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You dont have to make a New Years resolution to get on the right track to good credit health. Any time is a good time to start focusing on your credit. We asked our Facebook community to answer the following question: What are your 2012 credit goals? Here are a few of our favorite answers. Can you spot the trending goals?

Get my cards paid off and just use for things like car repair, flights and medical. Cynthia P.

Pay down my small debt and not rack up any more. Pamela C.

Pay everything off and achieve my 750 score!

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Every day millions of credit card offers are sent out in the mail to prospective cardholders who are on the lookout for a more appealing credit account.

Unfortunately, after being tempted by short-term promotional features many cardholders act impatiently and switch to a card which will put them in even more debt in the long term. By considering the following information before switching credit cards, it is possible to minimize the amount of debt incurred and maximize financial freedom. 

Instead of simply considering the promotional interest rate, it is even more important to review the ongoing rates and conditions that will be applied once the promotional period is over.

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I just ran my husbands credit and he is listed under three properties, which I know are not ours. I know his brother is a scam artist and is in the mortagage broker business. My husband also listed himself as single. Can he get in trouble for this?

Many problems with credit can be caused by going through a divorce. Many times, regardless of what the court order may say, the lenders just want their money and so they will harass you for payment and report bad credit on your report even if your ex-spouse is supposed to be the one responsible. Divorce is frequently a cause of bad credit.

But what if you are still married? In this article, someone wrote in asking about identity theft by a spouse and what they can do. The person answering the question gave three scenarios with the last one including “file for divorce”. This was supposedly the last resort according to the advice.

But really? If

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Remember Catch-22 and that “damned if you do, damned if you dont” mentality? Well that is exactly how credit works these days.

If you are responsible, pay off all your debts on time and live a relatively debt-free, all cash life, you can be penalized by mortgage companies when you want to purchase a home. Even though, you are financially responsible and living completely within your means.

Oftentimes, mortgage companies penalize a person for having too little credit and of course, you get penalized if you have too much credit or if your credit is less than stellar.

Mortgage companies like to see at least 3 open lines of credit to make sure that you are credit-worthy. So

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There are a lot of valid reasons for avoiding credit. However, there are also some reasons you should have credit.

Many mortgage companies are now requiring 3 open lines of credit along with a good down payment and a 750 plus credit score in order to qualify for a new mortgage to purchase a home. And with the mortgage crisis that is going on and the millions of foreclosures out there, this practice is just prolonging the agony of the bad market.

If there is a glut of inventory, which there is, and it is exceptionally difficult to qualify for a mortgage to purchase a home, how can the housing market get better?

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For those with poor credit standing, this is totally a nightmare when they do not know how to handle. But you will find financial institutions that are still willing to help them obtain one. Although it is possible, it would not be that easy when compared with obtaining it with good credit record.

They must realize that the operation is difficult and be very expensive more often than not therefore they must be ready to perform some tightening of belt within their financial aspect. They must realize also that the interest rates will be impacted by their credit score meaning the low the credit score, the higher the rate from the interest.

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