Sunday, January 6, 2008

Keeping An Eye On Your Personal Credit

Your personal credit is as unique to you as your fingerprints and just as important. You definitely need to keep your eye on your credit because if you don't it could lead to huge problems later on. The reality of it is that establishing your own credit can be hard but it is like a right of passage.
The majority of people first get credit associated with a credit card. Realizing that there is a high rate of interest on that card should stop any unnecessary spending. However, it doesn't always happen that way when people now have a way to buy things they regularly can't afford.
The right way to establish your credit with this new credit card is to use it for a few purchases that you need such as gas. Make sure you pay off the balance in full each month. This is going to prevent you from paying high interest and it is going to show that you are responsible.
Too many consumers don't realize how difficult it is to get credit. I can tell you though that it is even harder to get it when you don't have a good track record of paying back what has already been extended to you. This places you into a worse situation in the eyes of the lender than if you have never had credit before.
An issue you really need to consider when it comes to personal credit though is being able to prepare for what is taking place in the future. Since you don't know what that will be you simply have to prepare for it. Don't have all of your disposable income tied up in paying for things because it isn't going to benefit you in the long run.
Even if you are careful with your personal credit, other people may not be. Spending habits of spouses get many people into trouble. Make sure these issues are discussed before you get married or you can be in for some personal credit issues. Identity theft is something to be concerned about as well.
Identity theft can result in a person struggling to prove they didn't make these charges. The process of clearing your name can take years. There are legal fees involved and tons of paperwork. People have lost their homes and their businesses due to identity theft as they just couldn't get past it. It can take several years for the accounts to be taken care of and in the mean time you can't access credit you really need.
It is important to know what a huge impact your personal credit has on you. There are adults that struggle to buy a car or to buy a home because of the negative marks on their credit reports. If they do get approved for loans they pay too much in interest. This creates more issues as this eats away at their disposable income that they could be saving for their future.
Robert Bain tries to untangle the complicated world of credit. He offers his opinions on business credit and personal finance, online credit offers, bankruptcy, and unsecured credit cards.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Bain

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