The information in your credit report determines in large part what kind of credit, from car loans to credit cards to mortgages, you’ll be able to get. Federal law gives you the right to know what consumer credit information is collected on you and you need to exercise that right.

In order to improve your credit score, it’s always the same formula — you need to make on-time payments, reduce debt, increase credit lines and use plenty of diversity in your credit profile. Additionally, it will help significantly to keep old lines of credit open.

Start by doing a credit checkup — you can monitor your credit yourself by requesting a free report once a year from each of the credit bureaus through www.annualcreditreport.com but the free report won’t include your credit score, you’ll pay about $8 to get the credit bureau’s proprietary number.

If you have debt, chances are you’ll have to deal with a debt collector at some point, at least until you pay off the debt. Even if you’ve hired a debt settlement company to help you negotiate down your debt, debt collectors may still contact you for payment. Here are some tips for dealing with debt collectors, even when they get rude.

When a couple is married, they often hold joint accounts, such as savings, credit cards and mortgages. This links their credit scores together. If you’ve just gone through a divorce, your credit may be in shambles. Sometimes, one partner will run up a huge credit card bill, deplete the equity in the home or otherwise try to wreak havoc with the credit score of the other party. It’s important to address this problem head on.