Although 20 points doesn’t seem like much, it can mean a lot when it comes to your credit score. You wouldn’t know it from the consumer side, but there is a world of difference between a credit score of 580 and 600. Your options open up when you increase your credit score by 20 points, and they close up when your credit score decreases — find out how to increase your score by 20 points.

FICO Score is a term used to describe the number assigned to you in relation to your credit. It is simply a number used to represent your financial obligations in relation to your credit history. It is called FICO because this score is determined by software created by Fair Isaac and Company.