It is a common misconception that if you do not have any plan to get a big loan in the next few years, you probably need not be concerned about your credit scores.This is not actually the case.Regardless of whether you have any plan to get a big loan or not,it is advisable that you must keep your credit record free of inaccuracies.You might know that your loans will be affected by your credit score. The higher the score the lower the rate you will get on mortgages, car loans and credit cards. What if you do not have any plan to get a mortgage or car loan? In this case, does your score matter? Yes, it does matter.

Four unusual situations where the bad credit or an inaccurate report is likely to harm you are discussed in detail below:

Prospective Employers:

Employers,while making decisions about your hiring,firing and promotion, may make inquiries into your credit report.If you have bad credit score then it is most likely to leave a bad impression on your employer and may affect your career.

Federal law gives you protection against the adverse decisions that the employer may make against you. You will be immune to such adverse decisions only if you file bankruptcy (Title 11, Bankruptcy, of the U.S. Code), otherwise every other negative item may be used against you. If you are a loan defaulter or you have missed a payment of your loan then this puts you in a vulnerable position. In this case the employer can use that information against you. It is known that government runs routine background checks on your personal records like criminal history and credit history. If you have a low credit score then this may weaken your position. Such a person could be considered a potential security risk because, due to his financial constraints, he is more likely to be bribed or may easily be exploited. Credit history information may help establish the credibility of a person.

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There are two types of inquiries that a company may make into your credit record,i.e. “‘hard inquiry” or “soft inquiry”.

If a company makes a  hard inquiry into your credit record,it will damage your credit score temporarily.Your credit score may be damaged only by a hard inquiry while a soft inquiry does not affect your credit score.

If you are planning to get a mortgage or you need a car loan then in this situation even a few points difference in your credit score cannot be ignored and this small difference in your credit score may magnify into a considerably big change. So we need to know that how can we decide whether the inquiry is going to be “hard” or “soft”?

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A poor credit can be fixed but it is not piece of cake. Credit repair is lengthy process, it takes time. It requires continual work and effort to get a good credit score and to improve a bad one. In today’s busy life, you stand a much better chance of getting a better credit score if you make it as easy on yourself as possible. In many cases, people actually have low credit scores not because of carelessness or indifference, but because hectic lifestyles lead to oversights and missed credit payments. There are several things you can do to make good credit almost automatic:

Don’t let a bad credit score make you swear off purchases you must make

You will make life much harder on yourself if you deny yourself things you need – such as medical treatments – because your credit is poor. If you have bad credit, but need money for something urgent, consider a secured loan or a bad credit loan with generous terms. Do not let bad credit affect your ability to stay safe and healthy.

Some people think that getting credit while trying to repair their FICO score is bad idea. While it is true that you may not get the best interest rates on the loans you get in the time before your credit score is improved, getting loans that you need may simply be too important to put off.

Make arrangements to pay your bills when you are on vacation or ill

When we go on vacation, of course we want to get away from it all, but when we forget to pay our bills while away, we risk getting dings on our credit that can affect our credit risk rating.

Make it part of your vacation practice to pay bills in advance or to arrange someone to pay your bills while you are away. Similarly, while you are ill, arrange to have bills paid so that bills don’t pile up and so that you don’t get marked as a “non-payer.” It is frustrating to be trying to improve a credit score only to suffer a setback over a small oversight.

Consider online banking or telephone banking to make bill payment easier

If you have trouble getting your payments in on time, consider online or telephone banking. This simple system is now available from virtually revery bank and can help you pay your bills in minutes – at any time of the day or night. If you travel a lot, on line or telephone banking can be a real life-saver as it will allow you to pay your bills no matter where you are.

Plus, you get instant confirmation of the paid bill and your payment is counted instantly. You no longer have to worry about payments getting lost in the mail or getting lost in a bureaucratic shuffle – the record of the payment is right on your bank account statement.

