Independent credit and debt guides
Understand your options. Make a plan.
Clear, independent education on credit, debt, loans and cards — written in plain English, with no promises of score increases, removals or approvals.
Start here
Pick a topic and go straight to a guide or a side-by-side comparison.
Credit repair
How credit repair works, what companies can and cannot do, and how to spot a ripoff.
Browse credit repair →Debt help
Options for paying down balances, consolidation and nonprofit debt management plans.
Browse debt help →Personal loans
Published APRs, fees and requirements for credit union PALs and online lenders.
Compare personal loans →Secured credit cards
Deposits, annual fees, APRs and which cards can graduate to unsecured.
Compare secured cards →Credit scores and reports
What goes into a score, how FICO differs from other scores, and why your report matters.
Learn about scores →Free calculators
Estimate payoff time, interest, debt-to-income and net worth in your browser. Nothing you enter is stored or sent.
Debt Snowball vs. Avalanche
Compare payoff order, months to debt-free and total interest.
Open calculator →Credit Card Payoff
See the minimum-payment trap, and what adding extra each month can change.
Open calculator →Loan Interest Impact
Slide a credit-score range to estimate how published average APRs change the cost of a loan.
Open calculator →Debt-to-Income Ratio
Compare monthly debts with gross income using general lender guideline bands.
Open calculator →Net Worth & Liquidity
Weigh assets against liabilities and estimate months of emergency-fund coverage.
Open calculator →Featured guides
A selection of our educational articles on credit, debt and borrowing.
How Does Credit Repair Work
What credit repair can involve, and what to expect from the process.
Read the guide →FICO Score vs. Credit Score
How FICO scores differ from other credit scores, and why that distinction matters.
Read the guide →5 Tips for Debt Consolidation
Practical points to weigh before you consolidate balances.
Read the guide →How To Build Good Credit
Habits and steps that support a healthier credit profile over time.
Read the guide →Can You Buy a Home If Your Credit Is Bad?
What to know about buying a home with less-than-perfect credit.
Read the guide →Why Is My Credit Report Important?
Why your report matters for lending decisions and everyday financial planning.
Read the guide →Understanding Debt Management Plans
How nonprofit debt management plans work and who they may be for.
Read the guide →Paying Off Credit Card Debt: A Step-by-Step Guide
A step-by-step approach to paying down card balances.
Read the guide →How we make money
Bad Credit Freedom is free to read. We may earn a commission if you apply through links on our compare pages. That does not change which options we list, the order we list them in, or what we say about them. Read our Affiliate Disclosure. We also never promise score increases, removals or approvals.
Get new guides in your inbox
Occasional email updates when we publish new credit and debt guides. No live mailing list is connected on this preview.
Email signup is a placeholder until an email service is chosen. Nothing is submitted or stored.