How long does it take to build credit? Well…a while! That's why it's important to start young. But, it's also important to have a plan, and not use the credit irresponsibly (which can be hard to do when you are young).
You really do need to take your credit score very seriously, because it's the key to so many financial aspects of your life. It will determine if you can buy a house, buy a car, start a business and myriad other things. It will also determine what interest rate you will pay on the loans for said items!
Now you may be wondering how long it will take to build your credit back up. Sadly again, the answer is that it could take a (long) while. How many years depends on what your current credit score is, and what steps you are taking to rebuild it.
Want to get a credit boost? Our first recommendation is the simplest. However, it's also the most important thing you can do!
You need to sign up for a credit monitoring service. Many of these services are completely free and help you review your credit from month to month. I personally use Credit Karma.
On the most basic level, these services can let you know what your credit “score” is. This lets you know how bad things really are and how far you must go to meet your goals.
Additionally, these services will make recommendations for ways to increase your credit score. That information, on top of our guide, can help you formulate a “game plan” for your credit score.
Finally, you can use credit monitoring to discover potential errors on your credit file. By reporting these errors to the relevant credit agencies, you can instantly boost your credit score.