Credit Pilgrim

Navigate Your Credit Successfully

Neal Frankle
I’m Neal Frankle, Certified Financial Planner™. Credit problems are a serious business. In fact they changed my entire family life when I was 16. This site is here to help you repair your credit without getting ripped off. Read my story.
  • Credit Repair
    • Credit Repair And How To Fix My Credit Efficiently
    • Lexington Law Reviews
  • Credit Cards
    • Credit Cards for Bad Credit List and Best Practices
    • Secured Credit Cards to Rebuild Credit
    • Credit Cards that Offer Free Credit Scores Monthly
  • Student Loans
    • Private Student Loans Guide
    • Refinance Student Loans Guide
    • Federal vs. Private Student Loans Guide
  • Mortgage
    • First-time Homebuyers Mortgage Guide
  • Blog

About me - Neal Frankle

I’m Neal Frankle, Certified Financial Planner™. Credit problems are a serious business. In fact they changed my entire family life when I was 16. This site is here to help you repair your credit without getting ripped off. Read my story.

My Story

I have been a financial advisor since 1985 and I became a Certified Financial Planner™ in 1994. Since then, my business has been to help clients get their financial lives together although I don’t do credit repair work directly. And I can tell you that there is nothing more important in your financial world than having the best credit rating you can get. I know this from personal experience.

When I was 15 my mother died and when I was 17 my father was killed in an airplane crash. Before he died, my father was so distraught by my mother’s death that he ignored his financial life completely. As a result he ran it into the ground by not paying our bills.

The utility company shut off the power to our home and the water company shut off the water completely. We were visited regularly by the sheriff who served eviction notices and other payment demands. This was on top of the constant knocking on our door at all hours of the day and the non-stop calling by debt collectors.

And because my father completely trashed his credit, it was extremely difficult to find anyone who would rent us a place to live after we got thrown out of our house. It was frightening to say the least and made worse by the feeling of being completely powerless and at the mercy of my father’s creditors and bill collectors.

I am not in the credit repair business as I said. That’s not how I make my living. But I do know a lot about it because my profession demands it. And I created this site for three reasons:

  1. Education

    you need to know the real story of how credit repair works, how collectors, creditors and credit bureaus operate and how the law protects you. I took an in-depth look at all the components of the credit repair process and I break them down for you on this site. And I explain how they work in plain English so you can take your credit life back – really. There is a lot you can do yourself to vastly increase your credit history and score.

  2. No Rip Offs Please

    Credit repair is a huge industry. The companies in this business tell you that they can help you wipe your credit clean. I admit that there are some professionals out there who are for real. But mostly the field is cluttered with schemers and scammers guaranteed to waste you time and take your money.

    I’ll show you how to spot the legitimate pros from the make-believe players. Just working with the right people makes all the difference in credit repair if you decide you don’t want to do this by yourself.

  3. Credit Repair Service Sales

    As I said above, I’m not in the credit repair business but I need to know a lot about it because of the business I am in. I spent and spend hours researching this topic so you don’t suffer the same consequences I did growing up. From time to time, I may recommend using a credit repair firm if I feel they continue to be a good value for my readers. If you sign up with them, I will be paid a referral fee.

    To be frank, I think that’s fair. I spend a good chunk of time each updating this site and making sure you have the most effective credit repair tools possible. And while I honestly don’t think everyone needs professional help, what’s wrong with being paid if you decide you do want a professional on your side and I steer you in the direction of a reputable firm? Nothing.

Why not look around the site right now? There is a lot of good information that should answer many of your questions. You can also send me an email if that would be useful to you.

If you want to protect your family against the terror that I faced as a kid, I want to be part of your team. If you suffer from bad credit, you’ll find all the resources you need right here to turn that ship around. Here’s the best post to help you get a quick start on your road to fixing your credit.

