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If you have a lower credit score that you would like, odds are that the score is caused by some small financial mistake or oversight you have made in the past. Not every person with bad credit has a low credit score caused by something they did, though. Sometimes, other people’s criminal activity can affect your credit score.  There are a few tips that can keep you and your credit safe form online and financial predators:

Tip #1: Look out for identity theft.

Many people who are careful about paying bills on time and having minimal debts are shocked each year to find that they have low credit scores.  In many cases, this happens as a result of identity theft.  Identity theft is a type of crime in which people take your personal information and steal that information to pose as you in order to get access to your accounts or identity.

For example, someone with your PIN numbers can remove small amounts of money from your bank account each month or someone can use your name and personal information to get credit cards in your name and use those credit cards with no intention of paying back the money.  You are stuck with the large debts and the poor credit score.

To prevent identity theft, always check your account statements carefully each month.  Report any suspicious activity or any charges you don’t recognize at once.  Also check your credit report regularly and immediately investigate any new credit accounts you do not recognize - this is the best way of detecting and acting on identity theft.

If you have been the victim of identity theft, report to the police at once and get a police statement.  Send copies of this to your bank and credit bureaus.  Better yet, get the credit bureaus to attach the report to your credit report, if you can.  Close all your accounts and reopen new ones.  You should not have to pay for someone else’s illegal activity.

Tip #2: Practice safe banking, safe computing, and safe business practices.

To stay safe from identity theft, always follow safe banking and financial practices:

1) Keep account numbers and PIN numbers safe.  Cover your account and PIN numbers when using debit at the store and refuse to give your PIN number to anyone. Avoid writing down your PIN and account numbers - you never know when this information could fall into the wrong hands.

2) Only do business with businesses you trust.

3)If you get applications for credit cards in the mail that are “pre-approved” rip up the applications and enclosed letters before discarding them.  No, this is not paranoid. Identity thieves sometimes go through garbage in order to find these forms so that they can fill them out and steal your identity.

4) If you use a computer, install good firewall and antivirus protection system and update it religiously.  Better yet, take a course in safe computing at your local college or community center.  You will learn many good tips for keeping all your information safe while you are online.

5) Never buy anything online from a company you do not trust of from a company that does not have encryption technology and a good privacy policy.

6) Even with all computer precautions, avoid providing private information through email or your computer.  Be especially cautious if you get an email from your bank asking you to verify your information by clicking on a link - this is a popular scam that comes not from your bank but from criminals posing as your bank.  Ignore the email and phone your bank about the message.

7) Be wary of unsolicited emails, phone calls, or mail advertisements.  Most are from legitimate companies but there are companies who promise you a credit card over the telephone only to charge your existing credit card without sending you anything.

Similarly, letters will sometimes promise you specific items or services.  Once you send in your credit card information (usually to a post office box) you hear no more from the company.  If you need or want to buy something from a company, be sure to check the company’s standing with the Better Business Bureau first.

Send a money order instead of a check (which had your account number) or your credit card information.  If you do use a credit card, report any unusual charges or any payments you made for a product that did not arrive to the credit card company.

In some cases, they can stop payment or refund your money as well as take steps to keep your credit card number safe.

Be wary of offers that seem too good to be true.  If you get an offer for a ten million dollar check - for which you need to put down $5000 as a “sign if good faith”…if you get an offer for a free state-of-the art computer - if only you provide your account information… take a deep breath and consider before sending in your money and your information.

Offers that are too good to be true always are.  Scam artists often rely on your belief in others and your trust to make money.  They depend on the fact that you will be so excited about a product or service that you will throw good judgment out the window.  Prove them wrong.

When faced with an offer that seems too good to be true, do some research on the web, through the Better Business Bureau, or ask the person making the offer some questions. Never take someone up on an offer that you have been given unsolicited unless the company and the offer both check out.

9) Read the fine print.  Some services or companies will have tiny print in their contract or agreement that allows them to charge you extra hidden fees or that allows them to retract certain offers.  If you get an offer through email or the mail, make it a habit to read the fine print.

10) Be alert for a sudden disruption in your mail service.  If you do not get mail for some time, contact your post office and ask whether your address was recently submitted for a “change of address” service.  It sounds strange, but it’s true.

One way that criminals steal identities is to change your address at the local post office.  They redirect your mail to a post office box number and steal your mail looking for personal information such as bank statements, pre-approved credit card applications, and other pieces of mail they can use to steal your identity.

