Fix It or Forget It – Credit Edition

Instructions: Read each scenario and pick the answer that sounds most like you. Tally your points and check your credit mindset at the end!

1. You find an old collection account on your credit report. What’s your move?

A. Call to negotiate and ask for a pay-for-delete. (5 points)

B. Set up a payment plan and make a note to follow up. (4 points)

C. Pay it off in full but don’t ask for any deletion—just want it gone. (3 points)

D. Forget it—it’s old, I’ll just ignore it. (1 point)

2. You accidentally miss a credit card payment. How do you handle it?

A. Call the company immediately, explain, and ask for a one-time late fee waiver. (5 points)

B. Pay it right away and set up auto-pay going forward. (4 points)

C. Pay it when I get to it—mistakes happen. (2 points)

D. Ignore it and hope it doesn’t tank my score. (1 point)

3. Your utilization is over 70%. You know that’s not great, so you…

A. Transfer part of the balance to a 0% card and commit to a payment plan. (5 points)

B. Put all extra money toward reducing it ASAP. (4 points)

C. Make minimums and plan to do better next month. (3 points)

D. I didn’t even know utilization was a thing. (1 point)

4. You’re offered a new credit card with rewards but a high interest rate. You…

A. Read the fine print, compare options, and decide if it fits my long-term plan. (5 points)

B. Take it but use it carefully and never carry a balance. (4 points)

C. Accept it and use it for stuff I already buy—I'll figure out the rest later. (2 points)

D. Open it, max it out, and forget about it until it becomes a problem. (1 point)

5. You get denied for a credit product. What do you do?

A. Review the denial reason and pull my credit report to investigate. (5 points)

B. Apply somewhere else with better odds next time. (4 points)

C. Shrug it off and forget about it. (2 points)

D. Apply again at another place immediately—someone has to say yes. (1 point)

6. Your friend asks to add you as an authorized user to boost their score. You…

A. Only agree if I fully trust them and I monitor it regularly. (5 points)

B. Politely say no—I don’t mix credit and friendships. (4 points)

C. Agree without asking too many questions. (2 points)

D. Say “sure,” then forget it ever happened. (1 point)

7. You’re trying to rebuild your credit. What’s your first step?

A. Secure a credit-builder loan or a secured credit card with a plan in place. (5 points)

B. Get a credit monitoring app and create a plan to improve. (4 points)

C. Hope it fixes itself with time. (2 points)

D. Ugh, I’ll deal with it later. Credit’s confusing. (1 point)

SCORE BREAKDOWN

• 31–35 Points: The Fixer You’re proactive, strategic, and not afraid to face your credit head-on. You don’t avoid problems—you solve them. Keep going! You’re building a solid financial future one smart move at a time.

• 25–30 Points: The Planner You’re credit-aware and making mostly good choices. A few blind spots might hold you back, but you’re not afraid of improvement. You just need a clear plan and support to level up!

• 17–24 Points: The Avoider You’ve got some work to do, but don’t beat yourself up. You might ignore problems when they pop up, but you can change direction with a little guidance and consistency.

• Below 17 Points: The Forgetter Credit feels overwhelming, so you avoid it altogether. But that only creates more stress. The good news? It’s never too late to fix it—and now you know where to start.