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Editor’s note: This is a transcript of the audio file.
People can judge you based on many things…and your credit score is one of them. I’m Kristin Arnold with your Bankrate.com Personal Finance Minute.
The world of modern credit affects more than just your ability to borrow money. That’s because credit is frequently viewed as an outward sign of a person’s reliability.
Potential landlords review credit as part of leasing decisions. Insurance companies use credit reports in developing your risk assessment. And, most damaging in our current job market, employers are increasingly reviewing credit reports before making hiring and promotion decisions.
Your credit score is based on what’s contained in your credit report . So to improve one you have to improve the other.
Paying all of your bills on time is a large portion of getting and maintaining a good credit score. Your debt to credit ratio is another factor in your score…so try reduce the amount of debt you have to below 50 percent.
The longer you’ve responsibly used credit, the more points you get. So, Shoot for 10 years of good credit.
To learn more about your credit score and how it’s calculated, log onto Bankrate.com. I’m Kristin Arnold.
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