If you’re looking to set New Year’s resolutions for 2026, chances are you’re focusing on improving your financial situation – and one of the ways you can do that most effectively is by improving your credit score!

If your credit report is like a report card, your credit score is your overall grade. Scores typically range between 300 and 850, with an average score being around 700. It’s determined through a combination of factors, including:

• Payment history
• Credit utilization
• Length of credit history
• New credit
• Credit mix

Your credit score isn’t just a number; it’s a reflection of your financial behavior and trustworthiness, and it isn’t just factored into loan applications – from insurance and utilities to home rentals and hiring decisions, credit scores and reports can be taken into consideration for all of these things.

So how can you build a credit history that reflects your trustworthiness and ability to honor financial commitments?

• If you are starting out with building credit, get a secured credit card that reports to the major credit bureaus, and charge small amounts to it monthly while paying off the balance in full.
• Sign up for phone and utility services – making on-time recurring payments will be reported to credit bureaus.
• Avoid payday loans or other similar lending options. Not only are they expensive, payments for these aren’t typically reported to credit bureaus.
• Check your credit reports regularly (at least once per year) and dispute any errors or fraudulent accounts – mistakes can unfairly keep your credit score down, and bureaus have 30 days to investigate and correct any erroneous information.
• Manage one or two credit accounts reliably over time, and be patient – building a strong credit history takes years, not months.

An easy way to keep track of your credit is through SavvyMoney’s Credit Score feature available for free with Kirtland CU Digital Banking. Not only can you access your most current credit score without impacting your credit history, you can get free credit score analysis, monitoring, alerts and personalized offers, all in one location – so you can understand everything that influences your credit score and take steps toward a brighter financial future.