If youve just graduated this year and are out on your own for the first time, congratulations. If youre not headed back to grad school, report cards and grades are behind you...but only sort of. Once youre out of school, youll be graded for the rest of your lifebut this time the stakes can be much higher. How much money you have in the bank (and other investments) and how high your credit score is can determine which financial opportunities (like owning a house or buying a car) youll be able to do. Fail on these two counts and youll end up in the company of most people who have no savings, no home ownership, no luxuries, and no retirement to count on.

But youre in a terrific place right now for making all the best things happen: save money so you can afford the house or car, the luxuries, and the retirement you want...and boost your credit score as high as possible so you can get great rates on that house or car, get the job you want (yes, many employers look at credit scores to see how responsible you are), and be able to take advantage of loads of financial opportunities down the road.

Because these two things are crucial to your financial health, and because it would be impossible to touch on every important point you need to know about in one article, youll be hearing about them often in your monthly Doses of Reality. In this issue, well focus on your credit score.

So for starters, you need to know where you stand credit-wise. You need a copy of your credit report and score so you can get an idea of what youll need to do to increase your score as high and as quickly as possible. Scores dont change very quickly, so now is the time to find out where youre starting from and get working on improvements so youll be ready when you want to buy a car, a home, or even get or change jobs to one that might take a peek at your score to see what kind of person you are. Start with a credit reporting siteits best to get reports from all three major credit reporting agencies because when a potential lender looks at your credit, they look at all three (the scores will be different for each, since their criteria are different for determining scores), and theyll come up with some type of combined or median score to determine which interest rate theyll offer you for your car or home purchasethe better the score, the lower the interest rate you can get. [see the link at the end of this article for the fastest route to a good credit reporting site]

A great way to get started if you have no credit history yet is a prepaid credit card. With these, you put the money up and then go shopping. You might put $250 in your account, use the card for groceries, and ante up another $250 (or whatever amount you choose) when youre about to run out. These are perfect for people with no or very bad credityoure guaranteed to get the card and can start building a credit history immediately. Then, after a couple years of handling that card responsibly, you should qualify for a real credit card.

If you have only a little credit history built up (maybe from using one of those prepaid cards), your best place to go next is to get a credit card with a low credit limit, and preferably no annual fee. Use it for only a few purchases each month and pay it off when the statement comes in the mail. Lenders will be looking at your credit report for the length of time youve had a credit card as well as whether you pay on time.

If you keep your balance each month well below your limit, thats good, too, because lenders dont want to see you maxed out. The Discover card is a good one to start with...their student card has no annual fee and you get that rebate at the end of the year that theyre famous for. If you cant qualify as a student any more, shop around and find a card that will work for youkeeping in mind that if youre going to pay it off every month (and you definitely should!), the annual fee is more important than the interest rate. Go for a card with no fee, pay it every month, and that credit will cost you nothing at all, but will boost your score every month you handle it responsibly!

To find links for these credit cards, credit reports, and other financial helps, see http://www.EducationForReality.com/resources_money.htm