Table of Contents

	Foreword	p. xix
	Introduction	p. 1
	Credit Management: An Essential 21st-Century Skill for Financial Success	p. 7
	Introducing Credit Management Essentials in a Tightened Credit Market	p. 9
	Gaining Control of Your Credit	p. 25
	Taking a Sustainable Approach to Your Financial Environment	p. 33
	Creating a Spending (And Savings) Plan for Your Future	p. 45
	Protecting Your Credit in the Post-Financial Meltdown World	p. 69
	Writing on Your Personal Credit Wall: Credit Reporting and Scoring in the Facebook Age	p. 85
	Discovering How Credit Reporting Works	p. 87
	Understanding Credit Reports and Scores	p. 99
	Monitoring Your Credit Reports and Scores	p. 123
	Creating Solid Credit Strategies for Every Stage in Life	p. 135
	Building Credit: Getting Started (or Restarted) in Life	p. 137
	Accounting for the Effect of Life's Necessities	p. 161
	Keeping Your Credit Great When Faced with Major Life Events	p. 173
	Controlling Access to Your Identity	p. 203
	Navigating Negative Credit	p. 215
	Turning Your Credit Around	p. 217
	Polishing Your Credit Reports	p. 233
	Getting the Best Help for Bad Credit for Free	p. 247
	Coping with Bad Credit and Debts	p. 259
	Managing Credit in a Mortgage Crisis	p. 281
	Working with Collectors, Lawyers, and the Courts to Manage Debt Obligations	p. 293
	Minimizing Credit Damage in a Bankruptcy	p. 309
	Repairing Identity Theft Credit Damage	p. 329
	The Part of Tens	p. 337
	Ten Consumer Protections Everyone Needs to Know	p. 339
	Ten Tips to Achieving Stellar Credit	p. 347
	Ten Ways to Successfully Manage Financial Emergencies	p. 353
	Appendix: About the CD	p. 359
	Index	p. 369

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