Over the past ten years, there has been another alternative that has come out of the weeds for credit providers and lenders to check the creditworthiness of consumers. That alternative is known as VantageScore. VantageScore was born thanks to three major credit bureaus who decided they wanted to create their own proprietary model as an alternative to the popular FICO score. While a number of credit users are starting to see the VantageScore pop up, not all people know how it differs from the FICO score. To make sure you have an understanding of these two scores, we’re here to…

The magic word in that question is “expect.” When it comes to getting your credit into better shape, what expectations do you have? For a lot of folks, it’s hard to say, because credit is a nebulous, nasty business run by shady corporations who take our data without our consent and basically create a financial report card for lending institutions to pay for. The banks pay through...the...nose to the three credit bureaus: Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. Experian alone reported revenue in 2018 of 4.6 billion dollars. WHAT!?   Not to be cliche, but that’s billion, with a “b.” When was…

  When was the last time you told anyone your credit score? Go ahead, think about it… ...have you thought about it? If you thought about it, I bet it wasn’t too recent, unless you were bragging to your friends over a drink still tradeline and that somehow strangely came up. Or you are in the dating game, and you are smart, and you asked what your date’s score was. Hold that question till around dessert if the date is going that well. Hopefully it stays going well. Credit just isn’t something we share too often. If it’s low you…

  Meet Jimbo, he’s seventeen, a highschool senior, runs track, likes Netflix and video games and girls, a typical young man about to enter adulthood. Fall semester he applied to several colleges, some in state, some out. He wants to study anthropology. HOW TO NOT WASTE ANYONE’S TIME WITH TRADELINES On his eighteenth birthday, his dad, who has an average credit of 700, adds Jimbo to his Cabela’s Capital One as an Authorised User, in essence offering a piggybacking credit card to help his son jumpstart his credit, saying “Jimbo, my good son, credit is important in this world. Protect…

  This is what everyone wants to know, but it’s never a simple answer. There is no one-size-fits all solution to anyone’s credit issues. And this is why: go look in the mirror. Does anyone else have your face? Unless you’re starring in a Mission Impossible movie, the answer is “no.” Okay, we won’t be too smart alecky. So, generally, how fast can credit score rise? Credit score can rise quickly, in a few days at the fastest, and several months, if not longer, at the longest. Understanding how fast you can raise it comes down to how much you…

  So you are in a position where you know that you need to increase your credit scores, and you’ve heard of these things called tradelines, that they can help, but you’re not sure what to do once you get them. Fear not, as we are here to lessen the mystique of these powerful credit tools, but when it comes right down to it, we can’t truly tell you how to use trade lines, and here’s why: tradelines are a utilitarian product that help you accomplish a lending goal, but we as a company can’t really give you ironclad steps…

  Rarely at Boost Credit 101 do we get someone calling us up asking about tips, general or specific, on how to raise their credit score. That’s something that you might call a friend and ask. Unfortunately this capitalistic society has trained us all that if someone is speaking to us, then they want something from us, and if you are the one calling it’s likely you’re wondering how much it costs and how much it can help your situation, whatever that situation may be. And if that situation is finding ways to help your credit score, we take the…

  In the Lord of the Rings, Gandalf and the rest of the fellowship try to go over some snowy mountains, but they can’t make it over the pass because that rascal Saruman is casting spells that result in unpleasant weather, so the crew decides to try their luck in the mines of Moria, which turns out to be a long, slow slog through the dark, fighting cave trolls and goblins and a giant fiery Balrog. Seems like a whole lot of trouble to get from point A to point B, but that’s life in Middle Earth. What correlation do…

  Okay, the year is well on it’s way at this point, and your New Year’s resolution of getting your credit and finances figured out has gone on the backburner. Like most things in life, credit, and finances probably don’t really get figured out unless they absolutely have to. So if you’re thinking “my credit score could be better,” but haven’t taken any tangible steps, this post is for you. But if you find yourself in a place where you need to improve your credit, let’s back up for a moment. Credit Score Help This will be a bit philosophical,…

  Quick! If we were to ask you to jump into a car and start driving, would you do it? Of course not! At least not without asking these two questions, where am I going, and why am I doing this? These are two very, very important things to keep in mind when it comes to your credit. If you don’t have a destination, how will you know you’re on the right track to get there? Hint, hint: this can also apply to other areas of life [wink] [wink]. If you’re looking up how to improve credit score fast we…