Credit Ratings Are Often Underestimated

December 8, 2008 · Print This Article

People know that getting into debt can be a bad thing. It doesn’t take a professor of economics to say that excessive and unregulated debt will ruin financial stability and reduce the quality of life a person has by destroying peace of mind. There’s also the fact that it leaves a person unable to save money, which is dangerous when emergency expenses show up. However, in light of all of this, not enough people recognize what runaway debt truly does in terms of long-term damage, or at least the severity of it. It ruins credit.

People often underestimate their credit. They figure that if they aren’t financing a vehicle or looking at buying a new home, then they don’t have anything to worry about. Credit governs interest rates and loan eligibility, so while it is true that people who aren’t dealing with loans aren’t dealing with the effects of their credit as much, they should nonetheless feel concerned about their score.

If you aren’t looking at making a big purchase with financing, it is still in your best interest ensuring that you work towards having a good credit rating. This is a long-term investment that improves your financial security across several levels and in many industries. More than just a number, it’s an objective measure of your reputation and reliability to lenders and other individuals interested in how you handle your financial responsibilities.

These days, many things can be affected by your credit. If you don’t want to pursue home ownership now, you may want to in the future. More than that, even if you’re satisfied looking for an apartment, in many cases the landlord will want to do a credit check to see whether or not you’d be a reputable tenant. Car insurance is affected too. It varies based on the company and the policy, but there are several businesses that determine your premiums based on factors that include your credit score.

Of course, any loans you have currently can be affected by negative credit as well. Variable rate loans have the possibility of being hiked in terms of interest when a lender feels that their business is put at risk due to your credit. This can’t be underestimated. You can’t fully predict how a company will respond to a changing credit score, and by what degree they’ll take action to adjust your given interest rates.

Altogether, a credit score is something you want to maintain. If you have bad debt now, you’re going to need to work at eliminating it before you can see noticeable improvements in your credit. This isn’t as hard as it sounds. You only need to focus on breaking down debt into small tasks that can easily be tackled step by step. If you feel it is necessary to seek assistance with this manner, then there are numerous groups out there that are more than qualified to help you sort out your bills, set a budget, or consolidate your debt.

Debt is tough to handle, but a bad credit score is worse. One can begin to be eliminated at any time you’re willing to get started, but the other is dependent highly on long-term behavior that comes with a slow reward. The best way to improve credit is to prevent bad credit from happening, and that begins with recognizing the importance of your credit rating.

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Comments

26 Responses to “Credit Ratings Are Often Underestimated”

  1. Can Bad Credit Leave You Homeless? on May 20th, 2009 10:11 am

    [...] first thing you need to do, if you have bad credit and are looking to purchase a home, is to enlist the services of a broker who specializes in [...]

  2. schutchesn on August 1st, 2010 1:36 am

    Good Info..

  3. khearn on August 1st, 2010 1:52 am

    Well whatever the case may be go out this holiday and buy a new car and soem jewelry or the terrorists win! The fact that all the jobs are overseas and America produces nothing but debt may also be a part of the problem. That and lazy ass Americans accepting whatever the upper 1% lets drop out of their hands without saying a word, just keep humping that american dream folks, you will be rich and the country will be in great shape just keep getting unemployment and waiting for it to end

  4. sanica on August 4th, 2010 8:34 am

    No beneifts will affect your credit rating the only thing that would effect it if you were to make payments later or default on them. Also applying for too much credit at once will have a knock on effect.

  5. alter conio on August 6th, 2010 4:32 pm

    Medical Professinals are saving over 50% on their bad debt. Cool Case study:

  6. sky on August 9th, 2010 4:02 am

    If you deducted the accrued interest, you would have to include it in income. So, no.

  7. rock on August 9th, 2010 10:35 pm

    History Loan Credit Card Debt Consolidation Bad Credit Ease Off …: Credit card debt consolidation loans Easy Off…

  8. fey tunemy on August 9th, 2010 11:49 pm

    In some good news, I completed paying off a 3500 dollar debt earlier today. In some bad news, I'm out 3500 dollars.

