Types of credit (10% of your score)
The last thing that affects your credit score is variety. The more ,the better, think credit cards, auto loans, student loans, personal loans, etc. This is a sign that you can handle having multiple types at once.
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