Before applying for a mortgage, your credit score needs to be in the best shape of its lifetime. If you have a ton of student or credit card debt that you are struggling to pay off, now is not the best time for a mortgage. Having a lower score makes you more likely to be approved, and will most likely get you a smaller interest rate. For tips on building that credit score, check out this post by Popular AZ:
-Give yourself time- you will need to show 6-18 months of steady improvement
-Learn to read your credit report, contest any errors on it
-Make all payments on time- again, give yourself 6-18 months
-Pay off as much debt as possible
-Get a credit card, don’t spend more than 20% of your limit, and pay your bill completely off each month.
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One of my friends has excellent credit; like, over 800 excellent. He pays all his bills on time, and worked furiously to pay off all his student loan debt within a year of graduating. However, he is concerned that his “home buying score” is still not good enough. In fact, he was worried he didn’t have one at all. To me, that sounded a little bit…well, wrong. After all, if you have good credit, you’re guaranteed to be approved for a low-interest home loan….right? Well, it turns out that he is actually partially right. Mortgage companies go into much further depth when deciding whether or not to approve you for a loan. And yes, your generic score IS different than your “home buying” credit score. Someone who has a 650 generic score may actually have only a 615 for home lenders. Check out this post by 
If your credit score is extremely bad, this post isn’t for you. This is for people that have ~okay~ credit, but are trying to make it good or great. Maybe you’re trying to get a lower interest payment on a huge loan, or you’re applying for a mortgage. Whatever the reason, it’s always a good idea to try and improve your credit score. For tips on how to painlessly raise your credit, check out this post by 
For the past few years, my credit score has been hovering slightly under 700. I’ve gotten it up from 660 to 680, but I still haven’t hit that ideal number yet. I pay all my bills on time, but I only have maybe two lines of credit, and I still have a pretty tidy pile of student loan debt. While I understand what the causes of my credit score are, it’s always good to look for little ways to perk it up a bit. That’s why I’m always reading articles like this one 
Everything you do today affects you in the future. If you exercise and eat healthy now, in the future you will probably have less medical problems. If you save your money and don’t buy that impulse purchase today, you can use that money for a vacation later. In fact, it’s especially true in the world of finance. Smart saving and frugal spending now will pay off big later! However, mistakes you make now can still do damage to future-you. Check out this post by 
Credit cards are a trap, no matter how alluring they are. It seems like a great idea to get “free” stuff now, and pay for it later. Yes, sometimes they are necessary if you have an emergency expense, but other than that, they should be avoided at all costs. Many Americans are thousands of dollars in credit card debt, and it keeps them paying month after month, while damaging their credit scores. If you want to get out of credit card debt fast, read this article by Patricia Poladian at the
Everyone knows that your credit score matters: it’s a reflection of whether you pay your debts and bills on time. Having a good credit score can even save you money. When I went to get the electricity set up in my new apartment, they waived the $300 start up fee just because I have good credit. You are also able get lower interest rates on loans and are more likely to be approved for anything. Read 
