- In this report
- Overview
- Clean up your credit score
- Keep your score blemish free
- Build a cash cushion
- Pay off your credit cards
- Rethink how you use credit
- Don't tap your home equity
- Make a bigger down payment
- Cap your debt
- Try to bulletproof your job
- Also in This Issue
This article was featured in the July 2009 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.
Try to bulletproof your job
This article is the archived version of a report that appeared in July 2009 Consumer Reports magazine.
OK, that is easier said than done. But credit is linked to your income, so you need to do whatever it takes to stay employed. Career counselors recommend that you keep a high profile at work, volunteer for projects, and find ways to cut your employer's costs. Protect yourself from long stretches of unemployment by making connections through professional organizations and social networking Web sites like LinkedIn and Facebook. Keep your skills sharp or develop new ones.
Often people who lose their jobs are the most in need of credit but have the hardest time getting it. Most banks won't lend to anyone who can't show pay stubs from a new job for at least 30 days. If you're facing unemployment and can't meet your bills, consider contacting a credit counselor though the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (www.nfcc.org).
