Why You Need To Improve Your Credit Rating
Your credit rating is an important tool that you should check regularly and look at how to improve it, rather than demolishing it, with each purchase you make. Your credit rating holds potential power over you and the reason your credit application fails or offered at a higher interest rate; it can affect your mobile phone contract is just one of the reasons why you can’t secure a rented property. In essence, your credit report holds many keys and it is up to you to look after it and make sure it is working for you and not against you.
Why Improve Your Credit Rating
Your credit rating is what companies judge your financial position on, they look at your credit rating and depending on how you run your finances, will look at whether you are an acceptable risk or not.
The companies that use your credit report to judge you are larger than you think; a mobile contract is going to see if you are a risk, they want to take. A landlord also wants to know about your risk, are you going to pay your rent on time?
The only thing that is reliable at giving an accurate picture of someone’s financial position is looking at his or her credit report; it holds information on your ability to pay debt quickly and on time. This enables people to build a financial picture and to consider the risk and if they are willing to take that risk.
If you take the time to improve your credit rating, it can have a positive outcome on many areas of your life; most importantly, it will have a positive effect on any future credit applications, potentially saving you money in interest repayments.
How To Improve Your Credit Rating
Your credit rating is something that you won’t get to see unless you ask for it, some companies charge you for this information, whilst others give this information out for free. It is best to find out where to get this information from in relation to where you currently live, as different areas have different regulations.
This is the most important place to start; you can’t improve something if you are unsure where you are currently situated.
One important factor that improves your credit score is paying bills on time; I know this from my time working in the banking industry. If you are forgetful, set up an automatic payment to come out of your account before the bill is due. This way you are not going to get negative feedback to the credit score companies with references to late payments. The percentage of the score rates highly in this area and therefore, tackling late payments can and will have a positive impact on your score.
Credit cards, I am not completely against them, in some circumstances they are a good tool, but only when the consumer knows how to use the system to their advantage. In everyday use, they are access to an easy form of credit, which is too tempting for many people to use.
If you don’t have the money then in truth you shouldn’t spend on a credit card, this is asking for more problems in the end. If, however, you do have a credit card, try to pay off the balance each month. If you can’t manage this, try putting as much as you can towards the debt. Not only are you being charged interest on your purchases you are also having a negative impact on your credit rating.
This is because anybody looking at your credit report can see the outstanding credit that you have and can compare the amount of credit with the outstanding balance and can work out how much debt you have; this affects the amount of credit you have available from different companies.
Therefore, by reducing your debt, paying bills on time, you are making the right choices to improve your credit rating. The best way to tackle this is through creating a budget and telling your money what you want it to do. This article will help you with that budget creation.
How Will It Help Me?
Improving your credit rating will help your overall financial position; however, there are some instances where it will not make any difference to your living. If you don’t use any form of credit, this includes utility bills, mobile phone contracts and own your home, having a great credit score might not have many benefits.
However, many people will have some of these forms of credit and having an improved credit score could potentially save them money.
By having a great credit score, it can and will help you in the future, you will be able to get access to financial products at a better rate of interest, potentially saving you money.
In addition, if you spend time with your financial credit report you are going to notice the information that goes into making these reports and it might help you set some realistic financial goals for the future.
The benefits to your credit report are not going to show immediately, it is a long-term plan that you need to commit to, but each transaction you make and every financial decision can have a long-term impact on your credit report.
Is There Hope?
Is there is hope? Financial decisions and improving your financial status isn’t easy, it is a difficult road ahead and there will be bumps in the way, but what’s important is that the choice is yours. If you want to move forward and into a better relationship with money then it will take hard work and commitment, but as with anything, if you’re committed to improving your credit score, to live more financially aware, then there is hope.
Therefore, if you are looking to improve your credit rating then it is important to start now. Find out what your credit report looks like and the changes you need to make and improve your financial decisions to improve your own credit rating. It isn’t easy, there are always obstacles in the way that want to test you. However, sticking to the commitment to improve your credit rating will have a positive impact on your future financial decisions that you will need to make. Choose now not to pay higher interest rates or gamble with a home for you in the future and improve your credit rating now!