The ultimate guide to credit reports and scores—how they’re calculated, what affects them, and proven ways to improve them. Specially, I'll cover how opening lots of credit cards impacts your credit. You'll also learn how to check your credit reports and scores for free, dispute errors, understand lender scoring models, protect your financial health, and more.
Resources Mentioned
Credit Bureaus
Equifax: https://equifax.com/
Experian: https://experian.com/
TransUnion: https://transunion.com/
Free Credit Report: AnnualCreditReport.com: https://annualcreditreport.com/index.action
Credit Monitoring
Credit Karma: https://creditkarma.com/
Experian: https://experian.com/
Credit Reporting Agencies
Innovis: https://innovis.com/
Chex: https://chexsystems.com/
Clarity Services: https://clarityservices.com/
National Consumer Telecom & Utilities Exchange: https://nctue.com/
Early Warning Consumer Report: https://earlywarning.com/consumer-information
LexisNexis: https://lexisnexis.com/en-us/gateway.page
Free FICO Scores
myFICO: https://myfico.com/
Experian: https://experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/credit-education/score-basics/my-credit-score/
X Post on Couple’s Credit Card Journey: https://x.com/chadjanis/status/1689409788197711872
International Credit Data: Nova Credit: https://novacredit.com/
Business Credit Scores
Equifax Business: https://equifax.com/business/
Experian: https://smallbusiness.experian.com/main.aspx
Dun & Bradstreet: https://dnb.com/en-us/smb/business-credit/check-my-business-credit.html
LexisNexis: https://risk.lexisnexis.com/products/small-business-credit-report
Business Credit Data: Small Business Financial Exchange: https://www.sbfe.org
Article: Understanding Business Credit Scores: https://capitalone.com/learn-grow/business-resources/business-credit-scores/
ATH Podcast
Ep #78: Action List: Everything You Can Do To Protect Your Identity, Accounts, Credit and Family: https://chrishutchins.com/security-action-list/
Leave a review: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-the-hacks/id1560751222?mt=2&ls=1
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3v8pyFFppVuIL5SvNOa1om
Email for questions, hacks, deals, and feedback: [email protected]
Full Show Notes
00:00 Introduction
00:50 Quick Background of the Credit Report Industry
03:39 What’s on Your Credit Report
05:30 Soft vs. Hard Inquiries
11:04 How to Request Your Credit Report for Free
11:58 Filing for Disputes
13:35 Freezing Your Credit, Fraud Alerts, and Credit Monitoring
17:16 Credit Reporting Agencies
22:33 How to Remove Your Personal Information Online
24:50 Quick Overview of Credit Scores
28:02 How Credit Scores Are Calculated
31:11 FICO Score vs. Vantage Score
33:50 Upcoming (Big) Changes to Credit Scores
38:14 Where to Find Your Credit Scores
39:46 Analyzing Chris' Credit Scores
44:44 Two Main Factors That Impacted Chris’ Credit Score
46:46 How the Points & Miles Game Impacts Credit Scores
50:59 The Impact of Closing a Credit Card
55:35 Ways to Improve Your Credit Score
58:20 Adding an Authorized User to Your Credit Card
01:01:00 How to Leverage Your International Credit Score
01:01:53 Quick Overview of Business Credit Scores
Connect with Chris
Newsletter: https://landing.chrishutchins.com/newsletter
Membership: https://chrishutchins.com/join
X: https://x.com/hutchins
Instagram: https://instagram.com/chrishutchins
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/chrishutchins/
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