Are you finding that your credit score is acting like a gatekeeper to financial success? Master these five blocks to increase your score from “dungeon” to palace!
Financial wellness means spending less than you make and having sufficient savings. Additionally, this category of health encompasses having a healthy mix of credit accounts with low utilization rates.
Pay Your Bills on Time
Paying bills on time, whether rent, utilities, cell phone bills or credit card statements is crucial for financial wellbeing. Missed or late payments can negatively impact your score as well as cost you extra money if other expenses have taken precedence in your budget.
Your payment history makes up a major portion of your credit score, so making on-time payments is critical for maintaining good credit and avoiding late fees and interest charges that can damage it over time. To help avoid late fees and prevent damaging to your score, try setting up automatic payments from your checking account using online banking or money transfer service mobile apps; alternatively you could ask creditors about changing the date of regular bills to fit into your paycheck schedule so as to reduce financial strain and stress. This way you’ll avoid late fees, keep your balance healthy, and alleviate financial strain!
Reduce Your Debts
Debt can be beneficial; mortgages and student loans can help you achieve goals like homeownership or education–but too much debt can damage your credit scores and ruin the economy. Therefore, it’s vital that your debt levels remain manageable, whether through preventive measures (like keeping balances under 30% of your credit limit) or by creating a repayment plan.
Based on your individual circumstances, this may include consulting a credit counselor and/or enrolling in a debt management program. When completed successfully, debt should have been fully paid-off with your score becoming stronger as a result.
Financial health can be defined as the ability to efficiently manage day-to-day expenses, absorb financial shocks and achieve long-term goals. People in this category can set aside savings, create an emergency fund and reduce debt. Furthermore, living in housing that meets basic needs with access to food and energy security is also part of financial health.
Boost Your Savings
A strong credit score can be essential to your financial health. Lenders use your score as a deciding factor when approving loans, credit cards or other lines of credit for you – as well as to set interest rates on those products.
One way to increase your credit score is to save more. Saving a portion of each paycheck can help build an emergency fund and lessen reliance on credit in case of unexpected expenses.
Add new loans to your portfolio if it makes financial sense; taking out an auto loan might increase your credit mix and improve your score, but be wary if any application you submit results in hard inquiries that ding your score by several points.
Invest in Your Future
Many individuals understand what physical health entails, yet are unaware of what financial health entails. Financially healthy people typically possess secure incomes, manageable debt loads, an excellent credit score and sufficient savings (including an emergency fund and sufficient insurance coverage).
Investing in yourself can be an essential way to enhance your financial well-being. From taking continuing education courses or earning degrees or certifications in your chosen field to learning a new skill that increases job prospects – investing in yourself today could pay dividends down the line!
Practice these money habits regularly to foster greater financial health. Take baby steps toward your short and long-term goals to achieve true financial health today! To get more help on improving your finances, contact a Rutgers Cooperative Extension office near you; many offices provide free or low-cost publications, classes, computerized financial analyses, newsletters and other resources for financial improvement.