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
25 Fast Facts About Credit Reports & Scores

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5 min read

Fun Facts About Credit Reports and Credit Scores

The world of consumer finance is loaded with data, statistics, trends, acronyms, and averages. It’s truly... read more »

Credit Scores

What Is Bad Credit?

3,962 views

15 min read

What Is Bad Credit?

Bad credit means your credit score is low — generally considered anything below 600 — because you’ve had problems paying bills or loans on time or you’ve previously filed for... read more »

By: Eric Bank • 4/9/24

Mortgages

How Do Credit Scores Affect Mortgage Interest Rates?

10,944 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

14,392 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?

11,836 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

24,375 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

Loans

A Guide to Home Equity Loans vs. HELOCs

25,662 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

Debt

5 Tips To Quickly Pay Down Holiday Debt

26,334 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)

45,509 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

Debit Cards

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

39,584 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)

68,647 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)

45,306 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)

57,435 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

Loans

7 Loans Like CreditNinja (Feb. 2024)

66,096 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

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

44,484 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

67,194 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)

43,732 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)

39,552 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)

66,195 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

Loans

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

38,280 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)

67,773 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

Credit Cards

7 Easy-Approval Credit Cards With High Limits (Feb. 2024)

48,269 views

17 min read

7 Easy-Approval Cards With High Limits

Even if you have bad credit, it is still possible to find credit cards with easy approval and relatively high credit limits. These products may be hard to spot, so we’ve rounded up a... read more »

By: Eric Bank • 10/17/23

Bankruptcy

8 High Limit Credit Cards After Bankruptcy (April 2024)

46,710 views

13 min read

8 Best High-Limit Cards After Bankruptcy

No matter what situation led to your bankruptcy, there’s no doubt it complicates your access to high-limit credit cards. That’s why we identified post-bankruptcy credit cards with... read more »

By: Eric Bank • 10/16/23

Loans

7 Loans Like ACE Cash Express (Feb. 2024)

64,324 views

11 min read

7 Loans Like ACE Cash Express

ACE Cash Express offers a broad range of financial products and services, including short-term loans, card services, check cashing, money transfers, bill payments, and money orders. It... read more »

By: Eric Bank • 10/5/23

Loans

12 Bad Credit Loans in Michigan (Feb. 2024)

76,755 views

11 min read

12 Bad Credit Loans Available in Michigan

The best bad credit loans in Michigan allow those with credit scores below 580 to obtain quick access to funds that can be used for everything from unpaid medical to past-due utility... read more »

By: Ray Prince • 10/3/23

Secured Credit Cards

9 Best High-Limit Secured Credit Cards (April 2024)

44,355 views

13 min read

9 Best High-Limit Secured Credit Cards

Secured credit cards have a few tricks up their sleeve. Sure, they are an excellent option for subprime consumers who want to own a credit card but can’t (or don’t want to) qualify for... read more »

By: Eric Bank • 9/26/23

Loans

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

100,000+ views

9 min read

7 Auto Loans With No Credit Check

A guaranteed auto loan with no credit check is a popular option for purchasing a new or used vehicle among borrowers with credit scores in the 300 to 579 range who have trouble... read more »

By: Ray Prince • 9/25/23

Loans

15 Loans Like Possible Finance (March 2024)

77,945 views

11 min read

15 Loans Like Possible Finance

Possible Finance participates in a growing marketplace of payday loan alternatives. By combining features of payday and installment loans, the Possible app charges high APRs on loans of... read more »

By: Eric Bank • 9/21/23

Loans

11 Guaranteed Approval Loans: $1,000 to $2,000 (March 2024)

70,815 views

15 min read

11 Guaranteed Loans of Up to $2,000

Guaranteed approval and bad credit don’t usually appear in the same sentence. But if you have poor credit, you can use any of the loan networks we review below to get a prequalification... read more »

By: Eric Bank • 9/19/23

Loans

12 Bad Credit Loans in North Carolina (Feb. 2024)

67,197 views

9 min read

12 Loans Available in North Carolina

North Carolina is one of the most rapidly growing states in the US. Many consumers call it home, including plenty of people who don’t have good credit. Fortunately, Tar Heel State... read more »

By: Eric Bank • 9/18/23

Divorce

How to Protect Your Credit In a Divorce

58,720 views

5 min read

How to Protect Your Credit In a Divorce

Despite all the optimism and joy that goes with tying the knot, it’s an unfortunate reality that a considerable percentage of marriages fail. And while the divorce rate seems to be... read more »

By: John Ulzheimer • 9/15/23

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