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The Importance of Your Credit Score

Understanding the value of your credit score is an important first step to improving your financial health.

Anyone who has ever applied for a loan to purchase a car or house has encountered their credit score. This elusive figure can be perplexing, a three-digit assessment of your credit worthiness that has the potential to impact your financial health. We offer insights into understanding your credit score and taking steps to improve it.

What’s In a Number?

Your credit score most commonly used by lenders is FICO, a three-digit number from 300 to 850. It fluctuates continually, reflecting the interest rate of your credit cards, outstanding loans, and even a lack of credit.

Aim for at least a score of 700, a good figure by many lending standards. You can request a copy of your credit report (there is a small fee) from the three major credit reporting companies, Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.

Credit Worthiness

Check your credit report periodically, making sure that there are no errors, while using it as a tool to make sure that you’re paying your bills on time and staying within your established credit limits. Such actions have the potential to increase your credit score. You can request free copies of your Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion credit reports from AnnualCreditReport.com.

If you spot any errors, report the discrepancies to the appropriate credit bureaus (the report may differ among the three). They are required to take reasonable steps to correct any errors.

Establishing Credit

If you are a first-time credit seeker — applying for a credit card or loan, for instance — you may have to establish your credit score, which you can do in several ways, including by getting a secured credit card or becoming an authorized user of someone else’s card.

Improve Your Score

Not satisfied with your credit score and want to increase it? There are a number of steps you can take, like paying your bills on time, decreasing the amount of debt you carry, and staying within your established credit limits.

By taking control of your credit score, you are taking prudent steps to improve your overall financial health.

Save the Dates: America Saves Week is February 22-26, 2021
Holiday raises awareness of the importance of establishing responsible saving behaviors.

Underscoring the importance of saving successfully to achieve financial stability, the non-profit America Saves, an initiative of the Consumer Federation of America (CFA), is holding its 15th annual America Saves Week (ASW) event, February 22-26, 2021.

Comprised of more than 270 consumer education, advocacy, and cooperative members, the CFA is dedicated to educating consumers. ASW is the organization’s annual high-profile event, where they recommend that consumers perform a careful assessment of their finances and saving behaviors. “The America Saves pledge is the framework that allows savers to set a goal,” America Saves writes on its website, “and make a plan to achieve better financial stability.”

“Americans are in the midst of a savings crisis with more than 50% of us living paycheck to paycheck,” said George Barany, Director of America Saves, in a lead up to last year’s event. “Having some emergency savings can make a significant difference in one’s quality of life. Unfortunately, many people are not told about the most effective way to save, and that’s making saving automatic.”

Organizations can support ASW by becoming a participating organization, cross-marketing ASW to spread awareness of the event. “Once you’re a participating organization, it’s time to plan how your organization will show up for the week,” America Saves says. “The America Saves Week Digital Toolkit will provide done-for-you social media graphics, resources and tools, sample emails, press releases, and more. Many participating organizations choose to create their own aligned content for the week, host events (both virtually and on location), and more.”

Last year, dozens of organizations made public commitments to the event, including: BlackRock, USAA,
Zeiders Enterprises, JP Morgan & Chase, FDIC, National Disability Institute (NDI), Navy Federal Credit Union, National Association of Federally Insured Credit Unions (NAFCU), Funding our Future, Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education (AFCPE), and National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC).
This year’s ASW event is organized around the following daily themes:

• Save Automatically (February 22): A day to encourage Americans to save automatically through direct deposit of a portion of their income into a savings account.
• Save for the Unexpected (February 23): Emphasizes the importance of creating an emergency fund to support unexpected expenses, like a car repair or medical bill.
• Save to Retire (February 24): Addresses the importance of establishing a retirement fund that has the potential to help you support your lifestyle expectations when you retire.