Improve your credit score and rebuild your financial future
Interested in getting a credit makeover? You're not alone. The overall amount of Americans' outstanding credit card and revolving debt continues to rise, powered by the increasing availability of lending options and an increasingly challenging financial environment. Millions of people are struggling to repay – or even keep up with – one or more loans, on a credit card or some other debt instrument.
Credit Repair Kit For Dummies delivers easy-to-follow, usable advice on how to get your debt under control, repair your credit score, and restore your financial health. You'll find reliable info on getting out of debt quicksand and implementing the steps you need to take to improve your finances and credit once and for all. You'll also explore practical proven strategies for tackling student debt, medical debt, and even credit score disasters caused by a divorce, identity theft or bankruptcy.
- Updates on student loan repayment rules in the United States and medical debt repayment regulations
- Explanations of AI's role in contemporary credit decisions
- Discussions of a new kind of identity theft
- The latest changes to credit reporting in the United States
- A ton of helpful credit repair tools, including sample credit reports, forms, templates, and links to online resources
We all deserve a fighting chance to enjoy the benefits of good credit. This book demonstrates how to climb your way back from even the worst credit situations and build a new, prosperous, and financially rewarding future.
Foreword xv
Introduction 1
Part 1: Getting Started with Credit Repair 7
Chapter 1: Introducing Credit Repair, Credit Scores, and Your Life on Credit
9
Chapter 2: Turning Your Credit Around 27
Chapter 3: Cleaning Up Your Credit Reports 43
Chapter 4: Getting the Best Help for Bad Credit for Free 63
Chapter 5: Coping with Debt Collection 77
Chapter 6: Working with Collectors, Lawyers, and the Courts to Manage Debt
Obligations 103
Part 2: Reducing Credit Damage From Major Setbacks 123
Chapter 7: Reducing Credit Damage in a Crisis 125
Chapter 8: Filing for and Recovering from Bankruptcy 151
Chapter 9: Repairing Credit Damage in the Wake of Identity Theft. 171
Part 3: Rebuilding Credit, No Matter Where Or When You Begin 183
Chapter 10: Starting or Restarting Your Credit in Real Life. 185
Chapter 11: Ending Lifes Negative Credit Surprises 207
Chapter 12: Protecting Your Credit during Major Life Challenges 221
Part 4: Making Sense of Credit Reporting And Scoring 253
Chapter 13: Discovering How Credit Reporting Works 255
Chapter 14: Understanding Credit Reports and Scores 271
Chapter 15: Monitoring Your Credit Reports and Scores 305
Part 5: Successfully Managing Your Credit for Life 317
Chapter 16: Putting Yourself in Control of Your Credit 319
Chapter 17: Taking a Sustainable Approach to Your Credit 327
Chapter 18: Safeguarding Your Credit with a Spending Plan 339
Chapter 19: Fair Access to Credit 365
Chapter 20: Knowing Your Rights to Protect Your Credit 377
Chapter 21: Protecting Your Identity 397
Part 6: the Part of Tens 417
Chapter 22: Ten Consumer Protections Everyone Needs to Know 419
Chapter 23: Ten Strategies for Dealing with Student Loans 429
Chapter 24: Ten Ways to Deal with a Mortgage Meltdown 439
Index 449
Steve Bucci has been helping people decode and master personal credit and debt issues for the last 20+ years. His personal finance advice column can be seen on the financial mega-site Bankrate (www.bankrate.com). Steve was formerly president of the Money Management International Financial Education Foundation and president of the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Southern New England. He is the author of Getting Out of Debt For Dummies and Back to Basics: Debt Management.
