Includes index.

Your credit repair companion -- The elements of repairing credit -- The first step to a better credit score: cleaning up your credit report -- Assess your financial situation -- Reducing current expenses and debts -- Finding money to pay your debts -- Negotiating with creditors and debt collectors -- Getting help to negotiate and manage debts -- Building positive credit history -- Choosing and using credit cards -- Avoiding and dealing with identity theft.

"This book discusses how to prioritize debts and create a budget, reduce debts and cut expenses, negotiate with creditors, correct credit report errors and remove old information, add positive information to a credit report, adopt strategies to rebuild credit, and avoid identity theft and credit repair scams. Updates to this edition include the latest student loan repayment programs, new credit-building strategies, changes to the credit scoring of tax liens, medical debt, and civil judgments, identity theft reporting developments, and more"-- Provided by publisher.