Today, financial expert Barry Bigelow and I discussed the final installment of our three-part series on understanding your credit score.

Oftentimes, when your credit score isn’t where you want it to be, it can feel discouraging to try and improve it. However, Barry explains how we can take steps to raise our credit scores and maintain them at a healthy level.

Barry shares the first step to take when you’re feeling stuck, “Pay your bills on time, every single time and never let a payment go more than 30 days past due.” He further explains that a missed payment can stay on your credit report for up to seven years.

Barry leaves us with smart habits for maintaining long-term credit health, “Monitor your credit score. You can get a free credit report at AnnualCreditReport.com.”

He recommends checking it once every 12 months, as this pulls reports from all three major credit bureaus and gives a clear picture of your credit standing.

Barry emphasizes, “If something is wrong, the time it takes to dispute and correct it is time well spent, it could save you thousands of dollars in interest if you’re using credit regularly.”

Stay tuned to the next Good Morning Northland to hear what Barry will be covering next week!