Credit score is one of those things that a lot of people leave alone because it seems complicated. If you have bad credit, it doesn’t have to remain that way. You can improve your credit score now.

The worst thing you can do is give trust to the credit reporting agencies. I think just about all files, including yours, have errors on them.

Here’s some things you should know:

1. You can stop collection agencies, remove bad credit items and more. This guy who had 60 negative items shows you how. Click that link.

2. Get a free copy of your credit report with all 3 major agencies. Think it’s all the same? Think again. If you’ve never seen a credit report, you are going to be surprised. Some accounts could be on one report but not on another. The result is a different credit score per report agency.

3. Hopefully, you’ll see all your good accounts listed. If not, that could be killing your credit score. You need to contact the CRA to get any “good” items put on. That guy above shows you how.

4. Be smart. Does paying off collections help you? Actually, no. Don’t be in a rush. You need to do things right or you’ll be in trouble.

5. You need to “dispute” incorrect data. It’s not hard at all. You’ll have to contact the CRA. That guy gives sample letters and instructions.

6. Don’t use too much credit! If your credit available from all credit cards is say $1,000 and your total balances equal say $800, you’re using 80% of your credit . This is a bad spot to be in. Keep your credit use to 0-30% of your maximum total credit. When your utilization is above a certain point, you start losing points.

7. Stop applying for stuff. Only apply for something you really need and that you know you’ll get approve for. “Hard pulls” can hurt your credit score, especially manual reviews. It looks like you’re just grasping at straws. It’s fine to apply for credit now and again, but don’t go applying for 5 credit cards in 10 minutes.

There’s a lot more you can do to repair credit and improve your credit score. What I gave you was an overview. For a step-by-step guide, check out that site I told you about above.

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