Establishing and Managing Credit

Using credit wisely is an important part of the financial management process and establishing your financial security. Credit allows you to buy now and pay later. It is your ability to borrow money and pay it back. Credit is also a person’s reputation for paying bills when due: your “willingness and ability to pay” or your “creditworthiness”. Every consumer should learn how to qualify for credit, shop for credit and build a strong credit record. Learning about credit and managing your credit wisely will help buy the house or the car of your dreams and will open many doors in your future as a consumer. After completing this section you will be able to:

• Understand credit and the importance of good credit;
• Recognize credit reporting agencies and credit reports;
• Understand the fundamentals of credit scoring;
• Recognize ways to establish credit;
• Know how to manage your debt;  and
• Understand ways to reduce the risk of identity theft.

Curriculum PDF files

• Establishing and Managing Credit: [2] Participant module pdf
• Establishing and Managing Credit: [3] Facilitator module pdf
• Annotated credit report [4] pdf
• Module 3 Establishing and Managing Credit: [5]Power Point Presentation (to download this file select the "save" to my computer option if you only want to see it on screen select "open")

To download the above files you will need Acrobat Reader. [6]