Written by Peter Schoenrock on July 6, 2010 in Credit  |   3 comments

Have you ever heard someone talk about “good debt” versus “bad debt”? Those terms can be a little misleading, but the kinds of debt you have and how you manage your finances can reflect positively-or negatively-on your credit report.

Your credit report contains a story about what kind of debt you’ve taken on and how you’ve paid it back. You might think of the $20 you borrowed from a coworker to pay for lunch as a debt, and it is, except most creditors and credit-reporting agencies aren’t going to keep track of that.

Credit reporting agencies keep a file on you containing all your credit accounts and payment histories that have been reported to them by your creditors, lenders and public records.

Your credit file can contain up to four different types of accounts or categories of debt:

• Mortgage or home equity loan.
• Installment debt. This could be an auto loan or a student loan-a debt you pay the same amount toward every month.
• Revolving debt. Credit card accounts would typically fall into this category.
• Other types of debts. Accounts in which the entire balance is due upon demand or that have one payment due as scheduled. These could be credit card accounts in which the full balance amount is due each month, or accounts from collection agencies, child support agencies, utility companies, or student loan guarantors.

What Is Good Debt?

Some types of accounts reflect more positively on your credit report because of what they can reveal about your financial habits.

Sometimes you may need to take on debt as an investment in the future. A student loan is usually considered good debt. That home equity line to build another bedroom may be a better investment than running up your credit card debt to pay for nice dinners and extravagant vacations.

Overall, any debt can be considered good debt if you are able to pay it back on time each month, making at least the minimum payment due.

What Is Bad Debt?

Any debt can turn into a bad debt if you overextend yourself or get behind in your payments. The key is to apply for credit only when necessary and to use your available credit wisely. Essentially, bad debts are those you can’t pay on time or that use up too much of your available credit.

Let’s look at a car loan. Say you need to buy a car to be able to get to work. Are you going to take out a loan for $15,000 because you know that monthly payment will fit in your budget? Or are you going to take out a loan for $50,000 and overextend yourself for that high-end automotive experience?

Overall, bad debt is debt that is incurred to fund a lifestyle that you cannot afford. Sacrificing your long-term financial health for short-term gratification is not a wise use of debt.

Turning Your Bad Debt into Good Debt

It’s easy to say, “Pay down your credit card and make your monthly payment on time,” but we hear all too often from consumers that it can be very tough to get credit accounts under control.

The first step to any effort to improve your credit-worthiness is to stop incurring new debt. Then you’ll want to take action to improve your credit behavior.

When thinking about “good debt” versus “bad debt,” it’s more about how you use the credit you’ve been extended. You want to show that you’re using your credit responsibly.

Good debt can mean that you have a mix of credit accounts and you’ve established a history of paying back your debts as agreed. By paying down your debt steadily over time, it shows that you made a decision to finance a purchase and you’re managing the responsibility to repay the debt.

Paying Down Your Debt

Our research shows that paying down debt makes people feel good. But sometimes consumers need a little assistance and a little extra motivation.

Equifax’s Debt Wise product^TM, helps you figure out how to pay down your bills and get out of debt faster. Debt Wise takes those basic principles and applies “debt stacking” to figure out which debts you should pay off first and in what order, so you can get out of debt faster and save on interest payments.

Getting into debt beyond what you can handle can be a frustrating and embarrassing situation. Debt Wise may be able to help you develop a plan to pay down your debt, guide you as you work through the plan, and provide some accountability to help you stick to it.

Equifax and Debt Wise can’t fix your credit score or change your credit history. But if you create a plan to pay down your debt, and stick to it, you’ll soon start to see your bad debt looking more like good debt.

*Debt Wise does not provide debt management advice, credit counseling, financial planning or counseling, and will not act as an intermediary between subscribers and their lenders/creditors. Subscribers must continue to pay their lenders/creditors directly in accordance with their terms. Debt Wise will not improve or repair subscribers’ credit history or score, or debt-to-income ratio. Debt Wise is not available in NV, UT, or DC. See equifaxdebtwise.com for important additional information.

Read More:

How To Dispute Credit Report Errors
Four Things College Kids Need To Know About Credit
Four Myths About Your Credit History
Debt Reduction: Why Paying Down Your Credit Card Debt Helps Your Credit Score

1. P. Robison says:

   December 23, 2011 at 10:03 am

   Why doesn’t credit scores take into account divorces where debt incurred
   Because other spouse just walked away from financial responsibility?

   Reply
2. jeerkpiq says:

   March 8, 2012 at 5:50 pm

   U.S. media reported that U.S. President Barack Obama subsequent week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talks to persuade Israel not to strike at Iran’s nuclear facilities within the coming months.
   Obama will probably be held on the 5th meeting with all the visiting Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. By then, Obama will persuade Netanyahu to wait patiently the effect played by sanctions against Iran and conscious of the danger of a military strike. The Washington Post quoted a government official mentioned, “We are attempting to acquire Israel to attempt not to make the choice of a military strike” a situation of anonymity.
   The report stated that Israeli leaders created ??it clear that to avoid Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons capability in less time, however the U.S. is worried that Israel’s pre-emptive strike action would trigger a regional war within the Middle East. Israel had decided to attack on Iran won’t be issued a warning signal for the United states, the U.S. government can deny aware of developments in advance, however it also limits the Usa to shield its military installations in the Middle East’s ability.In accordance with an opinion poll carried out in January by the U.S. media, most Americans believe that economic sanctions and diplomatic way far better than military action against Iran. Thus, the United states and Israel for the differences in how to cope with the Iranian nuclear issue has increased. Israel believes Iran is establishing nuclear weapons and military strikes against the window becoming closed whilst the U.S. is no indication that Iran is determined to producenuclear weapons, and the serious consequences of military operations, like Iran’s retaliation against the United states, the circumstance in the Middle East instability and the impact in the international economy .

   Reply
3. jeerkpiq says:

   March 8, 2012 at 5:58 pm

   U.S. media reported that U.S. President Barack Obama subsequent week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talks to persuade Israel not to strike at Iran’s nuclear facilities within the coming months.
   Obama will probably be held on the 5th meeting with all the visiting Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. By then, Obama will persuade Netanyahu to wait patiently the effect played by sanctions against Iran and conscious of the danger of a military strike. The Washington Post quoted a government official mentioned, “We are attempting to acquire Israel to attempt not to make the choice of a military strike” a situation of anonymity.
   The report stated that Israeli leaders created ??it clear that to avoid Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons capability in less time, however the U.S. is worried that Israel’s pre-emptive strike action would trigger a regional war within the Middle East. Israel had decided to attack on Iran won’t be issued a warning signal for the United states, the U.S. government can deny aware of developments in advance, however it also limits the Usa to shield its military installations in the Middle East’s ability.In accordance with an opinion poll carried out in January by the U.S. media, most Americans believe that economic sanctions and diplomatic way far better than military action against Iran. Thus, the United states and Israel for the differences in how to cope with the Iranian nuclear issue has increased. Israel believes Iran is establishing nuclear weapons and military strikes against the window becoming closed whilst the U.S. is no indication that Iran is determined to producenuclear weapons, and the serious consequences of military operations, like Iran’s retaliation against the United states, the circumstance in the Middle East instability and the impact in the international economy .

   Reply

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