So, you want to improve your poor credit — everyday, thousands of Americans with poor credit are looking for the newest and slickest ways to improve their credit rating. Some settle for the unethical, some even are okay with the illegal. Which ever way you choose, the Internet seems to have answers for anyone.

Credit Sesame is a Website that helps people manage their credit — its offering users free credit monitoring, a service that the big three credit bureaus offer for a fee. However, Credit Sesame monitors information from a single credit bureau — Experian.

When a woman received a letter from a debt collecting agency for an $8.97 debt, she began to wonder if it would hurt her credit score. She explains, “Today I received a letter in the mail from a collection agency stating that a DVD I rented from Family Video (probably 5 years ago) has gone to collections. The total that I owe is $8.97. Am I going to get a bad credit score for an unpaid bill of $8.97?! Help would be greatly appreciated — Jillian”

If your in debt, you must devise some plan to get out of the red. You can declare bankruptcy (Chapter 13 or Chapter 7), but that will tarnish your credit and financial records. An alternative is the wage earner plan — which allows you to meet your debts methodically without bankruptcy.

Good credit takes patience and persistence and if you pay your bills on time and keep your credit card balances low over the long haul, you’ll be rewarded with a solid score.