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How A Low Credit Score Affects You
Category: FinanceYou really want to buy that house but you don’t have enough credit to swing it. You have been denied several times by different institutions when you apply for a credit card. Sounds familiar? You are probably suffering from a case of bad credit. This simply means that your credit score is not high enough for lenders or financial institutions to take a risk on you. For them, you’re a financial risk.
Your bad or low credit score may not be your entire fault. You may have shared your credit card with your spouse or partner who has bad credit habits and you’re left to foot a bill you are unable to pay. It happens to the best of people. But the thing is bad credit is attributed to the person whose name appears on the bill no matter what the circumstances behind it are. It’s all business, nothing personal.
Your credit score is the one that suffers when you incur unpaid debt. Your credit score is affected by numerous things such as whether you pay your bills on time, whether or not you borrow a lot of money from numerous accounts, the amount of time you’ve been borrowing, and the types of credit you’re using (auto loan, mortgage, credit cards, etc.) The more negative marks you have on your credit report such as late payments, bankruptcies, etc., the lower your credit score.
How does bad credit or a low credit score affect you in the long run? Does it really matter all that much? Here are few things that will happen if you have a low credit score:
- You could be denied credit from credit card companies simply because you low credit score infers that you are a high-risk borrower and not a good candidate for credit.
- If you do get a credit line, the interest will probably be higher than usual to discourage you from incurring too much debt.
It’s not the end of the world when you have bad credit, poor credit or low credit. Knowing what your credit score is is the first step towards doing something about it. You’ll be in a better position to know how to improve your situation. You’ll become a better borrower able to qualify for better loans if you can improve your financial situation.
Here are some easy tips you can do to salvage what credit score you already have:
- Discontinue use of your credit cards. If you’re already in debt, focus on paying them off as soon as you can and get rid of your cards.
- Don’t get more credit or loans to pay off what debt you already have. Pay them off with what you already have or are able to make even if it means paying for them little by little each month.
- Be punctual in paying your bills. The interest incurred by late payment may be more than you can handle in the long run.
Remember, your credit score is actually a record of your credit habits. Whatever moves you do now to pay off your debts will go on your permanent credit record.
F Stewart develops personal finance software to help youth and adults better understand credit. CredMedic is a free software application that includes a credit calculator, creditor database, and personal finance information. More information is available at http://www.CredMedic.com
Tags: bankruptcy, credit history, credit report, credit score, personal finance, credit