Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of Your Credit Score- How to fix, improve, and protect the 3-digit number that shapes your financial future

Your Credit Score- How to fix, improve, and protect the 3-digit number that shapes your financial future


Your credit score. It's a simple three-digit number, but it's rapidly becoming the most important number in your life.
It dictates whether you'll get credit, and what you'll pay. A bad credit score could cost you thousands on your next house or car. Insurers use it to set premiums. Landlords use it to choose renters. You must understand it. But there's an immense amount of misinformation, obsolete data, and flat-out nonsense out theremdand some of it can cost you a fortune.
In Your Credit Score, MSN/L.A. Times personal finance journalist Liz Pulliam Weston comes to the rescue with specific, up-to-date answers you can trust. Weston explains how to bounce back from bad credit or bankruptcy and tells you exactly how credit counseling, debt negotiation, and other credit "solutions" can affect your score. Along the way, Weston exposes the myths about credit scoring that can cost you real money if you fall for them.
Your Credit Score gives you what you need most: an action plan for building your credit, fixing it, and maintaining it starting today!
How many credit cards should you have... ..and what should you know about carrying balances?
Which credit inquiries hurt your score? ...and which don't?
Will closing accounts really help your credit score? You may be surprised at the answer.
How credit counseling does and doesn't affect your score Crucial new information, straight from the source.
The fastest way to improve your credit score Who can actually help and who'll rip you off?
What you should do before you apply for a mortgage An action plan that could save you thousands of dollars.