They use this information to pose as you with lenders and run up huge charges in your name. Simply keeping an eye out on your mail can help you keep your credit score safe.

Tip #3: Check your credit score regularly

You are more likely to notice problems and inconsistencies if you check your credit score on a regular basis - at least once a year and preferably three times a year.  Be sure to check your credit rating with each credit bureau, too. If you notice anything odd or anything you don’t recognize (such as a charge account you did not open) report it immediately.

Sometimes, these errors are caused by mistakes made at the credit bureau, but they could be an indication that someone is using your identity.  In either case, such mistakes could hurt your credit score.  Fixing such errors improves your credit score.

Because of the way credit scores are calculated, some actions you take will affect your credit score better than others.  In general, paying your bills on time and meeting your financial responsibilities will boost your score the most.  Owing a reasonable amount of money and being able to repay it will show lenders that you take your finances seriously and pose little threat of lost money.  There are a few tips that, more than any other, will boost your credit score the most:

1) Pay your bills on time.

One of the best ways to improve your credit score is simply to pay your bills on time.  This is absurdly simple but it works very well, because nothing shows lenders that you take debts seriously as much as a history of paying promptly.  Every lender wants to be paid in full and on time.

If you pay all your bills on time then the odds are good that you will make the payments on a new debt on time, too, and that is certainly something every lender wants to see. Experts think that up to 35% of your credit score is based on your paying of bills on time, so this simple step is one of the easiest ways to boost your credit score.

Paying your bills on time also ensures that you don’t get hit with late fees and other financial penalties that make paying your bills off harder. Paying your bills in a timely way makes it easier to keep making payments on time.

Of course, if you have had problems making your payments on time in the past, your current credit score will reflect this.  It will take a number of months of repaying your bills on time to improve your credit score again, but the effort will be well worth it when your credit risk rating rebounds!

2) Avoid excessive credit.

If you have many lines of credit or several huge debts, you make a worse credit risk because you are close to “overextending your credit.”  This simply means that you may be taking on more credit than you can comfortably pay off.  Even if you are making payments regularly now on existing bills, lenders know that you will have a harder time paying off your bills if your debt load grows too much.

The higher your debts the greater your monthly debt payments and so the higher the risk that you will eventually be able to repay your debts.  Plus, statistical studies have shown that those with high debt loads have the hardest time financially when faced with a crisis such as a divorce, unemployment, or sudden illness.

Lenders (and credit bureaus who calculate your credit score) know that the more debt you have the greater problems you will have in case you do run into a life crisis.

In order to have a great credit score, avoid taking out excessive credit.  You should stick to one or two credit cards and one or two other major debts (car loan, mortgage) in order to have the best credit rating.  Do not apply for every new credit line or credit card “just in case.”  Borrow only when you need it and make sure to make payments on your debts on time.

You should also know that taking out lots of new credit accounts in a relatively short period of time will cause your credit score to nosedive because it will look as though you are being financially irresponsible.

3) Pay Down Your Debts

If you have a lot of debt, your credit score will suffer.  Paying down your debts to a minimum will help elevate your credit score.  For example, if you have a $1000 limit on your credit card and you regularly carry a balance of $900, you will be a less attractive credit risk to lenders than someone who has the same credit card but carries a smaller balance of $100 or so.  If you are serious about improving your credit score, then start with the largest debt you have and start paying it down so that you are using a less large percentage of your credit total.

In general, try to make sure that you use no more than 50% of your credit.  That means that if your credit card has a limit of $5000, make sure that you pay it down to at least $2500 and work at carrying no larger balance.  If possible, reduce the debt even more.  If you can pay off your credit card in full each month, that is even better. What counts here is what percentage of your total credit limit you are using - the lower the better.

4) Have a range of credit types.

The types of credit you have are a factor in calculating your credit score.  In general, lenders like to see that you are able to handle a range of credit types well.  Having some form of personal credit - such as credit cards - and some larger types of credit - such as a mortgage or auto loan - and paying them off regularly is better than having only one type of credit.

5) Keep Your Credit Score Safe

If you have a lower credit score that you would like, odds are that the score is caused by some small financial mistake or oversight you have made in the past. Not every person with bad credit has a low credit score caused by something they did, though. Sometimes, other people’s criminal activity can affect your credit score.  There are a few tips that can keep you and your credit safe form online and financial predators:

6) Look out for identity theft.

