Resources — How Your Credit Score Is Calculated
Welcome to the resources page for How Your Credit Score Is Calculated. Everything below is curated to go alongside the guide — your printable worksheet, recommended books, free government tools, and the videos referenced inside the PDF.
Bookmark this page. As you work through the 90-day action plan, the worksheet and tools below are what you'll come back to.
Your Free Worksheet
The companion worksheet to How Your Credit Score Is Calculated is yours to print and use as long as you need it. It includes a current-state snapshot, five-factor self-audit, account inventory, utilization tracker, dispute log, 90-day action checklist, goal setting, and monthly review notes.
Download the Credit Score Worksheet →
Already inside your purchased PDF as a clickable link — this page makes it easy to access if you've lost the file.
Free Government & Official Tools
These are the tools you'll actually use while working through your credit. All free, all official, all permanent URLs.
AnnualCreditReport.com
The only federally authorized source for free credit reports from all three bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion). You're entitled to free reports weekly under U.S. law. annualcreditreport.com
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
File a complaint if a credit bureau refuses to correct a verified error, or if a debt collector violates the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The CFPB takes action on consumer complaints. consumerfinance.gov
MyFICO.com
The only place to view your actual FICO scores from all three bureaus. Most "free credit score" apps show VantageScore, not FICO. Free monthly score from one bureau via Discover Credit Scorecard if you don't want to pay. myfico.com
Federal Trade Commission — Identity Theft
Step-by-step recovery plan if your identity is stolen. Free identity theft report you can use to dispute fraudulent accounts on your credit report. identitytheft.gov
Discover Credit Scorecard
Free FICO score from Experian, updated monthly. No Discover account or credit card required. discover.com/free-credit-score
Recommended Books
The four books we'd point you to first if you want to go deeper than the PDF.
Your Score — Anthony Davenport
The single best beginner book on credit scores. Davenport is a former mortgage originator who runs a credit management firm; he writes from inside the system. Practical, well-paced, and under 200 pages. Find it on Bookshop.org
Zero Debt: The Ultimate Guide to Financial Freedom — Lynnette Khalfani-Cox
A New York Times bestseller from a former Wall Street Journal reporter. Goes deeper into debt elimination strategy than the PDF can — the natural next read after our Credit Card Debt guide. Find it on Bookshop.org
The Total Money Makeover — Dave Ramsey
The most-read personal finance book of the last 20 years for a reason. Some of his advice is dogmatic (he hates all credit cards), but the discipline framework is solid for people who need structure. Find it on Bookshop.org
I Will Teach You to Be Rich — Ramit Sethi
Modern, practical, and counter to Ramsey's "credit cards are evil" view. Sethi's chapters on credit and automation are especially good for younger readers building credit from scratch. Find it on Bookshop.org
Note: All book links go to Bookshop.org, which supports independent bookstores. These are not affiliate links — we don't earn a commission. Find any of these at your local library for free.
Tools & Apps Referenced in the Guide
Credit Karma — Free Credit Monitoring
VantageScore (not FICO) updated weekly from Equifax and TransUnion. Useful for monitoring trends and catching unauthorized accounts. creditkarma.com
Self — Credit-Builder Loan
One of the most-used credit-builder loan services. You make monthly payments into a locked savings account; the on-time payments report to all three bureaus. Get the deposit back at the end (minus a small fee). self.inc
Experian Boost
Free service from Experian that adds your utility, phone, and streaming service payment history to your Experian credit report. Can add positive history if you don't have much credit yet. experian.com/boost
Capital One Platinum Secured
A widely available secured credit card with a low ($49–$200) deposit requirement. Reports to all three bureaus. One of the standard on-ramps for building credit from zero. capitalone.com
Curated Video Lessons
These are the videos referenced inside the PDF. Each was selected for clarity, accuracy, and practical value.
How Credit Scores Are Calculated — CNBC
A clear, well-produced explainer on FICO's five factors. Watch on YouTube
Credit Score Explained — Two Cents (PBS)
Animated, beginner-friendly breakdown of how scores work. Watch on YouTube
How to Build Credit From Nothing — Graham Stephan
Practical walkthrough for people starting with no credit history. Watch on YouTube
Credit Utilization — The 30% Myth — The Credit Pros
Why the often-quoted 30% rule is misleading and what to actually target. Watch on YouTube
How to Dispute Credit Report Errors — Credit Karma
Step-by-step guide to filing disputes with the three bureaus. Watch on YouTube
Continue Your Knowledge Stack
If you found this guide helpful, the rest of the Finance & Money library builds directly on it:
Browse the Finance & Money collection →
A budget makes credit possible. Credit makes investing possible. Each guide in the collection is built to extend the one before it.
Questions or Feedback?
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This page is a free companion to the How Your Credit Score Is Calculated PDF. All links above are to free or third-party resources. We do not earn a commission on any link on this page. Last updated May 2026.