Students can sometimes be careless about paying off loans because they aren’t necessarily educated about the ramifications of making a late payment or only minimum payments. You may believe that the late payment penalty fee is the only bad part of making a payment late, but you couldn’t be more wrong. Late payments do generally carry a hefty fee, but they also flag you as a person who doesn’t manage their finances very well or very responsibly. You interest rate can immediately go up to an astounding rate and you’ll have more and more trouble making that payment. This can lead to years of debt that is almost impossible to pay off. Worse yet, you will be paying more and more interest, maybe for years, and that one time little loan becomes a total that you never would have agreed to borrow in the first place.
Only paying the minimum amount due can stretch out a loan for years, but making a late payment will hurt your credit. Most students are young and have been protected under their parents’ umbrella before now. Now, you’re starting to get student loans and credit cards on your own and you need to know the facts before you make any mistakes that can haunt you for years. Making even one late payment can put a blemish on your credit rating for years to come. Your credit score may not seem too important to you now, but it will, and very soon. When you get ready to finance a car, that one late payment you made back in college can make your interest rate go up enough to cost you every month for the length of the loan. You will most likely be required to put more money down to purchase the car.
When you buy a house, it will be the same story. You may not qualify for the best rates, regardless of your income. Even a fraction of a percent can cost you hundreds or thousands of dollars every year for up to thirty years. It could be even longer if the higher payments strap you enough that you end up refinancing and extending the loan.
Be organized and practice sticking to a budget. Make any student loan payments that you have on time, preferably before the due date, and pay more than the minimum every time. Pay off debt as quickly as possible and make sacrifices to do so. Keep your credit score as high as possible by having a checking and a savings account, take out as few student loans as possible and never ever make a late payment. Stay on track and you’ll have a happy secure financial future ahead of you.
Get My Credit Scores
To find out your score, you can get a free credit report from Equifax, TransUnion or Experian at "Annual Credit Report", which offers credit scores online. Once you know where you stand, you can develop a plan to recover your financial freedom.
First of all, pay your bills on time. This is the single-most important factor in improving credit scores. This means paying not only credit card bills on time, but also mortgage or rent payments, car loans, cell phone bills and utility bills.
These accounts may not show up on an impeccable credit report, but if you're 30 days late on something, it'll show up as an unsightly blemish. It's imperative that you at least make the minimum monthly payments to remain in good standing.
If you've missed a bunch of consecutive payments and your minimum has now exceeded what you can reasonably afford, then you may be able to transfer your balances to a new 0% interest card or you may need a credit counselor to help negotiate a plan for you. Also keep in mind that bounced checks will adversely affect your credit history too. Your overdraft bank account won't necessarily show up on your sample credit report, but the financial institutions can pull up this information using ChexSystems.
Keep an eye on your finances. FICO credit scores are only as good as the data that has been reported. You may know that you paid off an account months ago, but if the collection agency or lender never reported it, then your credit score will still be hurting. Fraudulent or inaccurate account information can stay on your record for as long as seven years if you don't monitor and take care of it right away.
Checking your free credit scores each year online can prevent this from happening. If you notice something amiss, a representative from Equifax, TransUnion or Experian will investigate the claim on your behalf to ensure your report is accurate and up-to-date.
While your score will lower a few points when a lender inquires into your profile, there are no penalties for checking your own credit score as much as you want. You'll also want to check your report several months before you make a major purchase, such as an auto loan or mortgage, because the last thing you want are any surprises during the financing process.
Perhaps the best way to improve FICO credit scores is to haul in more money to pay off debts faster, for one. Of course this is easier said than done, but it's probably the most essential way to regain control of your financial future.
Maybe this means more over-time, a stay-at-home spouse working part-time or striving for that bonus. In addition to using credit cards and paying them off in a timely fashion, it's even more important that you show you've made aggressive efforts to pay down your overall debt.
Both Evelyn Saunders & Mike Selvon are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Evelyn Saunders has sinced written about articles on various topics from College Student Loan, Debts Loans and Flirting Tips. About the Author: Evelyn Saunders, a retired teacher, is the editor for student-loans.net, a provider of and information on how to get. Evelyn Saunders's top article generates over 3600 views. to your Favourites.
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