How-To Guides

Need a better understanding of bad credit and how to fix it? Our finance experts have put together a series of step-by-step guides on a variety of bad credit related subjects.

From the Industry's Top Experts

John Ulzheimer Credit Expert
Erica Sandberg Finance Expert
Andrea Woroch Savings Expert
Ashley Fricker Senior Editor
What Is Bad Credit?

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15 min read

What Is Bad Credit?

Bad credit means your credit score is low — generally considered anything below 600 — because you’ve had... read more »

Mortgages

How Do Credit Scores Affect Mortgage Interest Rates?

6,783 views

3 min read

How Do Credit Scores Affect Mortgage Rates?

The world of mortgage interest rates has been on quite the roller coaster over the last few years. Mortgage interest rates for garden-variety 30-year fixed rate mortgages went from... read more »

By: John Ulzheimer • 3/14/24

Budgeting

7 Ways to Eat Healthy on a Budget

12,636 views

3 min read

7 Ways to Eat Healthy on a Budget

March is National Nutrition Month and a good time to think about how you can add more healthy foods to your diet. But unfortunately, grocery prices have remained stubbornly high even as... read more »

By: Andrea Woroch • 3/1/24

Credit Scores

What Number Does Your Credit Score Start at & When?

18,150 views

5 min read

What Number Does Your Credit Score Start at?

Your credit score or, more accurately credit scores, are used by lenders to assess the risk of doing business with you. If you have good or great scores, you are likely to be approved... read more »

By: John Ulzheimer • 2/12/24

Credit Scores

Americans’ Credit Scores Resilient Against Rising Card Debt & Delinquencies

35,815 views

5 min read

Credit Scores Resilient Despite Rising Debt

When people are unemployed or underemployed, they often use their credit cards to bridge their income gap. Credit cards offer immediate access to a potentially substantial line of... read more »

By: John Ulzheimer • 1/22/24

Debit Cards

7 Things to Know About the Current Account (March 2024)

19,092 views

7 min read

7 Things to Know About the Current Account

Current is revolutionizing the way we think about mobile banking. With its standout features and unique benefits, it’s making a real splash in the competitive digital finance arena.... read more »

By: Eric Bank • 1/15/24

Auto

Is Auto Credit Express Legit? (Feb. 2024)

30,394 views

9 min read

Is Auto Credit Express a Legitimate Lender?

Having bad credit can make getting an auto loan seem like an uphill task. What’s worse is that some companies seek to take advantage of consumers with deceptive loan products that don’t... read more »

By: Choncé Maddox • 1/8/24

Credit Cards

9 Grocery Credit Cards for Bad Credit (Feb. 2024)

26,160 views

11 min read

9 Grocery Credit Cards for Bad Credit

If you’re like most people, one of the biggest line items in your budget is your grocery spending, especially if you have a big family. And as food prices have increased because of... read more »

By: Zina Kumok • 1/2/24

Loans

A Guide to Home Equity Loans vs. HELOCs

42,180 views

5 min read

A Guide to Home Equity Loans vs. HELOCs

If you are a homeowner, you may have accumulated equity that you can access. Depending on various factors, you can either borrow against the value of the equity with an installment loan... read more »

By: Erica Sandberg • 12/26/23

Mortgages

Does Rocket Mortgage Work With Bad Credit? (Feb. 2024)

33,495 views

13 min read

Does Rocket Mortgage Work With Bad Credit?

If you are searching for a new house but have lousy credit, you aren’t alone. Rocket Mortgage may be a solution. It is America’s largest direct mortgage provider, and it works with... read more »

By: Eric Bank • 12/18/23

Debt

5 Tips To Quickly Pay Down Holiday Debt

30,690 views

3 min read

5 Tips To Quickly Pay Down Holiday Debt

Budgeting for the holidays seems simple, but it can be a rather complicated process when you consider the endless seasonal expenses that creep up this time of year, many of which are... read more »

By: Andrea Woroch • 12/15/23

Credit Scores

How to Get an 800 Credit Score (from a FICO Expert)

26,925 views

7 min read

How to Get an 800 Credit Score

Credit scores are three-digit numbers that are used by lenders to determine whether they’re going to approve your applications, and under what terms. Your many credit scores are... read more »

By: John Ulzheimer • 12/14/23

Credit Reports

7 Best Credit Monitoring Services With FICO Scores (Feb. 2024)

39,117 views

15 min read

7 Best Credit Monitoring Services With FICO Scores

Credit monitoring services play a vital role in today’s financially interconnected world by allowing you to keep an eye on your credit status. Those services providing FICO scores are... read more »

By: Eric Bank • 12/11/23

Credit Repair

3 Options for Credit Repair with No Upfront Fees (Feb. 2024)

53,048 views

7 min read

Credit Repair Services With No Upfront Fees

You can’t simply wave your hands to make your credit mistakes disappear. But, you can remove obsolete, inaccurate, and unverifiable information from your credit reports, which is the... read more »

By: Eric Bank • 12/4/23

Debit Cards

6 Instant Debit Cards For Bad Credit (Feb. 2024)

37,088 views

11 min read

6 Instant Debit Cards For Bad Credit

I’m busy, and I’ll bet you are, too. In a world of instant messaging, fast food, and 30-second loan approvals, we certainly don’t want to wait for our new debit cards to arrive by snail... read more »

