Your credit score just may be the most important three digit number in your life. Your FICO score affects every aspect of your financial life, from your ability to get a mortgage to the interest rate you pay on your credit card bills. And with so many employers and insurance companies factoring creditworthiness into their decisions your credit score could even affect your ability to get a job or find an affordable automobile insurance policy.

With so much at stake it is important for every individual to know their credit score. It is even more important for those individuals to do everything in their power to raise those FICO scores. Fortunately there are some (relatively) painless things consumers can do to boost their credit scores and ease their financial lives.

Pay all your bills on time. This one should be obvious, but it is an important factor to address. Making a single late payment can cause your credit score to take a substantial hit, so it is important to pay your bills early. When paying bills keep in mind that it can take a week or more for payments sent by mail to be processed, and even computer payments may not be processed immediately. Building some extra time into your bill paying regimen will reduce the chances of a late payment and help to keep your credit score high.