Your criminal past

Relax: That arrest for trespassing when you were a teenager won't affect your credit. That's because it won't show up on your credit report.

Credit bureaus don't include criminal conduct on credit reports, says Ulzheimer.

Three exceptions: First, if you have a financial snafu that also involves the court system, such as a judgment or lien, it will show up on your credit report.

Child support payments can also show up as a regular debt on your credit report, says Costello.

And if you receive a fine or ticket, don't pay it and it goes to collection, then that collection activity could show up on your report. But it would appear as a debtor trying to collect an overdue debt. There wouldn't be any details on the initial infraction, says Costello.