There is no reason beating around the bush when it comes to credit rating scores.

The problem I find with most people who give others advice on their finances is they are too nice. Well I am here to tell you that nice doesn’t pay the bills.

I have learned you need to be blunt and to the point no matter how it feels for the person you are talking to when it comes to their credit rating scores.

I know we live in a very tough economy and I know over the last couple of years things have become very difficult. The problem is when things took a drastic turn for the worse so many people didn’t compensate for things.

People continued to spend the same way as when things were great. In turn for many people it bit them in the butt and now they are looking for ways out.

The good news is there are still ways to save yourself but the bad news is it is going to be a lot tougher then if you would have planned for it when things started getting tough.

I guess the first thing you are going to have to do if you want to build your credit rating scores is first start believing in yourself. You need to sit down and take a long hard look at yourself and tell yourself that no matter how hard things get you are going to get through them.

Once you have made the decision that you are going to take the steps to fix things you will then be ready to start fixing things and making them they way they should be.

This isn’t going to be easy. There will be a lot of tough decisions that will have to be made and these decisions will have to be stuck to.

Once you have made up your mind to get things done then you can go ahead and start working on the details that need to be fixed and what you will have to do differently.

You will have to be willing to give things up, make commitments that wont be very comfortable but what makes all this easier is that if you stick to the plans everything will become second nature and it will seem like this is the way things should be.

At the end of the day its all going to be up to you. If you want something bad enough it will happen. If you aren’t capable of living up to the tough decisions thing will continue to get worse until its entirely to late.

So work hard and get your credit rating scores where they are supposed to be.

If you are looking for someone who is going to feel sorry for you then Jaff isnt the person you want to be following.

Jaff takes a hard look at people who want to deal with their credit rating scores but he doesnt feel sorry for anyone.

Instead he gives them advice to get them out of their situation whether its easy or hard.

Credit cards, for one thing, are not free cash. Funny enough, many customers think of them this way, and that—aha!—is how credit card companies make their money.

You’ll notice when you read through the fine print about credit cards that there are varying APRs, or annual percentage rates. This refers to the amount of interest you’ll pay on credit card charges if you don’t pay your monthly balance in full. Think about the last time you went shopping. Did you look at the tags and make sure everything you bought could be paid with your monthly paycheck? If not, you are a credit card company’s dream come true. You see, these companies bank on the chance that consumers will use their credit cards to buy more than they can actually afford at the time of purchase. When the bill comes and it can’t be paid in full, the customer pays interest on this borrowed amount, and that interest accrues daily. This money goes right into the credit card company’s bank account. With thousands of customers falling into this predicament on a monthly basis, you can see where the companies get rich quick.

But how can you avoid falling into the credit card trap? A little forethought and budget planning can help you prevent paying interest and still allow you to benefit from credit card perks.

Take mileage credit cards, for example. Most airlines offer credit cards that earn you frequent flier miles based on the number of dollars you spend. Enticing, right? Sure. Just be careful to know how much you are able to spend in a month, and don’t let yourself go over the top. It’s easy to check your credit card balance online or by telephone. Know when the closing date is for your monthly statement, and make sure you stay below your limit. That way you can take advantage of the bonus without digging yourself into a rut.

Speaking of the credit card rut, let’s go back to that interest thing. Did you know that interest, if left unpaid, also accrues interest? Take a look at this example.  You have racked up $10 in interest on your credit cards in one month, based on a balance of $100. (This assumes a 10% monthly interest rate.) Because you leave that unpaid, the next month’s interest accrues on the new balance of $110. That means the next month you owe an additional $11! That’s a $21 total fee for your $100 in purchases. Did you really find a bargain when you bought that jacket at 20% off? Probably not.

If you buy responsibly and keep track of your purchases, you can avoid credit card traps. Be a smart consumer, and credit cards can work in your favor.