Order your free credit report from AnnualCreditReport.com each year and check for errors. If you find any, file a dispute with the credit reporting agency to have it fixed. If you have any questions about your report, we'd be happy to look over it with you.

2. PAY YOUR CREDIT CARD BILLS ON TIME
Prove to the lenders that you can reliably pay your debt on time every month. Download a bill paying reminder app on your phone to help you pay bills on time or set up automatic payments.

3. KEEP YOUR REVOLVING CREDIT BILLS LOW
Ideally, you’ll want to pay your monthly credit card balances entirely, but if that’s not possible, keep the total credit used under 30% of the available credit across all of your accounts.

4. CLEAR UP ANY COLLECTION ACCOUNTS
Pay off the debt that's on any collection accounts as soon as possible. These accounts stay on your report for 7 years, so the sooner you pay it off, the quicker it will come off your report.

5. DON’T OPEN A LOT OF NEW ACCOUNTS AT ONCE
Each time you open an account, the creditor makes a “hard inquiry” on your credit. Each inquiry lowers your credit score by a few points. If you're trying to boost your credit score, avoid opening many new accounts.