Working On Your Personal Credit

📚 Working On Your Personal Credit

"Apply the Knowledge — Build the Results"

You’ve learned how credit works.
You’ve learned your rights.
You know the strategies.

👉🏽 Now it’s time to turn the knowledge into action — starting with your own personal credit profile.

Real transformation comes when you apply what you’ve learned step-by-step, with patience and a clear plan.

🧠 Main Teaching Points

1. Pull and Review Your Current Credit Reports

✅ Pull your official credit reports from all three bureaus (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion) at www.annualcreditreport.com.
✅ Print them or download PDF copies for easy review.

2. Identify Errors and Negative Accounts

✅ Carefully check for:

  • Incorrect names, addresses, or employers
  • Duplicate accounts
  • Accounts with wrong balances or dates
  • Collections you don’t recognize
  • Public records that should not be there

✅ Create a "Credit Repair Checklist" listing each error you find — include:

  • Bureau name
  • Account name
  • Error found
  • Notes for dispute

3. Choose Your Top 5 Priority Items to Dispute

✅ Focus on:

  • The biggest score-impacting accounts first (collections, charge-offs, major late payments)
  • Clear errors that are easiest to prove wrong

✅ Start with no more than 5 accounts at once per bureau — this keeps the disputes organized and avoids being labeled “frivolous.”

4. Draft Your First Dispute Letters

✅ For each error, create a separate, clean dispute letter.
✅ Be professional, factual, and direct.
✅ Request deletion or correction based on inaccuracy or unverifiability.

✅ Keep copies of everything you send — certified mail recommended for tracking.

5. Start Rebuilding at the Same Time

✅ Apply for 1–2 starter rebuild products (if needed):

  • Secured credit card
  • Credit builder loan
  • Authorized user account from a family member

✅ Use small amounts, pay off balances early, and never miss a payment.

6. Track Your Progress Weekly

✅ Create a simple Credit Progress Journal:

  • Date you filed disputes
  • Date bureau replies were received
  • Changes noticed in reports
  • New positive accounts added
  • Credit score updates

Student Tip:
✅ Improvement takes time — stay patient but consistent.

🎯Assignment for This Chapter:

✅ Pull your reports
✅ Highlight at least 5 clear errors
✅ Write and send your first round of disputes
✅ Set up 1-2 positive credit building accounts
✅ Create your Credit Progress Journal and track updates weekly

Remember:
👉🏽 You’re not just a student anymore — you are taking ownership of your financial future.
👉🏽 Small, consistent steps turn into major financial victories.