Financial literacy is important for all teenagers. Its never to soon to, with the help of parents, start saving money, open up a life insurance policy, invest in stocks, and otherwise plan for the future. One of THE most important parts of your financial life is credit. Unfortunately, most schools still lag behind in teaching this critical subject. So we got some tips straight from one of the big three credit bureaus, the ones who give you a credit score and report to lenders when you try to get a credit card or loan.

Experian wrote up the 10 Ten Credit Myths Debunked piece below in conjunction with their annnouncement of a new way to boost scores. It is called Experian Boost, and according to them its a:

“free, groundbreaking online platform that allows consumers to instantly influence their credit scores.”

From what we can tell, the way it works is you connect your online bank accounts to their platform, and they will analyze your cell phone, electric, and other payments (which the credit bureaus usually ignore) to generate a better score — instantly.

If your credit is already great, this might not be for you, because it’s designed to provide the largest boost to those with low scores. However, if you are in the 580 to 669 range, it can save you a lot of money on interest — because higher scores mean lower interest rates!

From Experian:

Experian Boost will be available to all credit active adults in early 2019, but consumers can visit www.experian.com/boost now to register for early access. By signing up for a free Experian membership, consumers will receive a free credit report and FICO ^® Score immediately, and will be one of the first to experience Experian Boost. 

What are some other smart ways to handle credit and improve your credit score when you start getting credit at age 18?

• RULE #1: Pay on time. Always.
• Use your credit cards to buy everything in order to earn cash back or airline miles, but pay off the balance every month.
• Have at least 5 tradelines (meaning, credit accounts) open. Most companies will keep your account open as long as you use your card at least once per year.
• It pays to use a secured card or higher interest card when you are first starting out to establish a history, but once your credit score improves and you open accounts to replace them, close the higher interest cards. Do NOT close accounts if you are planning to finance a car or apply for a loan soon, because closing older, positive history accounts might lower your score for a while.
• Keep your overall balances to less than 30 percent of your total available credit. So if you add all your cards together and you have $1000 in debt, but your total available is $5000, you are at 20 percent credit utilization, which is okay.

Now, let’s get to Experian’s tips!

10 Credit Myths Debunked

By Experian

When it comes to debt, credit reports, and credit scores, conventional wisdom is peppered with myths, misunderstandings, and misrepresentations. Credit is a tool. Like any tool, it’s neither good nor bad in itself. What matters is how you use it.

Myth #1: Debt is Debt

Not all debts are equal. Say you’ve got a $150,000 debt on your credit report. If it’s there because you maxed out your credit cards to throw a birthday blowout for yourself two years ago, then you’re in trouble. Today, that debt is giving you nothing but memories (and maybe an ulcer). But if that $150,000 is your mortgage, then you’re probably just like millions of other responsible homeowners. That debt is giving you a warm place to lay your head at night.

Myth #2: Checking Your Credit Report Will Hurt Your Credit Score

A notation called an “inquiry” goes on your credit report every time someone (including you) looks at your file, and rumor has it that inquiries can hurt your score. Well, yes and no. An inquiry affects your score only if it’s related to a credit application that you have submitted. If you apply for a loan or a credit card, your score might fall, because that application suggests you’ll be adding debt. But if you simply look at your own credit report, the resulting inquiry won’t affect your score. If anything, checking your report is a sign of responsible credit management, though you don’t get points for doing it.

Myth #3: Closing a Credit Card Will Improve Your Credit Score

If you have a credit card you don’t use, you’re unlikely to improve your score by closing the account. In fact, closing the card might even lower your score at first. One important thing scores use to measure risk is how much of your credit card limits you use — a ratio known as “credit utilization”. When you close an unused account, you reduce your total available credit, so your credit utilization rate goes up. (Of course, if an unused card creates an unbearable temptation to spend, you may be better served in the long run by closing the account.) Scores usually bounce back up after a few months, if your credit report is otherwise in good shape.

Myth #4: You Only Have One Credit Score

There isn’t just one single credit scoring formula that applies to all consumers in all situations. By some estimates, there are more than a thousand scoring models in use in the credit marketplace. A consumer could therefore have dozens or even hundreds of different credit scores depending on the lender using it and the types of lending being done. Lenders and others check your credit score for different reasons, and each formula looks at your credit history in a different way, giving different weight to various factors.

Myth #5: Credit Bureaus Give Good and Bad Scores

Credit bureaus do not create credit scores. Credit bureaus collect information about your debts and use that information to build a credit report. Credit scores are generated based on information in your credit report. Those scores are neither objectively “good” nor “bad.” They’re a measure of risk. It’s up to lenders to decide whether a given score meets their criteria for extending credit. And, scores are usually just one factor in their decision. A “good” score might not mean much if you don’t have a job or any assets. Likewise, a high income and a stack of gold bars might outweigh a “bad” score.

