Improving your FICO score

There are some things you can do to make your FICO score better, but it's not something that happens overnight.

Most of these things are fairly self-explanatory. For example, if you pay your bills on time – every time – your number will rise. If you have missed any recent payments, get caught up and stay current. Don't move money around; in other words, don't use one account to pay off another. Keep your credit card balances low. Don't open new credit card accounts for the sole purpose of increasing the amount of available credit, because it will have a negative impact on your score. Remember, too, that a closed credit card account will still show up on the FICO score, even though it's closed – because it's part of your history.