How to Build a Better Credit Score?
Our VLB call center specialists frequently receive questions and email inquiries about credit score and its possible impact on receiving a land, home or home improvement loan.
Financial literacy is the cornerstone of building good credit. The U.S. Veterans Administration (VA) offers good information to help Veterans understand what financial literacy is and how to create a budget.
Your credit score is very important and is used for much more than just qualifying you for a loan. It touches many other, and sometimes surprising, aspects of our lives.
A good credit score can save you money, while a bad score can cost you. It is used by lenders, insurance agents, and mortgage companies as a reliability indicator. A bad score can raise red flags and might cause your interest rate to be higher.
Also, it can affect your career as more and more employers include a credit check in their future employee selection process. Indeed, a good credit score can demonstrate discipline, maturity, and trustworthiness.
Landlords also rely on credit checks. It allows them to gauge your reliability in paying your monthly rent. In addition, they can see whether you have incurred large past debts potentially preventing you from paying your rent.
Further, your ability to refinance an existing loan can be impacted by a bad credit score.
Do remember that having a good credit score is a long-term process. It can take years to repair a bad score. Additionally, a bad credit score can have negative impacts on your life years down the track.
USA.gov has information on what credit scores and credit reports are, and why they’re important. Additionally, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has helpful information on consumer.gov. It includes the basics like how an individual’s credit score is determined, why a good credit score is important, how to get a free copy of your credit score as well as key tips on how to improve your credit score.
If you have any questions or need assistance, our Veterans benefits specialists at the VLB call center are happy to help. Please call us at 1‑800‑252‑8387 or send an email to vlbinfo@glo.texas.gov.
