When you have bad credit or a low credit score, the faster you can fix the problem, the faster you'll have more money in your pocket. The interest rates you pay on loans will start falling, and you might even find the premiums you pay on life, health, and auto insurance will drop. So, what's the fastest way to repair your credit problems? There isn't a single solution, but many small steps you can take. Here are a few:

Secret #1: The piggyback method. If you are a married woman with some or no credit, and your husband has excellent credit, read on. You can leverage his credit with the piggyback method. It lets you build credit in your own name, and at a much faster pace than if you had to build it all by yourself. Have your husband add you as an "authorized user" or "secondary account holder" to his account. In most cases, his entire account history gets posted to your credit report. The piggyback method is easy, effective, and extremely fast.

Secret #2: Remove (some) negative items from your credit report. Let's say you request copies of your credit reports, and discover five bad accounts you can get removed. Don't remove them all immediately, because then you'll end up with no credit history. The secret is to replace them with good accounts first.

The fastest way to add a good account to your credit report is through sub-prime merchandise cards. These are nothing more than a card attached to a line of credit that allows you to buy merchandise from a specific vendor (usually the company that sold you the card). You're required to put down a deposit on whatever you purchase, and the remaining balance is financed on the card. The advantage of the sub-prime merchandise card is that this new credit line will be reported to the major credit bureaus, and your credit report will reflect this good news fast.

Secret #3: Do not pay off your credit cards in full each month. If you do, you'll actually end up with less credit. Think about it. Lenders make their money by charging you interest. If you pay off your balance each month, they don't earn any interest. Pay down your balances, but don't pay them off. This is a fast way to demonstrate to potential new lenders that you are credit-worthy.

Secret #4: Automated dispute letters. The credit bureaus and debt collection companies all require written correspondence from you before they will act on any complaint you may have. If you've tried to write effective dispute letters from scratch, you know how time consuming it can be. Technology comes to your aid! You can now get entire CD's filled with hard-hitting credit repair letters that you can customize for your credit repair battle. Now, creating highly effective letters is as fast as pressing a few keys. You simply enter your name, the creditors name, and other relevant information. Then hit print. It just doesn't get any faster than that.

These are a just a few secrets for fixing your credit problems fast. The sooner you get started, the sooner your credit score improves, and your financial picture gets brighter.