Raising Credit Score by Fixing Credit Report Errors.

Raising Credit Score by Fixing Credit Report Errors.

Raising Credit Score by Fixing Credit Report ErrorsMany people believe the credit bureaus are these high and mighty agencies who never make a mistake and are completely unapproachable.

Truth of the matter is they are very much human, are prone to making mistakes and are strongly regulated by a powerful Government organization called the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) who have at their disposal a Federal law called the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

The FTC is a very active organization who strictly enforces the FCRA. As a result the Credit Reporting Agencies (CRAs) are diligent in following the rules.

One part of the FCRA states if you submit a complaint about an error on your credit report the applicable CRA has 30 days to investigate and act on the complaint.

Some studies have shown as high as 79% of credit reports contain some form of error.

It seems tragic to me that so many people are suffering the financial affects of a lower credit score because of an easily corrected error.

If you haven’t done so recently…

  1. Click here now to get your free credit score
  2. Review it carefully
  3. Make a list of any error regardless how small
  4. Use the sample letter below to send a dispute letter to any of the applicable CRAs whose report contains an error.

Personalize the following letter and be sure to clearly explain each error, add or attach any supporting documentation, and be sure to keep a copy of all supporting information and the letter itself along with the date you sent it.

Raising Credit Score by Fixing Credit Report Errors Using the Sample Letter….

Date of letter

Your full name
Your mailing address
City, state and zip code

Name of Credit Reporting Agency [Equifax, Experian or Trans Union]
CRA Address
City, state and zip code

Dear Sir or Madam:

Upon reviewing my credit report received from your agency, I am formally disputing the following information I believe to be in error. I have listed each item I found incorrect as well as how I feel it should be corrected.

[Full Account name]  [Account number]  [Proper Information to be reported / Inaccurate information and why it's not correct*]

[Full Account name]  [Account number]  [Proper Information to be reported / Inaccurate information and why it's not correct*]

Please find enclosed all supporting documents.

Please forward supporting documentation and pertinent information to my dispute to the applicable credit furnishers pursuant to the FCRA.

Sincerely,

(sign here)

Your full name
Your Social Security Number (SSN)
Your Date of Birth

 Enclosures: (list documents you are enclosing – ex.: proof of payment, statements etc)
*Be as detailed and specific as possible in your description of any errors and send every piece of evidence you can come up with to support your claim.
Here are the mailing addresses of the 3 major Credit Reporting Agencies

TransUnion LLC

Consumer Discosure Center
P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19022-2000
(800) 916-8800

Equifax Information Services, LLC

Complaint Department
P.O. Box 740256
Atlanta, GA 30374
(888) 873-5420

Experian

NCAC
701 Experian Parkway
Allen, TX 75013
(800) 583-4080Hopefully this post will take away the negative stigma of how big and scary the CRAs can be.
Get your free credit score today and insure it all checks out ok.

Free Credit Score Focus!

Free Credit Score Focus!

free credit score focus“Nothing can add more power
to your life than concentrating all your energies on a limited set of targets.”

—Nido Qubein: is a businessman and motivational speaker

Dedicate 30 focused minutes per week to improving your credit score and watch it take leaps and bounds upward.

What happens when you harvest a small amount of the suns energy and focus it on a piece of paper through a magnifying glass? It intensifies the energy and creates a notable result.

The effort and attention required to boost your credit score isn’t all that great, so if as mentioned above you take a mere 30 minutes per week you will be spending about 29 1/2 more minutes per week than 99% of the population.

Once your score is up in the range you want it to be you can back off a bit and coast as you monitor your credit score to insure it remains at the level where you are receiving the best interest rates and allowing you the option to pick and choose the lenders that are right for you.

Free Credit Score Focus!

By focusing on your credit score until it is in the company of the elite you are really investing in your financial future and the lifestyle of your choice.

Once you position yourself to receive the best of the best in the lending world you now have the liberty to shift your focus to doing the things you want to do with your time and the financial flexibility to acquire them.

What have you got to lose? What have you really lost if you try taking 30 minutes per week for a credit score focus project and nothing really changes? You for sure won’t be any worse off but think of what you possibly have to gain.

Begin your free credit score focus today!

Credit Score Setback? Not Always Bad!

Credit Score Setback? Not Always Bad!

credit score setbackThe typical mindset is… credit score increase = GOOD… credit score setback = BAD

And while on the surface this seems to be the case I want to share a quote with you from this guy you MAY have heard of… he did a couple pretty cool things in his life so we might want to listen up to his advice…

His name is Walt Disney… ring a bell???

