Your FICA score is a pretty powerful thing. The scary part is how easily you can reduce that score without even knowing.

1. Every time you shop for a home mortgage, BOOM’your credit score gets deducted several points. Fortunately, if you’re on the ball and get your shopping done within two weeks, all of your inquiries with various lending institutions will only count as one mortgage hunt.

2. On your credit cards, the ratio of outstanding debt this month compared to the maximum money you can take out this month also comes into play. You want the smallest ratio possible, meaning little bills and big credit limits.