 TITLE: How to Manage Your Debt CONTENT: Pay Bills on Time and Pay More Than the Minimum\n-----------------------------------------------\nThe most important element of your FICO® Score is your payment history. The more often you make on-time payments toward your accounts, the better it is for your scores.\nAs you manage your debt, it's crucial you pay every bill on time, as even a single late or missed payment can have a significant effect on your credit. Setting up automatic payments from your bank account makes sure you pay at least the minimum required payment each month—just be sure to keep enough money in the account to cover it. Your credit score will benefit even further if you pay more than the minimum on your credit cards (more on that below).\nMaking payments for more than your monthly minimum will help prevent you from carrying balances that will result in interest charges. Getting into the habit of paying down credit card balances as much as possible will help prevent charges from building up to the point that your debt is out of control. END