Some common mistakes with regards to positive information on your credit report include the length of time the account has been open, the credit limit on the account, and any accounts where you may be a joint account holder but the account isn’t listed on your credit report. When it comes to these types of mistakes, adding the positive information to your credit report can usually be accomplished one of two ways:

Contact the creditor. If it’s a case of not having a joint account listed on your credit report, you’ll want to contact the creditor directly. In many instances, your creditor will be able to add the account to your report for you. This is especially true if the account is listed for the other joint account holder already.

Contact the credit bureaus. After you’ve contacted your creditor, you’ll want to confirm that the information has been changed within the credit bureaus. Wait a couple of weeks, and then check your report – if you still see errors, send a letter to the credit bureau asking them to correct the information, or use the online contact form.

For accounts that are in your own name, but that aren’t listed on your credit report, you should verify with your creditor that they report to the three national credit bureaus. Not every creditor chooses to report to the bureaus, and without their voluntary reporting, the credit bureau won’t be able to help you. If you do confirm that the creditor typically reports and just hasn’t reported your account, you can take the same steps above in order to have the situation resolved.

For creditors that do not choose to report your credit to the agencies, you can still help your chances of obtaining credit if you can get a certified copy of your payment history. If possible, request a copy of the payment history on company letterhead, and signed by a manager or someone else in charge. By having this documentation on hand to bolster your credit report, you may be able to convince some lenders.

Adding positive information can be a helpful step when it comes to repairing your own credit. Listing accurate, positive information can counteract some negative marks on your report. Additionally, by verifying these positive items, you will can be more vigilant to potential errors in the reporting process overall. Don’t just look at your negative items – always look at your credit report as a whole to attain the best results.

You can dispute a bankruptcy on your credit report the same way you can any other listing. If you are fortunate enough to get the bankruptcy removed, you will be able to start repairing your credit much easier. However, if you don’t change your spending habits and make some lifestyle changes, removing your bankruptcy will only delay your financial misery and you will be back where you started.

Learning from your mistakes and living below your means is the only way you will ever attain financial peace. Learn how to make a budget and stick with it. You should probably only get a couple credit cards strictly to rebuild credit. Discipline yourself to use them for nothing but credit rebuilding.

When you are ready to start rebuilding your credit (which should be immediately) you will need to start small. Don’t expect lenders to give your high credit limits right away. You may have to start off with unsecured credit cards with high interest rates. That’s why I suggest keeping a balance of only $50-$100 and ONLY using these credit cards to rebuild your credit.

While you are adding positive trade lines, it is important to also try to remove bad credit from your credit report. If you use both methods correctly, you should have respectable credit scores within 6 months to a year. At that time, you will be able to get better interest rates and should consider transferring any balances from the high interest cards to the new lower interest cards. Just remember, the best thing you can do for your financial future is learn how and why you got yourself into this situation and how you’re going to avoid it from happening again.