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Guides
Long-form explainers on US credit scores and credit reports. Read them in order if you are starting from a low score.
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What is a bad credit score?
The cut-offs for FICO and VantageScore, how lenders group borrowers into prime and subprime, and what a low score costs over the life of a loan.
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How credit scores are calculated
Payment history, amounts owed, length of history, new credit and credit mix — with the approximate weight of each and the things scores never look at.
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How to rebuild bad credit
The order that works: stop new damage, fix the report, lower utilization, then add positive history. Includes realistic timelines.
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Errors on your credit report and how to dispute them
Where to get your reports free, the mistakes that show up most often, and what the bureaus have to do once you dispute.