7 Ways to Boost Your Credit Score

[Boost Your Credit Score]

7 Ways to Boost Your Credit Score

The good news: Even with a blight on your report, it's possible to give your credit score a boost over time.

The first step is to understand how your FICO score works. FICO stands for Fair Isaacs Corp., the Minneapolis-based company that creates the risk calculations used to calculate credit scores. Lenders use FICO scores to predict what kind of borrower you'll be. Scores range from 300 to 850; the higher, the better. A high score means lenders generally consider you a safe bet: that you manage credit responsibly and aren't likely to default on your payments. For that, you'll be rewarded handsomely. For more on credit scores, click here.

When it comes to improving your score, you shouldn't expect dramatic changes overnight. "It's a long haul, like improving your cholesterol or losing weight," says Craig Watts, public affairs manager for Fair Isaac. "You need to make slow changes in habit. It'll take months to improve a poor FICO score."

Ready to get started? Here are seven ways to maximize your score.

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