Credit Cards To Help Build Credit
If you are looking for credit cards to help build credit, then you are thinking about your future. If your credit is already damaged, you may not be able to obtain a traditional credit card for the purpose of rebuilding your credit. In that case, the easiest way to build credit with a credit card is to obtain a secured credit card.
Secured Credit Cards And Building Credit
With a secured credit card, the user places a security deposit down when opening the account. The bank holds the deposit until the account closes. While this may feel like fictitious credit, remember that your goal is to rebuild your credit.
With a secured credit card, each month you place a few new charges on the card. Then, at the end of the month, you pay them off (or make the minimum payment). So long as you make your payments on time, the issuing bank will report to the credit bureaus for you. Those reported payments appear on your credit report the same way that unsecured card payments appear on your credit report. As a result, as you continue to make on-time payments over the course of many months, your credit score builds simultaneously, and the secured credit card helps build your credit. An article by Nerd Wallet lists some of those most popular secured credit cards.
Bankruptcy And Your Credit Score
While it is true that a bankruptcy filing will initially lower your credit score, the individual planning for the future should consider bankruptcy as a way to discharge an insurmountable debt. On the heels of your bankruptcy filing, your credit score will begin building again. First, after bankruptcy, you can apply for the secured credit cards mentioned above. Second, your debt to income ratio improves in your favor—even though your income has not increased, your debt has gone down dramatically. Finally, traditional lines of credit begin to open to you within six months after your bankruptcy discharge is entered.
Our clients routinely report to us in the first year after bankruptcy that they receive offers for vehicle financing and credit card offers. At the two-year mark following bankruptcy, clients often reach out to us for a copy of bankruptcy paperwork to provide to their mortgage lender. This means that two years after the discharge in bankruptcy is entered, clients are getting approved for a mortgage. This is incredible news.
Bankruptcy And Your Credit Report
While bankruptcy can remain on your credit report for up to ten years. This is true. Most of the credit bureaus remove it after seven years. In any event, what you do with your credit after bankruptcy carries more weight than the bankruptcy remaining on the credit report. Remember, clients, are getting mortgages two years after filing bankruptcy. By taking careful steps to build credit post-bankruptcy, you can negate the fact that the bankruptcy remains on your credit report for several years.
Bankruptcy And Credit Cards To Help Build Credit
If you exercise your right to file bankruptcy, you get the benefit of discharging your unsecured debt. When you combine a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 filing with active steps to rebuild credit with secured credit cards immediately after filing bankruptcy, you are on your way to achieving your financial goals.
Speak With A Charlotte Bankruptcy Lawyer Today
If you would like to speak with a lawyer about secured credit cards, bankruptcy, or any other aspect of building your credit, please reach out to us at 704.749.7747 or click HERE to request a free phone consultation. We know you have choices. We hope you choose Layton Law.