I need help figuring out how to fix my credit.

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Fighting4Healthy
Fighting4Healthy Posts: 336 Member
in Chit-Chat
My score is currently a 521, I know that is bad but I am trying to fix it. I was thinking about paying the smaller things first then working my way to the bigger items, as I pay everything in full I will dispute all of the items on my credit report. I really really want to fix my past mistakes, is there anyone that knows what else I can do, I kind of stink at personal finance.
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  • Hsanders3961
    Hsanders3961 Posts: 245 Member
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    go to www.creditkarma.com. It's a great site and it's free. It has TONS of useful information. Good luck!
  • ejohndrow
    ejohndrow Posts: 1,399 Member
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    If you don't need it don't buy it
    If you can't afford it don't buy it
    If you have to put it on a credit card and you can't pay more than the minimum amount when the bill comes around don't buy it
  • PatientBearTiger
    PatientBearTiger Posts: 475
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    You can't dispute it just because you paid it off. It's still a legit black mark on your report and you'll just have to wait for it to fall off.

    As for what order to pay things off in, you can start with the small ones if they are really small. However, I would pay the ones with the largest interest rate off first. Choose one, pay as much as you can and the minimums on the rest. Once that is paid off, choose the next one, add what you had been paying on the first one to the minimum you had been paying on the second and pay the minimums on the rest. And so on. It'll take some time, but you'll get there.
  • sharonsjones
    sharonsjones Posts: 574 Member
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    We wanted to be debt free and that is how we started. We paid off the smaller bills first then took that money and put it on another bill and so on. We started a couple of years ago and by feb next year we will only have a house pymt an it's a 15 year mortgage. We do not use credit cards.
  • RyonsLions2
    RyonsLions2 Posts: 350 Member
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    You can dispute it, I have done this. If the company doesn't respond within the 30 days of your dispute, the credit companies will remove it. I was actually told this by a collection company and had almost 2 pages removed from my credit because of their advice. They told me after it's paid, dispute it and they wouldn't answer and it would be removed. It does work. You can try.
  • aliburstall
    aliburstall Posts: 41
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    Companies aren't highly motivated to respond to disputes if you've paid them off.
  • MissFit0101
    MissFit0101 Posts: 2,382
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    If you don't need it don't buy it
    If you can't afford it don't buy it
    If you have to put it on a credit card and you can't pay more than the minimum amount when the bill comes around don't buy it

    great advice, although credit cards are only 1 of a million other things that can end up in collections and reflecting badly on a credit report...
  • DWilbanks
    DWilbanks Posts: 420 Member
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    1) pay bills on time
    2) always have one bill that you pay on monthly (something other than necessary bills). I thought that by paying all my credit cards off and owing nothing but my monthly bills was a plus, but according to the bank, you actually have to have some type of bill to pay on monthly so you keep a steady credit check every month. Stupid huh? So the bank suggested I get a credit card and charge like a dinner every month and pay it on time to show a debt on my record each month . I did this and my score went up by 25 points in one month.
  • Fighting4Healthy
    Fighting4Healthy Posts: 336 Member
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    What about pre-paid credit cards? What do you know about them?
  • BondBomb
    BondBomb Posts: 1,781 Member
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    Before you pay contact that collection agency and ask if the would be willing to remove the information for payment in full.if they say yes get it in writing. Also dispute! Sometimes companies have gone out of business or simply don't have the time or interest in responding. These have to be removed from your credit history. Don't close credit cards. Just pay them off and don't use them anymore. Length od credit history is important. In a year I was able to get my husbands credit from 500 to almost 700. I'm sure he has screwed it back up since the divorce.
  • Laurathabomb
    Laurathabomb Posts: 44 Member
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    Here's a trick... Start by disputing every negative item on your report, even if you owe the debt. Some items will come off. I guarantee it! I work with people who have negative credit all the time and I have even has struggles myself in the past. Basically what this does is force the creditor ( person who says you owe it) to prove that you owe it by showing a contract you signed, etc. If the cannot cough up the contract, then the debt is wiped. To me, if they cannot prove I owe it, then why do they deserve to be paid?

    Trust me... It works!
  • Fighting4Healthy
    Fighting4Healthy Posts: 336 Member
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    How do I dispute items on my credit report?
  • lee3978
    lee3978 Posts: 274
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    You have to go to each credit reporter's site TRANSUNION, EQUIFAX, EXPERION

    I.E. http://www.transunion.com/corporate/personal/creditDisputes/submitDispute.page

    I used the credit card calculator www.dinkytown.net to figure out how to pay off credit card debt I accrued while struggling with gainful employment last four years.

    PUT your FINANCES ON A DIET!
  • Carl01
    Carl01 Posts: 9,370 Member
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    Sit down and write out a budget including card payments.
    They need to be a weekly or bi weekly amount.
    Do not exceed the budget even if it means giving up some luxuries .
    Stick with it.
  • Fighting4Healthy
    Fighting4Healthy Posts: 336 Member
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    You have to go to each credit reporter's site TRANSUNION, EQUIFAX, EXPERION

    I.E. http://www.transunion.com/corporate/personal/creditDisputes/submitDispute.page

    I used the credit card calculator www.dinkytown.net to figure out how to pay off credit card debt I accrued while struggling with gainful employment last four years.

    PUT your FINANCES ON A DIET!

    I have cut do my expenses, and my credit card debts are over three years old, the rest is old hospital bills, an electric bill and a phone bill, a total of 14 debts, totalling about $10,000-$14000 depending on the credit bureau you look at. I have to get out of debt.
  • PatientBearTiger
    PatientBearTiger Posts: 475
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    To me, if they cannot prove I owe it, then why do they deserve to be paid?

    Seriously?? So, basically, what you are saying is it is ok to steal. Got it. Great advice.
  • RyonsLions2
    RyonsLions2 Posts: 350 Member
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    To me, if they cannot prove I owe it, then why do they deserve to be paid?

    Seriously?? So, basically, what you are saying is it is ok to steal. Got it. Great advice.

    Yeah I agree... if you know that it's a valid debt, you should just pay it however you can and not try to get out of it. This kind of stuff is what makes it hard on everyone.
  • Fighting4Healthy
    Fighting4Healthy Posts: 336 Member
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    What about all of the double things on my report? the charges that show up twice on my credit report for the same amount. can I dispute them?
  • floresvn1
    floresvn1 Posts: 9 Member
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    bump very interested...
    :)
  • lee3978
    lee3978 Posts: 274
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    What about all of the double things on my report? the charges that show up twice on my credit report for the same amount. can I dispute them?

    Yes, you can. Is it totaling up double in your total debt reported?

    Contact the hospital and see if you can negotiate a pay off. You can also apply for financial assistance through the hospital. As for disputing banking they will not be able to come up with your paperwork I wouldn't bother. Just use the financial calculator to help you pay off your debt. I once racked up a boyfriend's credit card and you betcha I paid it off.

    Take responsibility by executing a reasonable financial plan. Clean houses if you can to help. You also burn calories. Any extra work you can find towards debt will help you faster.

    Good luck!

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