If you lead a busy lifestyle and have several late payments of bills simply because you can’t quite keep up with the errand of paying bills, online or telephone banking can be the solution that can help your credit rating by effectively putting a stop to late or unpaid bills. With these two very convenient and quick payment options, there really is no excuse for unpaid accounts.

Simplify your bills

You can often get great discounts by choosing to get several services from the same company – for example, a package deal from your phone company can give you internet access, long distance phone plans, and cable television – all on one bill and all in one low price. Pooling your insurance into one package from one insurance provider can have the same effect. Reducing the number of bills you get can make it easier for you to pay your bills and so reduces the chances that your credit rating will be affected by non-paid or late paid bills.

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Your credit score in some ways is meant to be a snapshot of your overall financial habits – especially your habits surrounding debts and other financial responsibilities.  Developing some good financial habits can help your credit score by putting you in a good financial position.

Good financial habits will ensure that you don’t get into too much debt and that you are able to meet your financial duties easily.  There are a few financial habits that are especially credit-friendly:

Learn to budget

One of the biggest reasons that people develop poor credit is overspending.  In many cases, this overspending is caused by a lack of budget.  A budget can tell you how much you should be spending on each item in your life.  This allows your financial life to stay nicely organized.

Contrary to popular belief, a budget does not have to be constricting or boring or complicated.  Simply note how much you earn each month, and on a piece of paper, write down how much you really need to spend on savings, rent, utilities, food, personal care, transportation, spending money, entertainment, hobbies, education, and other items.  Make sure that you account for every expense.

Then, simply commit yourself to spending that particular amount on each item on your list.  Of course, some expenses on your list will change each month – you may spend more on heating bills in the winter than in the summer, for example – but estimating can help ensure that you can meet all your financial responsibilities.

Live within your means

Many people believe that if they only had more money, they would not have to worry about credit.  In fact, this is not true.  Many people who have money – or at least have all the trappings of money, including cars and nice homes – in fact have terrible credit.

The secret of this is that it is not your income that decides whether you are a good credit risk or a bad one but rather how you handle money.  You could be earning $7 per hour and still paying your bills and meeting your financial responsibilities – in which case you will have terrific credit.

You could also be earning $300 000 a year and be in terrible debt and financial shape due to unpaid bills and excessive debt.  The best way to ensure that you have a good credit rating – no matter what your income – is to spend less than you earn.  That means living below your means.  If you have a very small income, you may need to live with roommates in order to keep costs down.  If you have a medium-sized income, that may mean saving more and entertaining less.

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You need to cut down your monthly expenses and live frugally if you ever want to get out of debt. Let’s assume you have a $20,000 in credit card debt and you current minimum payment is around $500 per month. Unless you really don’t want to pay your credit card bills at all. You have to pay it in full before you can cancel your credit card.

Let’s say you have $14,000 in credit card debt and your current minimum payment is $350. At 21% with a minimum payment of 2.5% it will take you 542 months to get rid of your debt. In that time, you will pay more than $32,000 in interest. this is not at all funny. but this is how this works.

If you keep paying a fixed amount of $350 dollars (which is your current minimum payment),It will take you 70 months to be rid of your debt. In that time, you will pay $10,290.27 in interest. Still Its unacceptable.

However, If you manage to reduce expenses by $200 each month and apply that amount to your credit card’s minimum payment, then each month you can payback $550. this way, It will only take you 34 months (3 years) to get rid of all your debt. during this time, you will pay only $4,692.23 in interest. this is also crappy but better than 542(45 years) ye and 70 months(6 years) and you will save some where between $6,000 to $28,000 in your interest payments.

Best course of action in this situation is to transfer your debt to a low interest credit card or apply for a debt consolidation loan

If you still doubt in what I say, You can use this Minimum payment calculator to find out how much money you will be wasting by not paying off your credit card balance as quickly as possible.

Indeed, there is no feeling like getting out of debt. Its always better than watching cable tv or dining out with friend. You will get more joy out of these activities when you are debt free.

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