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Writer's pictureGhost Writer

The 7 Side Effects of Bad Credit & How to Improve It?

Updated: Feb 28, 2023

  1. You are big risk for lenders

  2. You will pay more for your loan

  3. Your insurance premiums may go up

  4. You will probably miss out on career opportunities

  5. You’ll have some hard time renting an apartment

  6. You’ll have a tougher time with utilities, including the internet

  7. I will delay building wealth and even your retirement

All you have left is to break the bad credit cycle

How to Improve Your Credit Score

A bad credit score can be devastating in the long term. It could mean that you are denied loans or will have to pay higher interest rates for your existing ones. It could also affect your ability to rent an apartment or even get some types of jobs. Even though there is a ton of information available about how to raise your credit score, it can be challenging to sort out what matters from what doesn't.

As if that weren't bad enough, there are other mistakes that people make all the time that trip them up when they try to get their credit reports fixed. In most cases, people forget to attach supporting documents like bank statements to show that payments were made on time, do not know where they signed up for services, or do not have the paperwork they need to prove that a debt is theirs. It is like you are about to kiss but can't reach.

What is a Credit Score?

Your credit score is based on a complicated formula that one or more of the major credit bureaus use to calculate it, and no one else can really tell you exactly how it is done. Is the algorithm biased? Nobody knows; all I see is that some companies' credit cards easily get you to the top, not sure if there is some sort of promotion going on down there like "you pay us, we will promote your credit card by giving more points to your customers so you can get more customers and more money in your pocket." Anyway, I am sure it is an algorithm that is doing the job, but it is a human being who wrote that program. Among other factors, it seeks to measure your ability and willingness to repay debt.

Many sub-scores inform the model, including:

  • Is there an open (not paid off yet) balance on any accounts you hold?

  • How long have you had your account, and how often do you pay off the balance in full?

  • Is there a history of late payments? Did this happen once or multiple times?

What is a good Credit Score?There's no hard and fast rule about what constitutes a "good" credit score. Scores range from 300 to 850, with 850 being the best. The average US score is somewhere in the middle at around 700, though it varies by city.What is a Bad Credit Score?There's no hard and fast rule about what constitutes a "good" credit score. Scores range from 300 to 850, with 850 being the best.

How Bad Credit Affects You

Many things can be difficult or impossible to do when you have bad credit. Some lenders won't approve loans, landlords may not want to rent you an apartment, employers might not consider your application if they see a low credit score in your background check, cell phone companies may blacklist you, and you might not be able to rent a car. Having bad credit can significantly affect your daily life in a number of ways. Again, the most common ways in which bad credit can impact your daily life:


  1. Difficulty getting approved for credit: With bad credit, it can be difficult to get approved for credit cards, loans, and other financial products. This can make it harder to make large purchases, such as buying a car or a home, or even getting approved for an apartment lease.

  2. Higher interest rates: Even if you are able to get approved for credit, having bad credit often means that you'll be charged higher interest rates. This can make borrowing money more expensive and can add up over time.

  3. Difficulty renting an apartment: Many landlords will run a credit check before approving a tenant for an apartment. It can be difficult to find a landlord willing to rent to someone with poor credit.

  4. Some insurance companies use credit scores as a way to figure out how much to charge for insurance. This means that if you have bad credit, you may end up paying more for car insurance, homeowners insurance, and other types of insurance.

  5. Limited job opportunities: Some employers may run credit checks as part of the hiring process, particularly for jobs that involve handling money or sensitive information. If you have bad credit, this could limit your job opportunities.

  6. Stress and anxiety: Dealing with bad credit can be stressful and ca

use anxiety. It can be difficult to manage your finances when you're constantly worried about making ends meet and paying off debt.

Bad credit can make it harder to get your finances in order, and it can also affect many other parts of your life. If you're struggling with bad credit, it's important to take steps to improve your credit score and financial situation. Too bad we're living in a system that doesn't really care, it's all about money, which means you're broke and you still have to pay to fix your credit score or no financial institution will want to help you. Ooh yes, you will say, "Get yourself a job," and yes, but when things are fucked up, they are, so I will need a place to stay, I will have to eat till I get my first pay in two weeks, I will have to go to work, and at least a snake during breaks. Please help people around you with these problems, even if they have made the wrong choice or taken the wrong turn in their lives. We all deserve a chance. Always Check Your Credit Report for Errors Everyone is entitled to a free annual credit report from each of the three major bureaus, which are Experian,Equifax, and TransUnion. Try to check for errors every year because incorrect information can make it nearly impossible to improve your credit score and make your life even harder. There are two types of mistakes to look out for: incorrect information and unanswered disputes.

  • Incorrect Information: This typically shows up as a different name, address, or social security number than what you have on file. If you spot any such irregularities, dispute them immediately. Don't delay! The longer that same incorrect information stays on your report, the lower your score will fall as that information makes its way into lenders' computer systems.

  • Unanswered Disputes: If you look at a different section of your report and see a line for "This account has an unresolved problem," this means that you never submitted a dispute. Disputes automatically expire after 30 days, so if you can't remember submitting one, there's your problem!

Some Ways to Improve Your Credit Score on Your Own You can improve your credit score on your own. Here are a few things you can do that have been shown to make a difference:

  1. Pay your bills on time and in full every month. (And by "pay," we don't mean setting up automatic payments and forgetting about them until the bill is due; we mean carefully reviewing the statement and making sure all charges are correct before paying.)

  2. Consolidate multiple small debts into one or two larger, more realistic loans (like a credit card you pay off in full every month).

  3. Create a positive account history by opening and using new accounts. If you don't want to buy things on credit, consider having a prepaid debit card that gets reloaded each month.

  4. Keep your oldest accounts open - you can receive a positive score boost for having an account that's several years old.

  5. Don't close accounts unless they are very old, in poor standing with the credit bureaus, or don't appear on your report. Closing an account implies that you might have fallen behind on payments, and by closing it, you're just adding to that negative information.


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