Looking for a quick credit fix?

A low credit score can affect almost every aspect of your life, and if you've realized that your negative credit is holding you back, you probably would like to do something to change that... and the sooner the better. You'll find plenty of companies that claim they can repair your credit overnight, or guarantee that they can remove any negative item from your credit report, whether accurate or not. If this sounds too good to be true, that's because it is. The truth is that there's no such thing as a quick credit fix.

If you're living with bad credit, this probably isn't the news you want to hear. The good news, however, is that there are several things you can do right now that will start to improve you credit score. Just keep in mind that there are no magic fixes in the credit world. Credit repair done right takes patience, persistence, and an understanding of how your credit score is calculated. Here are a few ways you can start repairing the damage to your credit score:

Pay down revolving accounts

If you have a high balance on a credit card and are only making minimum payments, start paying down the balance. It's important to pay down (or even better, pay off) revolving accounts such as credit cards. This will lower your credit-to-debt ratio (what you have borrowed in relation to what you could borrow), and is one way to improve your credit score. Paying off installment loans such as auto loans, student loans, etc. won't improve your credit score as dramatically.

Manage accounts, balances and credit limits

Once you've paid down the balance of your credit cards, keep your spending on these accounts down. You should aim for a balance that is less than 30% of your credit limit on the card. Don't voluntarily lower credit limits; this can hurt rather than help your FICO® score. If your credit report doesn't reflect your actual credit limit, make sure your credit card company updates this information with the credit bureaus. In addition to limiting your spending on the accounts you already have, be cautious when any new accounts and don't cancel any old accounts since these help your credit score by demonstrating a longer credit history.

Dispute questionable negative items

Dispute any negative items on your credit report that aren't yours or are otherwise reported incorrectly. These could include late payments, charge-offs or collections errors that shouldn't be on your report. You can do this by requesting verification, and if the items cannot be verified, the credit bureaus have to remove them. If items older than seven years (10 years for bankruptcy) have not automatically been removed from your report, you can request that the credit bureaus delete them.

Negotiate with creditors

You may also be able to negotiate with creditors as part of a "goodwill adjustment." They may be willing to remove late payments that they've reported to the credit bureaus, especially if you have a history of on-time payments. While you're trying to fix your credit, don't neglect your current obligations. Whatever you do, be sure to pay all your bills on time so you don't accrue any more negative items on your report.

With careful management of your credit, and some skilled negotiation with creditors and credit bureaus, you'll see your credit score increase - but don't expect any quick fixes when it comes credit repair.

Last year, our clients saw
over 600,000** negative
items removed from their
combined credit reports.

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