Step 9 of 12 to Financial Wellness: Build and Maintain and Excellent Credit Score

-

Achieving an excellent credit score may seem like a daunting challenge, but with the right strategies, it’s more attainable than you might think! By actively managing your debt and using your credit cards responsibly, you can pave the way to a healthier credit profile. Here are some effective tips to help you reach your credit score goals:

Have Several Credit Cards and Keep Them Active

Having 1-3 credit cards and using them responsibly can significantly boost your credit score. By regularly using a couple of cards for recurring expenses—like subscriptions on one and gas on another—and paying them off in full and on time each month, you demonstrate your ability to handle multiple accounts effectively. Just remember, the goal is not to max out your cards, but to manage them wisely.

Work on Paying Down Debt

Actively paying down debt is a key factor in improving your credit score. Whether you choose to tackle your smallest debts first (the Snowball method) or go after the largest ones (the Avalanche method), pick a strategy that aligns with your lifestyle. For more insights, check out our blog post comparing these two popular methods!

Pay Your Bills on Time

Timely bill payments are crucial to maintaining a good credit score. To avoid late fees and interest charges, consider setting up automatic transfers to ensure you never miss a payment. Just make sure you have enough funds in your account! Our Bill Pay feature in Online and Mobile Banking makes it easy to keep track of your payments.

Lower Your Utilization Ratio

Keeping your credit utilization ratio at or below 30%—ideally around 10%—is essential for a healthy credit score. This shows lenders that you are not relying too heavily on credit. Additionally, if you’re offered credit increases, accepting them can also help improve your score by enhancing your overall credit limit.

By following these straightforward strategies, you can take control of your credit score and work toward achieving that excellent rating. Start implementing these tips today, and watch your credit health flourish!

All comments within the New Horizons Credit Union blog are the responsibility of the commenter, not the blog owner, administrator, contributor, editor, or author. By submitting a comment on our blog, you agree that the comment content is your own and to hold New Horizons CU and all subsidiaries and representatives harmless from any and all repercussions, damages, or liability.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

6 Steps to Take Before Retiring

-
Image
  Everyone counts down the years, days, and minutes until they can retire. But before you retire, there are six important steps you need to take to retire worry free.  1. Define Your Retirement When you define your retirement, you think about what it is you want to accomplish. Do you want to travel the world, the states, or stay at home and relax? Do you want to make improvement to your home, or sell your home and purchase an RV? When you know exactly what it is you want to do when you retire, you will have an easier time transitioning from work to retirement life. 2. Take Stock of Your "Assets" This is an important step because you're taking a look at all the money you have. Look at how much you have in your savings accounts, retirement accounts, stocks and bonds, and any other savings accounts you may have. This will give you a better idea on how much money you can allocate to everything
Read more

7 Steps to Start Saving

-
Image
  Saving can be a little intimidating when you don't know where to start. But remember, the biggest mistake you can make is not saving. Below are a few tips to help you get started with saving. 1. Track Your Expenses The first step to start saving is to track your expenses. Figure out where your money is going, how much you are earning and spending, and how much you have left over. If you use a credit card, you can get a chart with your expenses broken down where you can see what you're spending your money on. Once you figure out where all your money is going, categorize it so it's easier to see where you're spending most of your money. Use this to create a budget in step two.   2. Create a Budget Now that you have your categories, create a budget so you can minimize spending. Categories should include things like: rent / mortgage car payment / car maintenance bi
Read more

Get Your End-of-Year Financial Health Checkup

-
Image
As the eagerly awaited holiday season gets underway, the end of the year is a great  time to get a financial health checkup to make sure your finances are on track.    With regular checkups, you can fix small problems before they become big issues.   This year-end, keeping financially healthy is especially important due to many economic uncertainties  related to inflation, inventory shortages, as well as the expiration of COVID relief programs put in place more than a year ago to help people manage through the pandemic. Your Financial Health Check Up   Like a physical health checkup, a financial checkup examines your vital signs to be sure all is well when it comes to your financial health and wellness.  Do you have an emergency savings account? How do your credit card balances look? Are you tracking monthly income and expenses? What does your credit score and history look like? These are a few of the vitals reviewed during an end-of-year financial
Read more