Key takeaways
- Your credit score is determined by a number of factors, and some carry more weight than others.
- An exceptional credit score isn’t necessary — most loan providers offer favorable terms and rates to those with credit scores of 670 or higher.
- Raising your credit score requires time, patience and responsible credit usage.
As someone who writes about personal finance, you might assume I’ve always had my financial house in order. But like most young adults, I struggled with a heavy student loan burden in a profession that paid a meager salary. Right after we got married, my spouse lost a lucrative job and remained unemployed for more than a year while our credit card debt ballooned.
Today, I’m fortunate enough to have maintained an 800-plus credit score for the better part of a decade. And no, I didn’t stumble into a sizable inheritance or…
