Credit Score Magic — It's Real, and You Can Do It!

Errors happen more than you think. Wrong balances, closed accounts showing as open, or even someone else's debt tied to your name.

You can't fix what you don't see. Identifying issues is the first step to making progress.

Each of the three credit bureaus might show different information. That means three places where mistakes can exist.

Get a free copy of your credit report (you're entitled to one from each bureau every year).

Review it line by line — check names, addresses, accounts, balances, and payment history.

Highlight anything that looks off — even a small error can drag your score down.

If you find a mistake, don't panic. Disputing it is possible (and we can help with that). But for now, just take the first step: look.

Why it matters:

Set reminders for due dates — phone alerts work wonders.

Turn on auto-pay for minimum amounts (at least).

Keep a calendar just for bills if you're old-school — whatever keeps you consistent.

Your credit limit isn't a target — it's a ceiling. And the closer you get to it, the more nervous lenders get. That's why your credit utilization ratio plays a big role in your score.

If you have a $1,000 credit limit and you're using $900, that's 90% utilization. Not good.

Using less than 30% is ideal — but the lower, the better.

Even if you pay it off in full each month, high usage during the billing cycle can still hurt.