When John Lyly first coined the famous phrase “all’s fair in love and war,” he couldn’t have conceived of credit card debt (the year was 1578, after all). But love was anything but financially fair to GOBankingRates reader Dana, who at age 54 has virtually no credit history — except for one credit card her ex-boyfriend maxed out and never paid.
Understandably angry about the situation, Dana didn’t pay the balance either. For more than 30 years, she let the debt linger and did nothing else to actively build her credit. This decision unfortunately left her with no established credit — and a lingering negative mark — driving her credit score into the 500s. While GOBankingRates can’t un-break her heart (to paraphrase Toni Braxton), we can help her un-break her finances.