He said: “You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”

Yah it’s another one of those “grow from our adversities” posts…

As much as I don’t really like coming to you with this sort of message I feel I would be doing you a disservice if I didn’t remind you on occasion.

Since we all experience struggles and setbacks the question isn’t whether “will we” but rather “how will” we handle them… and the answer to this question makes all the difference in the world with what you do with something like a…

credit score setback

A credit score setback means one of 2 things…

Either you didn’t know the proper steps required to increase your credit score which therefore is only a lesson away from not repeating the same events in the future or…

You did know what to do but didn’t in which case is simply a matter of buckling down and creating more consistent positive action to get your credit score going in the right direction.

For most people it is usually not much more than a couple missed payments or a delinquent credit card payment that is making the difference so a few small corrections will go a long way to protect your credit score.

Yes, it is hard to go backwards but if this “kick in the teeth”, as Mr. Disney so eloquently stated, is what gets us motivated to push even harder in the other direction isn’t the temporary setback worth it?

So take that credit score setback with a smile on your face, then get out there and turn it around.

Be Smart About Your Credit Score.

Be Smart About Your Credit Score.

Be Smart About Your Credit Score.If a man empties his purse into his head no one can take it away from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest. – Benjamin Franklin, 1706-1790

Sometimes we work really hard but still don’t realize our dreams… many times this is because what we work hard on isn’t the most ideal place to focus our energy and resources.

If a farmer is diligent about watering and fertilizing his land but has yet to plant any seed how large do you think his harvest will be?

Our world is rapidly changing and is doing so more frequently as time goes on.

As a result it is important to keep up with how these changes affect our life, our finances and our future.

If you are working on improving your credit score but are doing so based on last year’s criteria you may end up missing the boat or at the very least mismanaging your efforts.

As stated in the quote above a person can never go wrong with an investment in knowledge.

Despite what many say… ignorance is not bliss… unless of course you are fine with allowing a crowd of sheep to dictate your future.

Knowledge is power and it also contributes to clear and focused direction.

Be smart about your credit score…

Talk to your banker about what he would recommend regarding your finances and credit history…

Do some online research…there is an unlimited wealth of helpful information on the Internet.

Pick up a personal finance book at your local bookstore or buy one online through Amazon

Make a point of learning something new at least once a month to help you more quickly and more efficiently reach your financial goals and dreams.

Be smart about your credit score and start learning something new today.

I Think I Can I Think I Can… Reach My Credit Score Goal

I Think I Can I Think I Can… Reach My Credit Score Goal

I Think I Can I Think I Can... Reach My Credit Score GoalA few days back I wrote a post called What’s Your Credit Score Goal and spoke of how in the past I found it difficult staying motivated while trying to achieve my credit score goal.

Dr. Jerry Lynch says: “When you believe and think “I can,” you activate your motivation, commitment, confidence, concentration and excitement – all of which relate directly to achievement.”

Pretty cool huh?

Guess “The Little Engine That Could” knew what he was talking about in 1906 when he said… “I think I can…I think I can” and ended up doing what all else said was impossible.

We all have talents and abilities but none of them do us much good if we have little to no motivation to use them or use them well.

Can I Really Reach My Credit Score Goal Using 4 Simple Words?

I challenge you to start every day with…

“I Think I Can”…

Repeat those words to yourself every time you have a setback or feel discouraged…

Feel yourself chugging up the steepest, scariest hill while knowing you WILL get there one inch at a time.

Drive the message into your head, heart and emotions and before you know it you will believe “you can” more than you will believe the circumstances in your life.

The quote above says believing you can triggers in you not only motivation but also…

  • Commitment…
  • Confidence…
  • Concentration…
  • Excitement

Those 4 little words “I think I can” pack quite the PUNCH!

Tell yourself “you can” with all your goals and dreams…

I Think I Can…

  • Reach my credit score goal
  • Get a date with ___________(insert name here)
  • Break my personal record for running a half marathon
  • Overcome this particular bad habit
  • Get the promotion I’ve been dreaming of

Can’t you feel the confidence and excitement begin to bubble within when you speak so positively to yourself? I know I can.

Begin right now telling yourself…

I think I can reach my credit score goal!

 

 

 

Is Your Credit Score Good Enough?

