Free guides

Credit guides

Every VenturePath guide, in one place. Each is reviewed by Andrey Kuzmin, founder of VenturePath, and cites primary sources. Free to read — no account needed.

How to Build Credit From Scratch

Building credit with no history: open your first account, use it lightly, keep utilization low and pay on time — FICO can score you once an account is six months old.

How to Build Credit as an Immigrant in the US

How newcomers build a US credit score from scratch — using an ITIN, secured cards, credit-builder accounts, and authorized-user history.

Credit Cards You Can Apply for With an ITIN (No SSN)

Yes, you can apply for a credit card with an ITIN — no SSN required. Which issuers accept an ITIN application (checked October 2026), which cards they offer, and how to apply — approval is the issuer’s call.

How to Get a Credit Card Without an SSN

No Social Security number? You may still get a US credit card. Here are the real paths — using an ITIN, a passport, or authorized-user history — and how to start.

How Credit Utilization Works (and the 10% Target)

Credit utilization is part of amounts owed, which is about 30% of a FICO score in FICO’s published weights — how it works, the target we teach (it’s not 30%), the statement-close timing trick, and faster ways to lower it.

How Does a Secured Credit Card Work?

How a secured card works: a refundable deposit usually becomes your credit limit, it reports to the bureaus to build credit, and some issuers may later move you to an unsecured card (the issuer decides).

How Being an Authorized User Builds Credit

How authorized-user status builds credit — the primary's account history reports to your file, which issuers report it, the backfire risk, and the tradeline scam to avoid.

Do Credit-Builder Loans Actually Work?

The honest research on credit-builder loans — in a CFPB-funded study they worked better for people with no existing debt and did little (or backfired) for those already carrying a loan; a no-annual-fee secured card paid in full each month costs about $0.

Statement Closing Date vs Due Date (Explained)

Your statement closing date — not your due date — is usually when your balance is reported to the bureaus. The difference between the two dates, statement vs current balance, the grace period, and the timing trick to report a low balance while still paying in full by the due date.

What Is a Good Credit Score? Ranges Explained

The FICO credit-score ranges (300–850) and what FICO calls each one, the five factors that make up your score, and why you have many scores (FICO vs VantageScore, three bureaus).