9 Secrets to Better Credit

Credit is complicated and, sometimes, counterintuitive.

Smiling woman paying for coffee by credit card
(Image credit: Thinkstock)

Credit is complicated and, sometimes, counterintuitive. For example, being debt-free can result in a dismal credit score, and having high limits on your credit cards may boost your score despite the extra temptation to spend. Dozens of credit scores measure the activity on your credit reports, and everyone from your cable company to your employer may be checking up on your credit.

Learn these nine key credit facts to help you get a better rate on a mortgage, negotiate a better deal from your card issuer, or even land a job.

Lisa Gerstner
Contributing Editor, Kiplinger's Personal Finance

Lisa has spent more than15 years with Kiplinger’s Personal Finance and heads up the magazine’s annual rankings of the best banks, best rewards credit cards, and financial-services firms with the best customer service. She reports on a variety of other topics, too, from retirement to health care to money concerns for millennials. She has shared her expertise as a guest on the Today Show, CNN, Fox, NPR, Cheddar and many other media outlets around the nation. Lisa graduated from Ball State University and received the school’s “Graduate of the Last Decade” award in 2014. A military spouse, she has moved around the U.S. and currently lives in the Philadelphia area with her husband and two sons.