All the best,
Neal

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act – Know Your Rights

by Neal Frankle, CFP®

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and even more than a bit intimidated when you have credit troubles. Creditors, and especially collection agencies, have a way of making threats – both actual and implied – that can make you feel that they have the force of law behind them. But creditors can’t do whatever they want […]

Serial Debt Consolidation: The Road to Financial Ruin

by Neal Frankle, CFP®

People often try to deal with mounting debt and credit problems by doing a debt consolidation. In theory, it’s a sound idea. But in reality, one debt consolidation leads to another, and then to another. It’s called serial debt consolidation, and it’s more often the road to financial ruin then to credit salvation. How does […]

How To Write A Credit Dispute Letter

by Neal Frankle, CFP®

If you’ve ever discovered there is erroneous credit information in your records, either by getting a letter from a creditor or, more commonly, in a line item on your credit report, then you know how disturbing it can be. A single credit blemish can have a major negative impact on your credit score. Your first […]

7 Ways to Negotiate With Creditors

by Neal Frankle, CFP®

Negotiating with creditors with whom you still enjoy a good standing is an important skill – and very different from negotiating with debt collectors. The idea is to avoid your credit problems reaching the point where debt collectors and credit repair are even part of your life. So how can you negotiate with creditors in […]

How Your Credit Score Can Affect Your Job Search

by Neal Frankle, CFP®

Most people recognize the importance of their credit score and its effect on their ability to borrow money. It affects not only your ability to get a loan, but also under what terms and at what rates of interest. But credit scores have an impact beyond credit. One of the biggest areas is in regard […]

5 Ways to Reduce Your Debt and Improve Your Credit Score

by Neal Frankle, CFP®

Here are five tips and tricks that many people overlook when they try to improve their credit score. It may be difficult to do the heavy lifting – but you may not have to. These are relatively easy and painless and could give your score a significant boost.

How Long Bad Credit Stays on Your Credit Report

by Neal Frankle, CFP®

We all know that bad credit hurts your credit profile and credit score. But how long does bad credit have that effect? It really depends on the type of credit where the derogatory information is being reported. But ultimately all bad credit information does eventually disappear from your credit report. Negative Credit Reporting is Limited […]

7 Ways to Deal With Large Medical Bills

by Neal Frankle, CFP®

Large medical bills are a different kind of debt. This is partially because they don’t come from traditional lenders, and because you can be swapped with a very large amount of debt in a short period of time. In addition, the storm can come without warning – one day you don’t owe anyone a dime, […]

How to Get Your Free Credit Report from The Major Credit Bureaus

by Neal Frankle, CFP®

If you are considering subscribing to an online credit reporting service so that you will have access to your credit report, it may not be necessary. You can get your free credit report from the major credit bureaus without having to use a third-party service at all. You Have a Right to Your Credit Report […]

7 Ways For New College Grads to Avoid Messing Up Their Credit

by Neal Frankle, CFP®

As a new college graduate you are setting up all kinds of patterns in your life. Some will be good, and others not so good. Which direction they take will depend on how you handle them. Credit is an excellent example. Many new college grads mess up their credit, either because they don’t fully understand […]

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • Next Page »

Categories

  • Credit Cards
  • Debt
  • Mortgage
  • On Credit Reports & Scores
  • Outside Resources
  • Student Loans
  • Your Legal Rights

Need a better credit score?

Get a FREE credit repair consultation from Lexington Law, the leading firm in the industry by calling:
1-800-293-3672
or fill out the form below and they'll get back to you.

First Name:  
Last Name:  
Email:  
Zip:
By clicking SUBMIT I agree by electronic signature to: (1) be contacted by Lexington Law about credit repair or credit repair marketing by a live agent, artificial or prerecorded voice, and SMS text at my residential or cellular number, dialed manually or by autodialer, and by email (consent to be contacted is not a condition to purchase services); and (2) the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, we state that CreditPilgrim.com has financial relationships with some companies and may be compensated if consumers choose to buy, subscribe or take any action to a product or service thru the links on our website. We do NOT accept compensation in exchange of positive reviews. Views and reviews are strictly the opinions of the author.


SSL Secured

privacy policy · Terms of Use · contact us · rss feed

© All Rights Reserved to CreditPilgrim.com