Introduction

You have more power than ever before to shape your credit—and your financial future.

Twenty years ago, you didn’t even have the right to know the numbers that lenders used to judge you. Today, you can get dozens of your scores online within seconds, along with detailed information about what goes into creating each one. Instead of having too little information, sometimes it can feel like you have too much, to the point where it’s difficult to know what’s truly important and what you can ignore.

That’s where this book comes in. My goal is to help you get the scores you need to live a successful, financially responsible life without having to spend half that life learning about the process.

People’s hunger to learn about credit scoring helped make previous editions of this book into national best-sellers. The book you have in your hands now has been completely updated to reflect current laws, trends, and lending practices. It gives you everything you need to know about how to protect your scores if they’re high and improve them if they’re not.

Now more than ever, knowing how to fix, improve, and protect your credit score is essential for successfully navigating your financial life.