海角大神

Top 4 New Year's resolutions for your pocketbook

3. Improve your credit score

Gregory Bull/AP/File
In this November 2012 file photo, a woman walks towards a home for sale during a viewing for brokers in Leucadia, Calif. An excellent credit score can lead to many benefits, including the lowest mortgage rates.

Excellent credit isn鈥檛 as exclusive a club as you might think, as about have it. There aren鈥檛 any capacity limits either, so there鈥檚 no reason why you can鈥檛 solidify your membership in 2013. A higher credit score can mean lower rates on everything from car loans and mortgages to insurance. 

Credit cards are the most efficient credit-building tools since they relay information to your credit reports on a monthly basis, and you can ensure the information is positive by making payments on time and maximizing your available credit.

Secured credit cards are a great option for people who are either just starting out or who have had difficulties in the past because they require a refundable security deposit. That deposit acts as your spending limit, precluding the need for issuers to charge high fees to offset risk.

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