  9. krop santlantof on August 10th, 2010 7:01 pm

    Exactly!

  10. yumi fogeser on August 11th, 2010 6:19 am

    You would have to go to small claims court and "try" to sue them.

  11. tikerlinst on August 15th, 2010 9:25 am

    another lady that does not know what she is talking about… they charge you upfront fees – debt settlements do not charge up front fees – up front fees mean: paying them in full before they will enroll you… and they do not charge you twice either… when the do your settlement they charge you again… uhh not….. wow where did they get there info…. i did a debt settlement program …. i paid thousands but not up front…. there fees were broke down into my payments throughout the program.

  12. mori sud on August 15th, 2010 5:21 pm

    TSA does that so u can't be bought buy a terrorist . No Really.
    TSA isn't all that.
    suggest u read '48 days to work u love' d.miller to get out of where ur at.

  13. kok on August 17th, 2010 10:48 am

    How can I get a business credit card despite bad credit rating in Canada? -

  14. mcsharu stunacz on August 19th, 2010 12:10 am

    Very awesome on the video and the help. I just found a couple capacitors that were oozing and this really helps me so i can repair the tv and save some money. Thanks much

  15. soudayamaz on August 19th, 2010 2:51 am

    The rating is a factor, but there are many other factors such as assets, liabilities (including the aging of the AR/AP). You can get an appraiser to value your in/tangible assets. But the biggest factors are cash flow, EBITDA margins, and total revenue. Assuming your business is doing 1MM in EBITDA on 20MM revenue, you can secure for maybe 2.5 times that amount. It all depends on the dynamics. Also, if working capital is a crucial need, you can hire an investment bank to find you a mezanine lender that specializes in those deals. They usually give higher multiples on working cap if your business is on the up and up. Good luck.

  16. john thengelbea on August 19th, 2010 9:27 am

    Tonya I think this video is awesome! I am getting ready to watch your next one and I can’t wait. Your information has been so helpful. I just got a cell phone on credit and about to get a scured credit card and I am so looking forward to improving my credit even more.

  17. ger on August 19th, 2010 8:57 pm

    Yes, Experian urges me to open new lines of credit and charge them up. Owing more = better credit rating, apparently. No wonder banks got $$

  18. degamlaoui on August 20th, 2010 4:47 pm

    Hi Luke, I'm assuming you have credit reports because you know that you have the debt. If the debt is fraudulent or a mistake, the best approach is to call the creditor and have them send a release to the credit agency. Otherwise, you will need to contact the credit bureau yourself (maybe all three). The best way to do this is by phone. IF the debt is real, is it big? Either way, you could call the creditor and see what kind of position they have on a 10 year old debt. Remember, everything in life is negotiable. If this proves fruitless, contact the credit bureau and ask them to verify the "black mark" (you file a dispute). More than likely there will be no continuing record of it, and it will be dropped. When you contact any of the credit bureaus, talk to them by phone! I've found they are much more reasonable than when you contact them online. I'm almost positive that one of these approaches will work. Feel free to post more information if you need more help.

  19. vand on August 21st, 2010 10:36 am

    How to Check Your Credit Rating For Free

  20. loglinder on August 24th, 2010 4:33 am

    Ask lenders for agreement to delete this items from your credit report when paying them. I recommend to get such agreement thru credit repair agency, for example this one – credit-report-free.totalh.com

  21. bruhirofil intombour on August 27th, 2010 1:32 am

    To kosher the corn!

  22. kus on August 28th, 2010 9:44 am

    Updated – Debt Consolidation Loa…:

  23. farquire on August 29th, 2010 6:20 pm

    Here’s money back, WL: Following a boost in West Linn’s credit rating, estimates of future interest savings have e…

  24. him stor on August 29th, 2010 6:57 pm

    Bad Credit Rating: Solve it easily

  25. samina geann on August 31st, 2010 9:29 am

    You can try, but I don't think the IRS will accept it.

  26. hoff on September 1st, 2010 1:51 am

    Bank accounts do not show up on your credit report.

    -Stuart

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