By: Eric Bank • 11/27/23

Loans

8 Best $100+ Instant Loan Apps (Feb. 2024)

53,168 views

13 min read

9 Best Loan Apps to Borrow $100

Sometimes, an extra $100 can make all the difference in the world. And thanks to our reviewed apps, you should have no trouble quickly securing a small loan without jumping through... read more »

By: Eric Bank • 11/22/23

Loans

7 No-Credit-Check Loans With Guaranteed Approval (Feb. 2024)

33,033 views

15 min read

8 No Credit Check Loans With Guaranteed Approval

If you have bad or limited credit, I can imagine your eyes widening as you come across this article. Can you really get a slam-dunk loan with no questions asked? Well, no, but we’ll... read more »

By: Eric Bank • 11/21/23

Loans

7 Instant-Approval Personal Loans For Bad Credit (Feb. 2024)

43,284 views

15 min read

7 Instant-Approval Personal Loans For Bad Credit

Bad credit should not prevent you from obtaining a personal loan. What’s more, you can usually get one quickly, without a lot of red tape. This article reviews the best subprime... read more »

By: Eric Bank • 11/20/23

Credit Reports

5 Best 3-Bureau Credit Monitoring Services (Feb. 2024)

30,943 views

9 min read

Best 3-Bureau Credit Monitoring Services

Enrolling in a credit monitoring service is one of the best ways to stay on top of your credit. These services offer daily or monthly Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion credit history... read more »

By: Ray Prince • 11/16/23

Loans

7 Loans Like CreditNinja (Feb. 2024)

45,045 views

9 min read

7 Loans Like CreditNinja

CreditNinja is an online lender that allows subprime borrowers to take out unsecured personal loans of up to $5,000. With more than 12 million Americans taking out payday loans every... read more »

By: Ray Prince • 11/14/23

Loans

5 Best Installment Loans in California (Feb. 2024)

36,008 views

11 min read

5 Best Installment Loans in California

Everything is more expensive in California. Its cost of living exceeds the national average by 42% and varies widely throughout the state. Sunnyvale is the state’s priciest city (124%... read more »

By: Eric Bank • 11/13/23

Loans

8 Personal Loans With No Credit Check (Feb. 2024)

37,323 views

9 min read

8 Personal Loans With No Credit Check

According to the Federal Reserve’s Economic Well-Being of US Households in 2022 report, 28% of people confirmed that the largest expense they could cover was less than $499. These... read more »

By: Ray Prince • 11/9/23

Loans

7 Common Loan Fees and How to Avoid Them

60,160 views

5 min read

Common Loan Fees and How to Avoid Them

Loans can be helpful financial tools, enabling you to do things like pay for expensive items over time or efficiently reorganize debt. However, borrowing money from a financial... read more »

By: Erica Sandberg • 11/7/23

Loans

7 Best Small Payday Loans Online (Feb. 2024)

43,923 views

9 min read

7 Best Small Payday Loans Online

Has an expected expense caught you off guard and left little money until your next paycheck? Payday loans are short-term loans that are designed to help people cover their bases until... read more »

By: Choncé Maddox • 11/6/23

Credit Repair

7 Companies Like Lexington Law (Feb. 2024)

66,024 views

13 min read

Credit Repair Companies Like Lexington Law

Lexington Law is our top-ranked credit repair company. It boasts an experienced staff of legal experts, including accredited lawyers. The company began in 2004, so it has the... read more »

By: Eric Bank • 11/2/23

Auto

6 Best EV Car Loans For Bad Credit (Feb. 2024)

31,716 views

13 min read

6 Best EV Car Loans for Bad Credit

You may have bad financial credit, but owning an electric vehicle earns you social credit for helping protect the environment. It’s too bad that EVs typically cost a few thousand... read more »

By: Eric Bank • 10/31/23

Banks

8 Online Bank Accounts Like Chime (Feb. 2024)

31,658 views

11 min read

8 Online Bank Accounts Like Chime

Chime and its competitors are financial technology companies that offer online and mobile app banking services. In Chime’s case, The Bancorp Bank and Stride Bank deliver traditional... read more »

By: Eric Bank • 10/30/23

Loans

Cashback Loans Review & 3 Best Alternatives (Feb. 2024)

70,488 views

9 min read

3 Best Alternatives to Cashback Loans

People use small payday loans to meet immediate cash needs until their next paycheck. The loans are expensive, but their limited size and duration help contain the overall cost. ... read more »

By: Eric Bank • 10/26/23

Loans

7 Best Construction Loans For Bad Credit (Feb. 2024)

48,451 views

11 min read

7 Construction Loans for Bad Credit

Imperfect credit need not prevent you from constructing, rehabilitating, or renovating your home. Even with a low credit score, you can qualify for a conventional or government-backed... read more »

By: Eric Bank • 10/24/23

Loans

7 Best $6,000 Loans For Bad Credit (Feb. 2024)

33,022 views

13 min read

5 Best $6,000 Loans For Bad Credit

If you need to borrow thousands of dollars for an unexpected or urgent expense, a personal loan can be a great option to quickly get the money you need. Qualifying for a personal loan... read more »

By: Choncé Maddox • 10/23/23

Loans

Fast Loan Advance Review & 5 Alternatives (March 2024)

54,352 views

7 min read

2024 Fast Loan Advance Review + Alternatives

Fast Loan Advance allows anyone with bad credit to apply for a short-term installment loan of as little as $100 (and up to $35,000) with APRs from 5.99% to 35.99%. Unlike a payday loan... read more »

By: Ray Prince • 10/19/23

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