Table of Contents
Introduction 6
What Is Credit? 8
Why Do You Need Credit? 10
Different Kinds of Credit 12
Car Loans 14
Student Loans 16
Credit Cards 18
Mortgages 20
Other Loans 22
Good, Bad, & Nonexistent Credit 24
Building Good Credit 26
A Nontraditional Credit History 28
Managing Your Credit 30
What's a Credit Report? 32
What's a Credit Score? 34
Check it Out 36
What if There's a Mistake? 38
Why Does it Matter? 40
Protecting Your Credit: Paying Your Bills 42
Protecting Your Credit: Budgeting 44
What's Identity Theft? 46
The Dangers of Credit 48
What if You Have Bad Credit? 50
Raising Your Credit Score 52
Living Without Credit Stress 54
Here's What You Need to Remember 57
Words You Need to Know 58
Further Reading 60
Find Out More on the Internet 61
Index 62
Photo Credits 63
About the Author and Consultant 64
