It’s important to note that repairing bad credit takes time and there is no quick way to fix a credit score. In fact, out of all of the ways to improve a credit score, quick-fix efforts are the most likely to backfire, so beware of any advice that claims to improve your credit score fast.

How many credit cards should you have for a good credit score? If you’re one of those people who holds up the line at stores because you’re trying to figure out which of your 10 credit cards to pay with, it may be time to do some consolidating.

Wells Fargo has a limited-time offer for customers where they’ll give you a free credit score and free credit report through November 16, 2014. Unfortunately, the score you get is not your real FICO score. It is a made up score calculated with the bank’s own proprietary scoring model.

A FICO Score is a brand of credit score — FICO stands for Fair Isaac Corporation and Fair Isaac is the company that developed the software program used by the credit bureaus to compile and calculate credit scores for U.S. consumers.

Few financial figures are as important as a credit scores. The three-digit figure has a major impact on daily life — dictating what consumers can buy, how much credit they can obtain and even where they choose to reside.