To be on the safe side, don’t dispute more than three or four negative items at once, unless your disputes are related. And don’t pay anyone a fat fee to do this for you.

I’m 30 years old and filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy when I was 22 years old. I was young and had high credit card limits. I was naive and went into a business partnership that went sour which caused me to file for Bankruptcy. Over the next few years I started researching on how to rebuild my credit. At the time, I knew nothing about credit scores and FICO’s. Over time I was able to raise my FICO to the 650 range. I had multiple credit cards with limits anywhere from $500 to $8000.  I was even able to get car loans, although the interest rates were absurd.

Everything was going great until my entrepenerial spirit kicked in again. In Dec 2007, I started a business and used my credit cards and a personal loan to fund the startup. This was great until the funds ran out and the income was not rolling in. I now have over $60,000 worth of debt, including secured loans, equipment leases and credit card debt. I have been unable to make minimum payments for 6 months now and left the credit cards go to collections. I have managed to work out some hardship programs with most of them, but some credit card companies have already been charged off. I just checked my FICO and it is now anywhere from 428 to 540, depending on the bureau.

So that is where I stand. I hope you follow along as I try to rebuild my credit score and start on a long road to credit recovery.