Many people who are careful about paying bills on time and having minimal debts are shocked each year to find that they have low credit scores.  In many cases, this happens as a result of identity theft.  Identity theft is a type of crime in which people take your personal information and steal that information to pose as you in order to get access to your accounts or identity.

For example, someone with your PIN numbers can remove small amounts of money from your bank account each month or someone can use your name and personal information to get credit cards in your name and use those credit cards with no intention of paying back the money.  You are stuck with the large debts and the poor credit score.

To prevent identity theft, always check your account statements carefully each month.  Report any suspicious activity or any charges you don’t recognize at once.  Also check your credit report regularly and immediately investigate any new credit accounts you do not recognize - this is the best way of detecting and acting on identity theft.

If you have been the victim of identity theft, report to the police at once and get a police statement.  Send copies of this to your bank and credit bureaus.  Better yet, get the credit bureaus to attach the report to your credit report, if you can.  Close all your accounts and reopen new ones.  You should not have to pay for someone else’s illegal activity.

The three major credit bureaus are important to contact if you are going to be repairing your credit score. The major three credit agencies can help you by sending you your credit report. If you find an error on your credit report, these are also the companies you must contact in order to correct the problem. You can easily contact these organizations by mail, telephone, or through the Internet:

Equifax Credit Information Services, Inc

Address: P.O. Box 740241

Atlanta, GA 30374

Telephone: 1_888_766_0008

Online: www.equifax.com

TransUnion LLC Consumer Disclosure Center

Address: P.O. Box 1000

Chester, PA 19022

Telephone: 1_800_888_4213

Online: www.tuc.com

Experian National Consumer Assistance Center

Address: PO Box 2002

Allen, TX 75013

Telephone: 1_888_397_3742

Online: www.experian.com

You may want to note this information wherever most of your financial information is kept so that you can easily contact the bureaus whenever you need to. Your local yellow pages should also have the contact information of these credit agencies as well.

1) Develop an action plan for dealing with your credit score.

Once you have your credit report and your credit score, you will be able to tell where you stand and where many of your problems lie. If you have a poor score, try to see in your credit report what could be causing the problem:

-Do you have too much debt?

-Too many unpaid bills?

-Have you recently faced a major financial upset such as a bankruptcy?

-Have you simply not had credit long enough to establish good credit?

-Have you defaulted on a loan, failed to pay taxes, or recently been reported to a collection agency?

The problems that contribute to your credit problems should dictate how you decide to boost your credit score. As you read through this ebook, highlight or jot down those tips that apply to you and from them develop a checklist of things you can do that would help your credit situation improve.

When you seek professional credit counseling or credit help, counselors will generally work with you to help you develop a personalized strategy that expressly addresses your credit problems and financial history. Now, with this ebook, you can develop a similar strategy on your own - in your own time and at your own cost.

When developing your action plan, know where most of your credit score is coming from:

1) Your credit history (accounts for more than a third of your credit score in some cases). Whether or not you have been a good credit risk in the past is considered the best indicator of how you will react to debt in the future. For this reason, late payment, loan defaults, unpaid taxes, bankruptcies, and other unmet debt responsibilities will count against you the most. You can’t do much about your financial past now, but starting to pay your bills on time - starting today - can help boost your credit score in the future.

2) Your current debts (accounts for approximately a third of your credit score in some cases). If you have lots of current debt, it may indicate that you are stretching yourself financially thin and so will have trouble paying back debts in the future. If you have a lot of money owing right now - and especially if you have borrowed a great deal recently - this fact will bring down your credit score. You an boost your credit score by paying down your debts as far as you can.

3) How long you have had credit (accounts for up to 15% of your credit score in some cases). If you have not had credit accounts for very long, you may not have enough of a history to let lenders know whether you make a good credit risk. Not having had credit for a long time can affect your credit score. You can counter this by keeping your accounts open rather than closing them off as you pay them off.

4) The types of credit you have (accounts for about one tenth of your credit score, in most cases). Lenders like to see a mix of financial responsibilities that you handle well. Having bills that you pay as well as one or two types of loans can actually improve your credit score. Having at least one credit card that you manage well can also help your credit score.

As you can see, it is possible to only estimate how much a specific area of your credit report affects your credit score. Nevertheless, keeping these five areas in mind and making sure that each is addressed in your personalized plan will go a long way in making sure that your personalized credit repair plan is comprehensive enough to boost your credit effectively.