Is Your Credit Score Good Enough?

is your credit score good enough“Just as iron rusts from disuse, even so does inaction spoil the intellect.”
– Leonardo da Vinci, Artist

That’s “good enough”…

How often do these words come out of our mouths?

If a salesperson has a 7% closing ratio and is the top of his Company does that mean he shouldn’t bothering working towards an 8% closing percentage?

When you are hired to train other managers because of your strong management skills is it time to take your foot off the gas and coast?

If you reach your goal for the year by the end of October do you take the rest of the year off?

If you have a good credit score by working hard to raise it from 660 to 700…

Is your credit score good enough?

In many scenarios in life the act of “stopping”: is not an indefinite state but rather a temporary one prior to going backwards.

By continually working to improve and better yourself you are not only moving in the right direction but are also keeping sharp and focused on the issues needed to not only increase but to maintain what you’ve already acquired.

As well, in today’s turbulent times no one knows for sure what the future may hold so having a buffer in our finances, credit score, career or retirement plan will never hurt but most likely come in handy when we least expect it.

So to answer the question…

Is your credit score good enough? The answer is “not quite yet”.

If you have no idea what your score is than click here to get your credit score free

Credit Score Failure… Never Give Up!

Credit Score Failure… Never Give Up!

Credit Score Failure Never Give UpChristmas buying done… CHECK!

Boxing Day sales successfully navigated… CHECK!

New Years party expenses 4 days from the final “CHECK” of the year!

The scary part for many comes in the next month with the credit score check.

Many of us so easily (including myself) get caught up in gift giving, the holiday festivities and the atmosphere of enjoying some of what we’ve worked so hard for all year long that we over extend our finances.

Once the MasterCard bill shows up in the mail it is easy to feel discouraged and feel like we will never stop losing ground we have fought so hard to gain.

Here’s a little personal growth tip for those of you feeling it right now…

“We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated.”
– Maya Angelou, poet

Maybe you totally blew it this year…

It’s possible you may be paying for Christmas 2011 well into 2012 but use this as a lesson for next year…. learn… grow… get better… handle it differently this year than any other year and you will get different results.

When successful people make mistakes they use them as a stepping stone for personal improvement not as an excuse to quit or stay the same…

Be persistent…

If you experienced a credit score failure this holiday season…

don’t give up… react positively….

The most important step is to determine you will keep working towards your financial goals and dreams, then make a plan to do things differently to insure more success in the future. Following this is a day by day following the plan with consistent percision.

Will you make more mistakes? Of course… we all do.

Another good step would be to read my recent post Raise MY Credit Score by 100 Points and follow the 6 steps it outlines.

Have a Happy and Prosperous New Year!!!

Merry Christmas… Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas… Happy Holidays!

merry christmas happy holidaysTechnically it’s Christmas Eve as it’s just after midnight where I live so I wanted to send off a Christmas greeting to you all as the next couple days will be busy with family, friends, too much turkey and some enjoyable time off.

It’s time to forget about your credit score, your job, the “to-do” list and how much money you spent on gifts.

Christmas only comes once a year so determine to squeeze the most family time, relaxation, reflection, fun and laughter into these next couple days as you possibly can.

Thank-you all for following me throughout this past year and all the input and interaction you’ve provided. Your interest and kindness are what keeps me motivated on those hard days.

God bless you and your families and have the best and Merriest Christmas ever!

 

Low Credit Score Woes…

Low Credit Score Woes…

Low Credit Score Woes“Character is the ability to carry out a good resolution long after the excitement of the moment has passed.”
– Cavett Robert

One of my greatest challenges in life has been to complete what I’ve started.

I’m a very strong starter…

An average implementer…

And in the past a brutal finisher…

When people come to me with their low credit score tales I can usually relate with them because often they also need to learn how to finish what they started.

Which of you with a bad credit score doesn’t want to raise your credit score?

No one? That’s what I thought.

How many times have you bounced out of bed ready to take on the world ready to…

  •  Lose those nagging 5 pounds
  • Quit smoking
  • Balance your check book
  • Improve your credit score
  • Learn another language

Only to have your fire fizzle into oblivion by mid-week?

Don’t feel bad… we all do it.

Low Credit Score as a Motivator

The key is to find a powerful enough motivator to help carry you through the hard times…

Make a list of all the challenges that come with living with bad credit and then make a list on the other side of the page of all the anticipated benefits you will receive when you finally stick to improving your credit score until you reach your goal.

Don’t allow past disappointments to stop you from trying again.

Let go of your low credit score woes once and for all by grasping your financial goals and dreams.