Used wisely, credit allows for the convenient purchase of items both big and small. Used unwisely, credit can, and has, led to home foreclosures and bankruptcy. Learn to use credit and debit cards smartly and improve your credit scores.

Any credit repair company that promises to remove legitimate bad debts from your credit history is lying. Under the Consumer Credit Protection Act, such information remains on your credit report for about seven years. The disappearance of bad credits, if any, is only temporary. For help, check out the National Foundation For Credit Counseling.