A bad credit score can impact your day-to-day transactions and more serious financial decisions. You may pay higher interest on credit cards or be pushed to pay a larger down payment on your car.

Raising your credit score makes banks more likely to approve you for a mortgage, car loan or credit card. Plus, you could qualify for a lower interest rate that saves you thousands of dollars. Getting ...

More than a third of all Americans have a credit score below 670, according to Experian. And many don’t realize what’s hurting their credit until they’re denied a loan or hit with higher costs. Your ...

Millions of Americans are seeing their credit scores drop now that the U.S. government has resumed referring missed student loan payments for debt collection. But there are things you can do to help ...

Build credit with a loan that your bank keeps for you Jessica Gibson is a content update editor and writer for Investopedia. She has over 10 years of experience in digital publishing and three years ...

The reprieve is over. The pandemic-related breathing room from student-loan payments is done, and the financial reality of repayment has returned for millions of borrowers. But beyond the strain on ...

Many people don't understand why a common strategy that can help them pay down that debt — paying bills on time — isn't all it takes to improve their credit. Separating fact from fiction is essential ...

Stream NBC 5 for free, 24/7, wherever you are. Many people don't understand why a common strategy that can help them pay down that debt — paying bills on time — isn't all it takes to improve their ...

Americans have a near-record level of credit card debt — $1.18 trillion as of the first quarter of 2025, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The average credit card debt per borrower ...