 TITLE: How to Build Credit After a Bankruptcy CONTENT: Practice Good Credit Habits\n---------------------------\nPracticing good financial habits is the key to building excellent credit after a bankruptcy. When you stick to these principles, your credit can recover from any setback:\n*   **Make all debt payments on time.** Payment history is the single biggest factor in determining your credit scores. When you make credit card and loan payments on time, you add new, positive information to your credit reports. This helps build up your scores and shows future creditors that you're a reliable borrower.\n*   **Stay on top of bills.** Timely payments of household bills like cellphone and utility accounts help you avoid late fees and prevent accounts from going to collections, where they can damage your credit. Now, on-time payments of your cellphone, utility and even your video streaming and cable bills can actually help you build up your credit scores with Experian Boost™† . This free service gives you credit for on-time monthly payments that previously couldn't help your credit, often resulting in an instant increase to your Experian FICO® Score☉ .\n*   **Avoid using plastic.** Having a credit card and making your monthly payments is a great way to build credit. But contrary to popular myth, carrying a balance on your card isn't necessary to maintain good credit. In fact, one of the best and quickest ways to build good credit is to pay off your credit card balances—and continue paying them off, in full, every month.\n*   **Save for emergencies.** When you don't have money in savings, a small but unexpected expense can throw your finances out of whack, tempting you to take on new debt or skip bill payments. Even if you can't afford to put tons of money into an emergency savings fund, start by working towards a goal that's achievable for you, like saving one month's rent. The best way to get started is to automatically set aside a little bit of cash from every paycheck.\n*   **Give it time.** When it comes to credit, quick fixes tend to cause more problems than they solve. Credit repair companies claim they can repair your credit fast, but their solution comes with a price tag and may include big risks. At the end of the day, the cheapest and most effective way to improve your credit is to work on it yourself. END