Small Ways to Improve Your Credit Score

There’s no timeline for rebuilding your credit. How long it takes to boost your credit scores relies on what’s hurting your credit and taking steps to rebuild it. The specific actions that can help you improve your credit score depending on your unique credit situation. But nevertheless, there are small general steps that can help almost anyone’s credit.

Pay Credit Card Balances Strategically

Credit utilization is one of the most significant factors in improving your credit score. You want a low balance when the card issuer reports it to the credit bureaus because that factor is used when assessing your credit score. An easy way to do that is to lower the balance before the end of a billing cycle or pay several times throughout the month.

Ask for Higher Credit Limits

When your credit limit increases and your balance stays neutral, it quickly lowers your credit utilization, which then improves your credit score. If your income has gone up or you’ve had consistent years of positive credit, it raises your chance of getting a higher limit.

Become an Authorized User

If a family member has a credit card account with a high credit limit and a good history, ask to be an authorized user. That adds the existing account to your credit reports every billing cycle, so its credit limit can help your utilization. A trusted user status allows you to benefit from the primary user’s positive payment history.

Pay Bills on Time

You cannot improve your credit score if you continually pay late. Your payment history is one of the most critical factors in assessing your credit scores, and a consistent history of on-time payments can help you achieve healthy scores. Make sure you don’t miss any loans or credit card payments by more than 29 days.

Expand Your Credit Portfolio

An additional credit account can help your credit, especially if it is a type of credit you don’t already own. For example, try getting a loan if you only own credit cards. You can also do the opposite. If you have loans or a few credit cards, a new credit card can help.

ABOUT BROOKLYNN CHANDLER WILLY

Brooklynn Chandler Willy’s career in financial services developed following the sudden and untimely death of her father. In life, he had been a life insurance salesman who – ironically – had no life insurance himself. She saw how difficult it can be – emotionally and financially – to lose a loved one without being prepared; she decided to dedicate her career to helping others put better plans in place and be prepared so as not to be faced with a similar situation.

Alongside her job as the Host of the “Texas Financial Advisory Show,” Brooklynn Chandler Willy hosts the “Texas Financial Advisory Show,” airing weekends on WOAI 1200 AM and KTSA 550 AM. Through her show, Brooklynn shares the knowledge, insight, and expertise that she’s accumulated across her career. Listeners tune in to hear examples of how a retirement income plan can help reduce income taxes, provide a legacy for heirs, and assure a steady income through the rest of life.

Brooklynn’s career began building when she enrolled at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, for her post-secondary education. While studying three different subjects, Brooklynn Chandler Willy was also an involved member of campus life. She graduated in 2002 with her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, Business, and Spanish. Brooklynn then enrolled at St. Mary’s University School of Law, where she graduated in 2005 with her Juris Doctorate in Law. She is also CDFA (Certified Divorce Financial Analyst) designated with a focus on Financial Planning and Services.