Improve Your Credit Articles

Whether you’re looking to buy a home or car, take out a loan, open a credit card account, or even purchase a new auto insurance policy, your credit score will likely come into play. This three-digit number is calculated based on a variety of financial factors, and can influence whether a lender or creditor is willing to work with you.

There are many instances in life when your credit health gets examined. For better or worse, your credit score (and even credit history) can play a huge factor in achieving many of life’s goals.

It’s no secret that your credit history and score play an important role in your financial life. Your credit can both open doors for you and close them, depending on whether or not you have built a strong history over the years.

Does age have an impact on credit scores? The short answer is yes. Data shows that different generations have distinct credit scores. Individual credit scores are used by financial institutions and lenders to determine eligibility for favorable rates and terms for financial products and services. For example, a higher credit score typically earns borrowers lower rates on personal loans.

In collaboration with Money Lion - These days, consumers have relatively easy access to their credit scores thanks to a wealth of online services. Knowing your credit score is important, because it sets expectations for the type of financial products (e.g., credit cards, loans) that you’ll be best suited to apply for, and it factors into other important life needs (e.g., finding a job, buying/renting a home).

Since its introduction in 1989, the FICO Score has reigned supreme as the most widely used credit scoring model in the US. The formula has gone through multiple iterations since, but if a consumer is applying for a loan or credit card, the financial institution on the other end is almost certainly using the applicant’s FICO score to help determine their creditworthiness.

Anytime a lender approves and ultimately funds a borrower, they are relying on a prediction that the borrower will pay them back in full. As a result, lenders are always trying to strengthen their “predictive power” when it comes to reviewing loan applications.