How to fix your credit score FAST and instantly - FREE!

Determine if you can lower the number of units that you use of your fuel type.  Now, the most simplistic of ways to do this is through simply turning off more power or fuel to your home.

One thing that people do not realize is just how much it matters that you turn off and unplug the appliances and other tools for your home.

You can learn not only how to improve the efficiency of your home, but also how to simply use less energy altogether.  When you do this, you are better able to find lower costs.

For now, start off by investing a few minutes right now.  Get up and walk from room to room in your home.  Turn off any light, any fan, any appliance that is on.

Don’t forget to unplug those units that leave LED lights on even when they are turned off.  These units can save you a great deal of money.  Go ahead; see how much you can already save just by doing this.

Cost Over Savings Analysis

Before we get into saving you money with methods to lower the number of units that you spend on your fuel each month, we do need to show you the benefits of energy savings by smart investment.

Because the world is in a fuel crisis and the cost of gas and other energy means continues to rise, there are those not so nice guys out there that are promoting products that are anything but a way to save money.  These products may work, but probably do not.

The trick is that you need to know before you purchase them if in fact they are something that is cost effective or if they are something that will be a waste of your hard earned money.

We can help you with a few good tips about purchasing any item that may be presented to you as a way to save energy on your home’s fuel usage.  Take some time to really think about what you are investing in before you do so.  This alone can save you money.

Tips For Analyzing Benefit

Ok, now take these tips to heart:

•    What is the product promising to do for you?  Any product that is promising amazing results is probably not providing them.  If there was a miracle product out there, wouldn’t we all have it by now?

•    What is the cost of this product in the first place?  How much will it cost you to purchase, install and then use this product?

•    Does this cost actually figure any savings to you within the first days of use?  In other words, it should be able to immediately help you to save money on your energy needs.

•    Finally, how long will it take you to make up the difference in the cost of the product over the amount of money you have invested in it?  If you can not get your costs back quick enough, it too may not be the right choice for your needs.

When you take these things into consideration, you will find yourself better able to understand the true benefit of any supposed energy savings gadget that is out there.  Now, there are sure to be those things that do actually work too. But, you need to find them first.

You see, there are many ideas of what people think money is.

Some say it is a form of measurement.

Yes, but a measurement of what? Wealth? In the olden days, people measured wealth by how many cows, sheep and horses they had. But do people measure wealth today by your cows and horses?

How about slaves?

Was there a time where manpower is considered a hot commodity? Are slaves worth anything today? Are your dollar bills sitting in the bank going to protect you if a recession strikes the country? No, wealth can not be measured by the dollar bill.

Some say it is a form of power.

Yes, money can give you power, but if you are stuck on a desert island forever with a trillion dollars, will that money mean squat to you?

If someone offered you water and a helicopter to fly out of there, you would trade all your money in a split second, so money is not an accurate measurement of power – it heavily depends on how and wisely you use it (hint!).

Many believe it is the root of all evil… and several others take on this belief without much questioning.

Now, now, now… money is NOT the root of all evil (otherwise, why do you think churches still accept monetary donation and charity?). The love of money is the root of all evil. Remember, money is an excellent servant but a terrible master. If you are trading your life away for the dollar, money then has power over your time and life.

And unless you have proper financial intelligence, the lack of money can spawn a lot of evil thinking and negative mindset as observed in primarily cheats, thieves, criminals, breakups, freeloaders, cheapskates, and more to name.

But what is money, really?

Money is an idea, backed by confidence.

While money has naturally been developed by merchants in the older days to replace the questionable barter system, money today is literally invented by the rich and wealthy.

Entrepreneurs are willing to part with their money to buy other people’s time. Other people’s time i.e. employees and self-employed people becomes their employer’s asset and the employers this priceless resource to go on to create more wealth for themselves.

And here’s the thing: as long as you work for money, you are enslaved by it! 80% - 90% of the populations today are being enslaved involuntarily.

What we don’t realize is that there is a part of our soul that cannot be bought at whatever price. Would you chop off your little finger if your boss offered you 24 months of your salary immediately?

You and I know we are worth more than that. But when you hear of cases of people selling their body parts for cash in some countries, we can have our eyeballs pop out of our eye sockets.

On the other hand, we occasionally DO sell out a part of ourselves for money like a donkey and a carrot. Best way to invest money, my personal favorite is to invest in properties and buy properties!