Credit repair isn’t a product. It’s not something you buy from a company that promises to “fix” your score in 90 days. It’s work. Slow, boring, consistent work that nobody wants to do but everybody wants the results from.
I know because I did it. After my divorce in 2023, I was staring at a 530 credit score, $40,000 in debt, and a world that treats you differently when your credit is trashed. Higher deposits, higher interest rates, fewer options. And a special needs son who needed me to get my financial life together.
Everything on this page is based on what I actually did — not theory, not generic advice, not something I read and repackaged. If you’re starting from the bottom, you’re in the right place.
My Story
- Rebuilding My Credit After Divorce: From 530 to Standing on My Own — The full story. What happened, what I did, and how long it really took.
- The Secured Card That Started My Credit Rebuild — The single most important step I took and exactly how I used it.
- How I’m Paying Off $40,000 in Debt — With the Actual Numbers — Real debt, real payments, real timeline. Not a hypothetical example.
Credit Repair Guides
- How to Dispute Credit Report Errors — Step-by-step guide to filing disputes yourself, for free.
- Best Credit Repair Companies — If you want professional help, here’s who’s legitimate and who’s not.
- How to Repair Your Credit — The complete guide to rebuilding from a bad score.
- DIY Credit Repair vs. Hiring a Company — When to do it yourself and when it might be worth paying someone.
The Honest Version
Most credit repair content online is either trying to sell you a service or written by someone who’s never had bad credit. I’ve had bad credit. I’ve sat in a parking lot looking at a 530 score on my phone. I’ve been denied for basic things because of a number.
What I learned: there’s no shortcut. There’s disputing errors (free), building positive payment history (slow), and paying down debt (painful). That’s it. Anyone telling you otherwise is selling something.
But it works. It just takes longer than anyone wants it to.
— Thomas