Credit Profile Personal Assessment

Financial Situation Assessment & Custom Report

Complete these brief surveys to assess your current financial situation and generate your custom financial education report. Your answers will point up possible areas you may want to address and tips for how to work toward meeting your financial goals.

Feedback

It’s important for all of us to know our credit scores; however, the level of importance is based on when we plan to qualify for a loan, apply for a job that checks credit, or have needs that require credit checks. It’s a good habit to check our credit scores and report a few times per year and 3-6 months before qualifying for a loan. Once you have your credit score, redo this assessment.

Education Lessons & Activities:

Lesson: Credit Profile

• - Credit Profile Basics
• - Access Your Credit Report

Feedback

Many of us have been at the place where we need to work toward improving our credit scores. The urgency placed on this task should align with our needs to qualify for a loan, apply for a job that checks credit, or other needs that require credit checks. Those of us with pressing needs should start addressing credit immediately. However, if the needs are a few years out, it’s still important, but other areas may take precedence.

Education Lessons & Activities:

Lesson: Credit Profile

• - Credit Profile Basics
• - Benefits & Consequences of Credit
• - Understanding Your Credit Profile
• - Access Your Credit Report
• - Addressing Problems with Your Credit

Feedback

Many of us have been at the place where we need to work toward improving our credit scores. The urgency placed on this task should align with our needs to qualify for a loan, apply for a job that checks credit, or other needs that require credit checks. Those of us with pressing needs should start addressing credit immediately. However, if the needs are a few years out, it’s still important, but other areas may take precedence.

Education Lessons & Activities:

Lesson: Credit Profile

• - Credit Profile Basics
• - Benefits & Consequences of Credit
• - Understanding Your Credit Profile
• - Access Your Credit Report
• - Addressing Problems with Your Credit
• - Identify Theft Protection

Feedback

When we reach this level, we’re doing a good job, but there’s still some room for improvement. The urgency placed on this task should align with our needs to qualify for a loan, apply for a job that checks credit, or other needs that require credit checks. Those of us with pressing needs should start addressing credit immediately. However, if the needs are a few years out, it’s still important, but other areas may take precedence.

Education Lessons & Activities:

Lesson: Credit Profile

• - Addressing Problems with Your Credit
• - Access Your Credit Report – Activity: Creating a Credit Plan
• - Identify Theft Protection

Feedback

Great work! When we reach this excellent level, good steps are to check credit regularly – at least a few times per year – to ensure that we maintain the high credit rating.

Education Lessons & Activities:

Lesson: Credit Profile

• - Access Your Credit Report – Activity: Creating a Credit Plan

Feedback

When we don’t know, we should get a free copy of our credit report to determine any derogatory marks. Then come back to this assessment and retake the survey.

Education Lessons & Activities:

Lesson: Credit Profile

• - Credit Profile Basics
• - Access Your Credit Report

Feedback

Great job! Our bill payment history is the most highly-weighted factor in our credit scores – so keeping up with on-time payments is the best move we can make. If we have great credit scores as well – excellent. If our credit scores aren’t excellent, we might investigate addressing other factors that may be pulling down the score.

Education Lessons & Activities:

Lesson: Credit Profile

• - Credit Profile Basics
• - Benefits & Consequences of Credit
• - Understanding Your Credit Profile
• - Access Your Credit Report
• - Addressing Problems with Your Credit

Feedback

Many of us experience negative items on our credit reports, so it’s a good idea to address the derogatory marks and establish systems to ensure better management of accounts that report to credit bureaus.

Education Lessons & Activities:

Lesson: Credit Profile

• - Credit Profile Basics
• - Benefits & Consequences of Credit
• - Understanding Your Credit Profile
• - Access Your Credit Report
• - Addressing Problems with Your Credit

Feedback

Many of us experience negative items on our credit reports, so it’s a good idea to address the derogatory marks and establish systems to ensure better management of accounts that report to credit bureaus.

Education Lessons & Activities:

Lesson: Credit Profile

• - Credit Profile Basics
• - Benefits & Consequences of Credit
• - Understanding Your Credit Profile
• - Access Your Credit Report
• - Addressing Problems with Your Credit

Feedback

Those of us who don’t know should go to the Savings, Expenses & Budgeting section and Loans & Debt section of this training to set long-term financial goals.

Education Lessons & Activities:

Lesson: Savings, Expenses & Budgeting

• - Pre-education Case Studies
• - Prioritizing Expenses & Opportunity Cost
• - Identifying & Reducing Your Expenses
• - Setting Savings Goals & Creating a Savings Plan – Activity: Create Your Savings Plan

Feedback

When we make large increases to our debt loads in comparison to our credit lines, we can pull down our credit ratings. Considering alternatives to taking on debt or reducing the amount of debt we plan on take on helps avoid potential negative impact on our credit scores.

Education Lessons & Activities:

Lesson: Savings, Expenses & Budgeting

• - Pre-education Case Studies
• - Budgeting Fundamentals & Overview
• - Prioritizing Expenses & Opportunity Cost
• - Identifying & Reducing Your Expenses
• - Setting Savings Goals & Creating a Savings Plan – Activity: Create Your Savings Plan

Feedback

Excellent. Keeping debt loads low can have positive impact on our credit scores.

Education Lessons & Activities:

Lesson: Savings, Expenses & Budgeting

• - Setting Savings Goals & Creating a Savings Plan – Activity: Create Your Savings Plan

Feedback

Those who don’t know should go to the Savings, Expenses & Budgeting sections of this training to set long-term financial goals.

Education Lessons & Activities:

Lesson: Credit Profile

• - Credit Profile Basics
• - Access Your Credit Report

Lesson: Savings, Expenses & Budgeting

• - Identifying & Reducing Your Expenses

Feedback

When we apply for different types of loans, it’s a positive solution to spread out times when lenders pull our credit to minimize negative impact on our scores.

Education Lessons & Activities:

Lesson: Credit Profile

• - Credit Profile Basics
• - Addressing Problems with Your Credit

Feedback

When we apply for new credit, it can have a negative impact on our credit ratings. Applying for new credit so many times within 2 years can trigger this negative impact. Those of us at this point might consider whether we need to have our credit pulled this many times over such a short period and try to spread out times when lenders pull our credit to minimize negative impact on our scores.

Education Lessons & Activities:

Lesson: Credit Profile

• - Credit Profile Basics
• - Addressing Problems with Your Credit

Lesson: Savings, Expenses & Budgeting

• - Identifying & Reducing Your Expenses