Credit Card Debt $ Select One 0 1 - 2,499 2,500 - 4,999 5,000 - 7,499 7,500 - 9,999 10,000 - 12,499 12,500 - 14,999 15,000 - 19,999 20,000 - 29,999 30,000 - 39,999 40,000 - 49,999 50000+ Other Unsecured Debt $ Select One 0 1 - 2,499 2,500 - 4,999 5,000 - 7,499 7,500 - 9,999 10,000 - 12,499 12,500 - 14,999 15,000 - 19,999 20,000 - 29,999 30,000 - 39,999 40,000 - 49,999 50000+ Number of Creditors    Select One 2 3 4+ Status of Bill Payments    Select One Up to Date About to Fall Behind 1 Month Behind 2 or More Months Behind I want to    Select One Eliminate My Debt Consolidate My Debt Seek Advice Own a Home?    Yes  No

How to improve your FICO score

How to improve your FICO score

All of us have the ability to improve our credit scores. Below are some general tips for improving credit scores:

- Review credit reports regularly. An accurate report will be an honest representation of a consumer's history. Take control of yours.

- Pay bills on time. More recent negative remarks on a credit report are worse than problems that occurred years ago. For example, an account that has been delinquent in the past six months will do more damage to a credit than a similar delinquency five years earlier.

- Reduce your overall debt

- Limit revolving credit card usage. The goal should not be to max out your revolving or "open" lines of credit. Revolving means you can use it, pay it off, and use it again. Some experts advise no more than 50%, some say 35% as the maximum utilization level. Be aware that closing unused accounts may reduce your credit score. On choosing to close accounts, older accounts with good history are the ones to keep because the age of an account and your length of time in a credit world also factors on the score.

- Limit the number of inquiries. Apply for a credit only when necessary and get your credit report in advance. Too many inquiries in a short period of time may be seen as indication of financial problems or loading up on new credit. The scoring model is supposed to consolidate inquiries of the same type within a specific amount of time, which is 30 days.