Dollar Scholars Foundation

Topic 4 of 10

Credit Reports and Credit Scores

Read your credit report and fix mistakes, build credit from nothing (including as a newcomer or ITIN holder), and learn what really moves your score.

Lessons: 3 About 51 min in total

Your credit report and credit score affect loans, credit cards, apartments, insurance and sometimes jobs. These three lessons show you how to get your free reports and fix mistakes, how to build credit from nothing, including with an ITIN, and what really raises or lowers a score. Each lesson ends with a short practice quiz.

Builds on Money Smart for Adults

  • Module 6: Credit Reports and Scores

Start the first lesson

Lessons in this topic

  1. Read Your Credit Report and Fix Mistakes

    Get your free reports, read each part with a sample report, send a dispute with a fill-in letter, and know what to do if a mistake is not fixed.

    About 18 min Quiz questions: 5

  2. Build Credit from Zero

    A month-by-month plan to earn a first credit score, with costs compared, for newcomers, young adults, ITIN holders and anyone without a credit history.

    About 16 min Quiz questions: 5

  3. What Moves Your Credit Score (and What Does Not)

    See how payments and card balances change a score with worked examples, sort myths from facts, check the 2026 medical debt rules, and avoid credit repair scams.

    About 17 min Quiz questions: 6