Gerri Detweiler

Credit Expert
Gerri Detweiler

About the Author

Credit expert Gerri Detweiler has been guiding individuals and small business owners through the confusing world of credit and financing for 30+ years. Her articles have appeared on many sites including Forbes, MSN, and MarketWatch. She is the author or coauthor of six books, including "Finance Your Own Business: Get on the Financing Fast Track." She hosted a live radio show for three years and testified before Congress on consumer credit legislation.

Latest Posts

Worked On 9 Articles To Date

Guide

323 views

5 min read

4 Reasons Collection Accounts Can Appear Without Notice (And What You Can Do)

4 Reasons Why Collection Accounts Can Appear Without Notice

Collection accounts can quickly tank your credit scores. If one appears on your credit reports unexpectedly, it can also create a moment of... read more »

By: Gerri Detweiler • 8/4/26

Guide

10,402 views

5 min read

How to Track Credit Score Changes (Without Obsessing Over Them)

How to Track Credit Score Changes (Without Obsessing)

How often do you check your credit scores? If you look at them at least once a month, you’re more on top of them than most Americans.  That’s... read more »

By: Gerri Detweiler • 7/1/26

Guide

9,048 views

7 min read

How to Organize Your Debts Before Starting DIY Credit Repair (5 Steps)

How to Organize Your Debts for DIY Credit Repair

Whenever I’ve talked with someone about credit repair over the years, inevitably, the biggest hurdle they face is getting started. Debt and bad... read more »

By: Gerri Detweiler • 6/19/26

Guide

11,568 views

5 min read

4 Reasons Why Credit Reports Sometimes Show Old Debts as New (And How to Fix It)

Why Credit Reports Sometimes Show Old Debts as New

No matter how bad your credit is now, there’s an off-ramp in the future. Federal law prohibits credit bureaus from reporting most negative... read more »

By: Gerri Detweiler • 6/18/26

Guide

51,712 views

7 min read

How to Tell Which Accounts Are Hurting Your Credit the Most

How to Tell Which Accounts Are Hurting Your Credit the Most

Pay down your credit card balances. Pay on time. Don’t close your oldest account. Dispute mistakes on your credit report.  One of the biggest... read more »

By: Gerri Detweiler • 3/31/26

Guide

32,112 views

7 min read

How to Use a Credit Card With a Low Limit to Build Credit

How to Use a Credit Card With a Low Limit to Build Credit

When you’re trying to build or rebuild your credit, starting small with a low-limit credit card may not seem like it will get you very far.  Take... read more »

By: Gerri Detweiler • 3/9/26

Guide

51,319 views

7 min read

Which Credit Monitoring Service Should I Use?

Which Credit Monitoring Service Should I Use?

This question was posted on Reddit, but over the years I’ve heard versions of it many times:  “Which app is the most helpful for monitoring... read more »

By: Gerri Detweiler • 2/16/26

Guide

46,050 views

5 min read

“Help! My Child Used My Card to Buy Online Games!” — How to Request a Refund & Prevent Future Surprises  

What to Do If Your Child Uses Your Card for Unauthorized Purchases

Finding credit card or debit card purchases on your account that you didn’t expect can be alarming, but even more so when you realize it’s your... read more »

By: Gerri Detweiler • 1/8/26

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