Credit Smarts

It's no secret that maintaining a good credit score is essential to strong financial health. It is a must if you ever wish to take out a substantial loan or need to apply for rental properties. Most people know the basics of what may hurt or help your credit score. However, you may not know about a few surprising things that can hurt your score. Here are six factors that may negatively impact your credit score.

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There are many reasons someone might want to freeze their credit or lock their credit report down. These might include being the victim of a stolen identity or being worried about a data breach.

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Maintaining a good credit score may mean the difference between being able to borrow money for important purchases and not being able to borrow money at all. For lenders, your credit score is an indicator of how responsible you are and how likely you are to pay back a loan. A higher credit score will likely get you a better rate on your loan, while a low score could come with a higher rate. That difference could add up to tens of thousands of dollars over the course of a lifetime.

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A good credit history will definitely help you get more credit. But did you know that it can affect your everyday life—even in the near future?

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The information used to calculate your credit score comes entirely from the information in your credit report. Credit scores tell lenders and other businesses how likely it is that you will fail to make payments in the next two to three years. Scores range from 380-850, with 850 being the best.

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