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Throughout life, I’ve learned the importance of credit. Having good credit has allowed me to spend more time with my son, and truly explore my passions like traveling, yoga, spending time outdoors, cooking, and simply having peace of mind. At a very young age, I became a single mom, and I knew the process of finishing school was important. I knew I needed a college degree to go further in life. What I didn’t know in order to qualify for student loans. You either need a co-signer or you need to have established credit. Unfortunately for me, my parents did not have any credit and were very uneducated at the time about the importance of having credit. Thankfully, I was slowly building my credit, and I qualified to have the student loans in my name, and I did need a co-signer. I was able to obtain my bachelor's and master's degree due to having credit. I’ve met so many people along the way who were unable to attend school, and/or had to delay when they enrolled due to having bad credit, no credit, and/or no cosigner. 

I also knew at a very young age that I wanted to become a homeowner, I had a little boy at the time, and I dreamed of him playing in his own backyard, and having the consistency of living in his own home. I knew what it was like to move around a lot as a child, and I didn’t want that for my son. I wanted to attend the same school district throughout his years of schooling, and play sports for our town. Through the home buying process, I had no idea how my credit would play a major role in which interest rate I would qualify for. I really didn’t think of the importance of an interest rate until I applied for a mortgage. I learned very fast the importance of having good credit, and the steps I needed to take to repair my credit. I had no idea that having items on your credit could hinder how much you qualified for, and if you even would qualify for a loan. A lot of banks required certain items to be removed from your credit to qualify for a home loan. 

After I became a homeowner and completed my degrees around the same time I fell in love. What I didn’t see coming is getting a divorce, and being stuck with a lot of debt, and having to rebuild my credit all over again. Like most women, I was devastated, that I had to start all over alone. I had a son who looked up to me and depended on me, a mortgage, and student loans. I didn’t know where to start, and I really had to take it day by day. However, I knew that I needed help to repair my credit and I wasn’t afraid to get it. I wasn’t going to allow how far I've come to hinder my future. It took a lot of hard work and educating myself along the way. Below, I’m sharing the steps I’ve taken to repair and improve my credit.

Steps I’m Taking to Improve my Credit

Check my credit report

I check my credit report a few times out of the year to make sure that I do not have anything on my credit history that is not correct. Having errors on your credit report can impact your credit score. The professionals at Lexington Law believe you have the right to an accurate credit report.

Say No

I’ve learned to say no to friends and family. I do not co-sign for any loans. Yes, this was a hard decision to have. However, I have encouraged friends and family to receive help in building their credit.

Live Within Your Means

I’ve learned to simply live within my means, it really takes away from the stress of the unknown of paying for items you really can’t afford.

Goals

As the saying goes “A goal without a plan is just a wish” create credit goals for yourself with a plan behind them.

Credit Limit

It’s so important to stay within your limit, it’s so easy to swipe. However, once you educate yourself, and learn your wants from your needs. Staying within good margin of your credit limit becomes easy.

Pay On Time

Simply paying your bills on time is really key. Once you get into the habit of creating a bill pay system whether it be auto pay, or using the calendar on your phone or planner. It really makes life so much easier. Setting reminder alerts on your phone is really helpful. Plus, knowing which bills need to be when with each pay schedule. The consequence of paying a bill late can have the action on your report for years hindering your credit score.

Help

There is help out there. You really do not have to do it alone. No, when it’s time to seek help as well as when to take the burden off of yourself with help from the professionals at Lexington Law. The professionals at the Lexington Law Firm offer packages that meet every client’s needs and they even offer a proprietary app that gives their clients access to best-in-class services.