A noobie question on credit scores! I know raising your score is partly done by reliable monthly payments on credit cards and loans - and people who are just starting out to build their scores, are often advised to get a card and begin to responsibly pay it off, to catch the notice of the reporting agencies. Would that mean that if you can pay off a large credit loan (e.g., in the realm of $2k) immediately instead of sticking to a monthly payment system, you're missing out on chances to further raise your score? Or does being able to pay off such an amount in full give you an equivalent gold star sticker? I wish this was something that didn't need asking, but my 'financial tutors' have been virtually nonexistent while growing up.

My father, grandfather, and I all have the first and last names, with only different middle names to distinguish us, no suffixes. How do I go about untangling our credit reports? Because of the way information is reported to credit unions, you'd think we were the same person with more addresses and aliases than a Bond villain! I checked my credit report today and was a little leery when all three agencies asked me about my mortgage. Since I don't have a mortgage I knew right away we were going to have problems. - Equifax has everything basically right for me, other than having an old address and the employer I was with in 2000. They only list a single recent positive account for me.

CreditFilter: Does co-signing for my student loans affect my parents' credit? My parents are concerned that cosigning for my student loans (which, before I complete my undergraduate studies, will probably amount to approximately $50,000) will adversely affect their credit. If not their FICO credit score, at least show up as some sort of debt that they are responsible for that might hurt their chances at getting future loans. Are there any credit or financial experts that might know the specifics regarding this? Many thanks!

CreditFilter: Does co-signing for my student loans affect my parents' credit? My parents are concerned that cosigning for my student loans (which, before I complete my undergraduate studies, will probably amount to approximately $50,000) will adversely affect their credit. If not their FICO credit score, at least show up as some sort of debt that they are responsible for that might hurt their chances at getting future loans. Are there any credit or financial experts that might know the specifics regarding this? Many thanks!

CreditFilter: Does co-signing for my student loans affect my parents' credit? My parents are concerned that cosigning for my student loans (which, before I complete my undergraduate studies, will probably amount to approximately $50,000) will adversely affect their credit. If not their FICO credit score, at least show up as some sort of debt that they are responsible for that might hurt their chances at getting future loans. Are there any credit or financial experts that might know the specifics regarding this? Many thanks!