Guides
Credit help in plain language
Short, practical guides to credit reports, disputes, and debt collectors. Each one links to the official sources.
General information, not legal or financial advice. Disputes correct errors; accurate negative information generally stays on a report until its reporting period ends. No result is promised. Check the official sources and your state's rules for your situation.
Plan your disputes before you mail anything
A four-step way to find real errors on your credit reports, decide what to dispute first, and keep records that help later.
Section 609 vs. Section 611: seeing your file vs. disputing it
What the two most-quoted parts of the Fair Credit Reporting Act actually do, and the myths that waste people's time.
Before you pay a collection account
Check the dates, ask for validation, and get any deal in writing before money changes hands.
Date of last activity and date of first delinquency
Which date controls how long a negative account can be reported, and how to check that it is right on every report.
Control how a debt collector contacts you
You can tell a collector to stop contacting you, or just limit how and when it does. Here is how each choice works.
What to do after a bureau responds
How to read each kind of dispute result and choose a sensible next step, from asking how an item was verified to filing a complaint.
Getting your credit ready for a mortgage or car loan
Start early, keep recent history clean, lower your balances, and know which promises are red flags.
After a vehicle repossession
The notices you may be owed, how a remaining balance is figured, and how to check that your credit report is right.