How Long Hard Inquiries Stay on Your Credit
Hard inquiries stay on your credit for 2 years. However, that doesn’t mean a hard inquiry negatively affects your credit for 2 years. Rather, a hard inquiry will only affect your credit for up to 12 months. Even then, hard inquiries only
Verizon Collections – How to Get Rid of Them for Good
Most of you are probably reading this because you have a bill that’s gone into Verizon collections. The first thing you need to find out is if the collection has been reported on your credit report. If you haven’t already, pull a
10 Credit Hacks to Improve Your FICO Score
Most of you who have been reading this blog for awhile know that I prescribe a very detailed and specific method for improving your credit score quickly. It basically boils down to removing negative items from your credit report and rebuilding your
Do This Before Paying an Old Debt Collection
You’ve just received a letter from a debt collector demanding that you pay a debt that’s years old. Perhaps you don’t even remember the debt. What’s the best way to handle this situation? Why am I being contacted about an old debt?
How Being an Authorized User Can Help Your Credit Score
Back in the day becoming an authorized user on another person’s credit card was a great way build and even rebuild your credit. Things have changed in recent years and even though being an authorized user is a great tool for building
10 Newbie Mistakes to Avoid When Repairing Your Credit
When I started my credit repair journey almost 10 years ago I really had no idea what I was doing. Unfortunately there wasn’t a lot of reliable information about improving your credit back then so I basically learned through trial and error.
American Express Essential Credit Card Review
Everybody knows that American Express has some of the best credit cards out there, but I think you’ll really like this new card they’ve just put out. It’s called American Express Essential and I’ve just had a chance to check it out.
Everything You Need to Know About Debt Collections
Let’s talk about debt collections. Many of the visitors to this blog ask me about collections. For example, what exactly is a collection, how do they affect your credit score, etc, etc. I want to dedicate an entire article to debt collections
How to Remove a Repossession From Your Credit Report
When you stop making payments on an auto loan, the bank might take the action of repossessing the vehicle. This can happen in two ways. You can voluntarily surrender the vehicle, or the bank can simply take it from you. In fact,
When Debt Settlement is the Smart Thing to Do
Before you make any big decisions like hiring a debt settlement company to attempt to settle your debts, it’s important that you understand how it works, what you’re getting into, and the other options you may have. Debt settlement can have a