Since the global economic downfall in 2008 which caused many stocks to plummet and left many individuals in debts, the world has known its lesson. Thanks to the efforts of many people, nations are slowly regaining its former glory. The country to be most affected is the United States of America. The great recession which started in December 2007 to June 2009 of almost 19 months has affected countries of as far Indonesia and Africa.

An excellent and solid FICO credit history can help you a lot. It can save you tens and thousands of dollars in mortgage interest and lower you auto premium insurance among many things. However though, there are still a lot of mysteries clouding the credit world. Take time to review the following things Axis Capital Business Funding, a direct source of business funding based in America, has prepared for you:

1. Equifax, TransUnion and Experian are the three major credit bureaus. Each of these tools tracks your information and how you use your credit. Based on the information, each credit bureau maintains FICO Credit Score for its consumer in its database. As a result, you have the credit reports from each bureau. The FICO credit score generated from each bureau and tends to vary significantly.

2. Not everybody has a credit history. If you have never applied for and used credit, you will not have a credit history in three main bureaus. Without a credit history, you would not have a FICO credit score. And yes, the same rules apply to credit ratings in developing cities like Singapore, Jakarta, Indonesia and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

3. Many people have complaints that they cannot be approved of a loan because the result of their different is different from their scores. Take note: credit reports and scores are different. While your FICO credit score is generated based on information in your credit report, it's important to understand the difference between the two. Your credit report shows your history of using credit, including the accounts you have (both opened and closed), your payment history, credit limits, and amounts owed. Your FICO credit score is generated based on this information, and generally ranges from a low of 300 to a high of 850.

4. This is one of the major confusion of individuals: Not all credit scores are FICO scores. The FICO credit score is not the only credit scoring formula available. Each of the three major credit bureaus, for example, has developed their own scoring models. And there are even multiple FICO score calculations. The key is that if you want access to your FICO credit score, make sure the service you use will provide your FICO score, and not a credit score based on some other formula.

5. Getting your report does not hurt your score: You can check your own credit report and score without affecting your FICO credit score. While inquiries by creditors with whom you have applied for credit can lower your score, checking your own score will have no effect on your credit file.

Credit score is not an immediate result. Big names in credit scoring like FICO take into account years of past behavior, not just your present actions. In addition, you also have to be consistent to push your score in the right direction.

Here are some tips from Axis Capital Business Funding Group, a credit source helping small business owners for their loans in more than 10 states in United States in America, to help you improve your credit score:

1. Review your Credit Balance

One of the major factors in your credit score is how much revolving credit you have versus how much you're actually using. The smaller that percentage is, the better it is for your credit rating.

The optimum: 30 percent or lower. So pay down your balances and keep your balances low. A good example who consistently has their credit percentage low are people from Jakarta, Indonesia since they are not used to using Credit cards for their daily lives.

2. Eliminate 'nuisance balances'

"A good way to improve your score is to eliminate nuisance balances," says John Ulzheimer, a nationally recognized credit expert formerly of FICO and Equifax. Those are the small balances you have on a number of credit cards.

The reason this strategy can help your score: One of the items your score considers is just how many of your cards have balances, says Ulzheimer.

3. Leave (good) old debt on your report

Some people erroneously believe that old debt on their credit report is bad. The minute they get their home or car paid off, they're on the phone trying to get it removed from their credit report, he says.

Good debt -- debt that you've handled well and paid as agreed -- is good for your credit. The longer your history of good debt is, the better it is for your score.

4. Always pay bills on time

If you're planning a big purchase (like a home or a car), you might be scrambling to assemble one big chunk of cash.

While you're juggling bills, you don't want to start sending bills late and end up with a complaint and a trial. Even if you're sitting on a pile of savings, a drop in your score could scuttle that dream deal.

One of the biggest ingredients in a good credit score is simply month after month of plain-vanilla, on-time payments.

Saving money for a big purchase is smart. Just don't slight the regular bills -- or pay them late -- to do it.

If you are just a starting up your business like any other independent individuals nowadays, then, you must know that marketing is one of the most important factors to make your business thrive. As a business as well, Axis Capital Group Business Funding has been in the same position as you are. We have been continuously expanding, helping business operators all over America and now expand to Jakarta, Indonesia but we also have a lot in our plate. Keeping your focus not only in your profit but also on your products, clients, internal operations and marketing is a very hard work.

The Internet is the great equalizer in that it gives small businesses marketing opportunities on par with their larger competitors. It can still cost money to market online though and, if you aren't careful, the total costs can totally blow your budget.

Good thing there is already a lot of inexpensive small business marketing methods which can help you achieve your goal. Here are some of the business marketing tips for you to review:

1. Post Videos

- Online videos are now rampant. If you get a lot of views, you have the higher chance of gaining popularity and branding. A prospective customer may find it online and sign in with you. You can make use of free video tools and create videos for yourself.

2. Post a Good Review from a satisfied Customer

- Happy clients lead to more clients. You can take advantage of their satisfaction of your products and services by asking them to make reviews for you. A good testimony from other people is more likely to be believed in and it also proves that you are not a fraud, non-existent business but a legit one through the people who recommends you.

3. Search forums for customers

- While you are at it, you can also join open forums which tackle arguments or conversations of your business. You can post related comments and can also pull some potential clients for your business. However, do not sell online. Just join the conversation and attack at the right time.

4. Share information all over the Web

- Blog about your products and services. The good thing about the internet is it reaches even the far flung corners of the world. It may even reach Singapore, Brunei, Jakarta, Indonesia, Abu Dhabi and Africa and you might find some clients from these countries pouring in front of your door. The most inexpensive way to promote small companies nowadays is to share what you do and what you love.

I must admit that I'm lazy, and I'm cheap. This means that I don't have paid money management software to track my finances. Instead, I learned how to make a budget on spreadsheets and in notebooks, and used them for years. But regardless of this, Axis Capital Group Business Funding, were I loan for years now, never cheated on us. I believe that I discovered something that would be very advantageous for my family and I. When my business first started out, we were a pioneer in Jakarta Indonesia. In fact, many companies have since created similar applications with a different spin, following our example. And while competitors have come and gone, ours has grown stronger and has become even more useful to people who use it most. It's also worth mentioning that Axis was one of our secrets in success. I assure you that they are not a scam or fraud. Axis recently added some new features and improved its classic components. They have always made it easy to set up your loan application: They ask you some questions, and then you pick your bank from a pull-down list and come up with your username and password. You should not ever ditch their secure servers, and the system swiftly ports in your account information.