credit scores: Two Ways to Be More Strategic with Your Credit - 05/20/19 11:12 AM
 
Your length of credit history looks at how long your accounts have been opened. This has a 15% impact on your score. The longer your accounts have been opened, the higher your score will be; newly opened accounts will bring your score down. Here are three practical steps for you to improve your score in this area:
 
 
Don't close your credit accounts. If you must, close the newest ones instead of the oldest ones. Your score will improve over time if you keep accounts open and use them every once in a while. Think twice before jumping on … (1 comments)

credit scores: How Payment History Impacts Your Credit - 03/11/19 09:22 AM
 
Your timely payment history has a 35% impact on your credit score. Paying debt on time and in full has a positive impact. Late payments, judgments, charge-offs, collection accounts, and bankruptcies have a negative impact. If you have had any bankruptcies within the last 7 years, it will seriously affect your ability to borrow or establish new credit accounts.  If you have had any judgments within the last several years, it is very important that you pay off the judgment and get a "satisfaction of judgment" from the court. Any unsatisfied or recent judgments will make a bad dent in your … (1 comments)