If you are waiting for your credit score to go up after improving your financial habits, it can seem like it takes forever from the time you pay your bills and cut down on debt to see the results that you need for a big lifestyle change. The Equifax Finance Blog explains why there can be such a lag between good behavior and rising credit scores in the new article, “

Why Do I Have Three Different Credit Scores?”

The fact that your credit scores come from three different agencies has a part to play in the lag – for instance, two agencies could get updates about your funds while the other doesn’t. Your creditors may not be reporting the change in your debt amounts as quickly as you may wish. There also may have been a mistake and instead of your file being credited, someone else with a similar name or social security number may have received the credit.

These are all good reasons to use a quality credit monitoring service when it is time to change your credit habits, save up for a major purchase or protect yourself from

identity theft. There are lots of services out there, including one offered by Equifax. You can learn more about it on Equifax.com, along with great free personal finance advice on the Equifax Finance Blog.