Strategy to manage credit and impaired credit issues

• Middle credit scores of 500-549
• Middle credit scores 550-579
• Bankruptcy Chapter 7, 2 years from date of discharge with reestablished credit   
• Foreclosures 3 years from date of trustee's deed

Build and Maintaining a Great Credit Profile

Your credit report represents how well you manage your financial responsibilities. The good news is that your negative information drops off over time but the positive information remains. Building a strong and consistent history of responsibly using credit is the foundation to building a great credit profile. Although it’s relatively easy to gain access to new credit such as credit cards, there are many best practices to use and common traps to avoid. Here are a few easy tips for effectively building your credit history.

Applying for new credit

Once you have credit

- Pay your bills on time. Most lenders look at the most recent information on a report. So if you've paid your accounts on time for the last two to three years, the lender may weigh that more heavily than a series of late payments from five years ago.

-Set up a budget, and follow it. This is so much easier said than done! A credit coach can help provide you guidance on creating and managing a budget based on current income and debt as well as your short- and long-term credit needs. In the age of self-help and empowerment, managing your finances should top your list. The key is not to over-extend yourself.

- Develop and follow a plan for the type of credit you have, how you use it, and the type of credit you may need in the near future.

- Review your credit report periodically throughout each year

- At least 60 to 90 days before making a major purchase (such as a home, car or large household goods) you should prepare by reviewing your credit profile to help ensure it is optimized

- Continual evaluation of your credit profile is necessary to ensure you are not paying unnecessary interest expenses (i.e., you could qualify for lower rates and better terms). The average homeowners spend an estimated $300,000 in their lifetimes on unnecessary interest expenses

- Ensure no fraudulent or erroneous activity has occurred related to credit profile. An estimated one in eleven families was a victim of identity theft last year.

Getting help

A personal credit coach can be incredibly valuable whether you understand credit or not. Having a credit coach is similar to an asset manager except it’s for your liabilities. A coach will work closely with you to explain your credit profile, provide you guidance with ways you can more effectively manage it, and can help you evaluate it on an ongoing basis. Changes continually occur for all of us. Jobs change, unforeseen expenses happen and so on. If you begin to fall behind on your payments.

It’s important to note that The Credit Repair Organization Act is a federal law that prohibits credit repair clinics from taking a consumer's money until they have fully completed the services they promised. It also requires such firms to provide consumers with a written contract stating all the services to be provided and the terms and conditions of payment. Consumers also have three days to withdraw from the contract.

Wall Street Journal January 10, 2015 article "How to Perfect Your Credit Score"

Don't Give Up!

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