Credit score

New government oversight could give consumers more power.

Hi! I'm living in Europe for a year or so, but all my bank accounts are still in the U.S. I've been using my credit card for everything and paying off the balance monthly. Is this bad credit card behavior? Could I be hurting my credit score? Thanks! Alexa, Baltimore, MD

I received a large bonus, and I'm going to use it all to pay down credit card debt. I have many cards. They all have about the same outstanding balances and about the same interest rates. At one time, most of the cards were "maxed out," which was bad for my credit score. Should I pay off a couple cards entirely, or should I make larger-than-usual payments to all of them, bringing down the outstanding balances substantially below the credit limits? Thanks. Henry, Chicago, IL

My husband and I gave our daughter $40,000 for a down payment on a condo. She defaulted on the loan and went into foreclosure. Consequently, our credit score has tanked. How can we get our old great credit back? Nobody cares that we were not the ones who defaulted. Please help. Cathy, Redmond, OR

My friend is 24 and a young mother. She has never had a credit card and she wants to build her credit. Her income is somewhat limited at the moment because she has a new baby and only works part-time, but she wants to be able to pay for small daily expenses with a card that she can pay off in full every month. She is not seeking a large credit line. Even $100 would be sufficient. Can you provide some advice on what kind of card and where to start for someone looking to build good credit? Should she try prepaid credit cards? Any advice would be most sincerely appreciated. Esmeralda, Marlborough, MA

I am 32 years old and would consider myself financially illiterate! I briefly held a credit card, but after a series of rather poor decisions at the age of 20, I got spooked by the idea of credit altogether. When I last checked my score several years ago, it was not surprisingly in the toilet. In deciding to try and repair my finances, I checked my score today and found that it was (surprise!) 775! So after years of neglect, illiteracy and general incompetence, how do I maintain this incredible turn? Desperately in need of some sound, simple advice! Ryan, Cincinnati, OH

Living debt-free is a good thing, right? Those with little or no credit history are finding out you really can be "too thin."

We use a credit card to pay for all monthly expenses and then pay it off at the end of each month. My credit score fluctuates every quarter, depending on when the accounts are checked. My question is how can we convince the credit rating company that we do not carry any credit card debt from one month to the next? My score is currently at 749 but has been as high as 815. Thanks, I really enjoy your program. Randy, Macomb, IL