Myth #6: Better Job, Better Score

Your income has no direct effect on your credit score. Scores are based only on the information found in your credit report. Your report includes a lot of information about your use of credit and your management of debt. But it doesn’t include your income. In fact, it doesn’t even indicate you have a job. It lists the employers you’ve included in past applications, but if you haven’t applied since you last changed jobs, it might not even list your current employer. That said, your employment situation can affect your score indirectly, in terms of your ability to pay your debts. And when you apply for credit, lenders will probably ask about your income.

Myth #7: Spouses Have a Joint Credit Report

There’s no such thing as a joint credit report — for married couples or anyone else. Married or single, you have your own credit report. If you’re married, you and your spouse may have a lot of joint accounts, such as mortgages, car loans and shared credit card accounts. Those joint items will appear on both your credit reports and will affect both of your scores. But your credit report is yours and yours alone.

Myth #8: Paying Debts Erases Them

Pay off a debt and you’ve eliminated your obligation — but the evidence of that debt can stick to your credit report for years. If you pay your debts on time and in full, you will likely want your paid-off accounts on your credit report because they show that you’ve used credit responsibly. If, on the other hand, you’ve been chronically late, missed payments or defaulted entirely, that’s a problem. Most negative information can remain on your report for up to seven years; some bankruptcies can stay there for up to 10 years.

Myth #9: For Those With Little or No Credit, It’s Difficult to Build Credit

While people with limited credit history and low credit scores may have a hard time building credit, new tools are becoming available to help. One way to instantly increase your credit score is by using Experian Boost, a free service that incorporates your utility and mobile phone payment history into your Experian credit file. This can help you build up more credit history, which helps improve a credit score. It is a great first step but don’t stop there – make sure to pay all of your bills on time and don’t take on too much debt.

Being added as an authorized user or setting up a joint card (i.e. with a parent) is also a great way to build positive credit history. You might also consider opening a secured credit card account. That means you deposit money in a savings account that is tied to the card. If you don’t pay on time, the lender is protected – or secured – because they can withdraw payment from your savings account. However, they would still report the payment late, so be sure you always pay on time. If you do, you can build a positive credit history and start saving at the same time.

Myth #10:  Credit is a Measure of Your Value

Credit scores are designed to evaluate how big of a risk it would be to lend you money. That’s it. If your score is low, it’s because your credit history suggests that there’s a higher risk that you’ll default on a debt. It doesn’t mean anyone thinks you’re a bad person. Good, honest people can have low scores (and yes, truly awful people can have high scores). What you can do is work to generate a positive credit record: pay bills on time, reduce balances and apply for credit only when you need it.

You might be reading this because you are worried about how little you save money. Perhaps you don’t spend any money at all, or maybe you do save but quickly spend it on something. Setting up long-term savings is a good idea, as it can protect you and your future, and allows you to have a fall-back should you ever need it. It is a healthy way to manage your money, rather than living paycheck to paycheck.

However, getting started with saving money isn’t always easy. If you have very little left over at the end of the month, after all your bills, rent and other commitments, there may not be a whole lot left to save. Do not despair  – you are not the only one who feels like this.

In fact, online loans provider ‘Wonga’ see saving difficulties at the top of the list of their customers’ worries. They recently blogged about the annual savings challenge, which could help you to get your savings on the right track. They say, “The 52-week savings challenge is an excellent way to slowly grow your commitment to saving, which is something that doesn’t come naturally to us all. Following this challenge provides South Africans with a realistic and achievable way to save money, even in our tough economy and at the leanest times of year.”

Other outlets also praise the 52 week saving challenge. Money blog ‘The Balance’ explains the pros and cons simply, “You start by saving just $1 the first week of the challenge. Pop it in a jar on your counter without a second thought. The next week, put away $2, and the next, $3. You get the idea. By the end of the challenge, you are saving more than $50 a week, bringing your total amount saved to just under $1,400 by the end of the year.” Of course, it can be difficult when you get to the larger values, which is why some people decide to do the 52-Week Money Challenge in reverse, e.g. they save $52 in week 1, $51 in week 2, and so on.

Some people may also suggest just saving a fixed amount every month. However, this can prove difficult. Some months, after an unexpected bill, you might not have the money to put a larger amount away in your savings. Alternatively, others like setting up direct debits to automatically take the money at the start of the money so that there is no way out of putting some extra aside. Dedicating a specific savings account, which you do not touch is an ideal way of saving money that you don’t feel tempted to dig into!

Remember also that you can make small sacrifices in your daily life to help the savings challenge. What about cutting out that daily cup of coffee that you buy; the money you save can really add up. Equally, try to cut down on areas of spending at home, like turning off plugs and electric sockets that you don’t need.