Credit Plainly is a U.S. consumer credit education project. We publish plain-English guides, checklists, glossaries, and small tools that help people understand credit reports, credit scores, and credit report disputes—without quick-fix promises or product pitches.
On the Credit Plainly website we maintain:
- Guides that walk through reading reports, checking scores, disputing possible errors, and realistic credit-building habits.
- Checklists and glossaries you can use while reviewing your own files.
- Educational tools (for example, utilization math and dispute letter drafts) that explain concepts—not outcomes.
On GitHub we publish open resource maps: checklists, study paths, glossary tables, and links to official government and bureau pages. Each repository is meant to stand on its own as a learning aid.
We do not publish lender rankings, credit repair promotions, or paid partner placements.
| Goal | Where to begin on the site |
|---|---|
| Pull and read your reports | Free credit report basics · How to read a credit report |
| Understand scores | How to check your credit score · What affects your credit score |
| Fix possible report errors | How to dispute credit report errors · Credit report error checklist |
| Look up terms | Credit report terms glossary · Credit score terms glossary |
Section overviews: Credit reports · Credit scores · Disputes · Resources & tools
GitHub hub: credit-plainly-resources — curated starting points and maintainer maps.
Repositories are grouped by topic. Each includes docs, checklists, or data you can use offline; see each repo’s README for scope and limits.
| Repository | Focus |
|---|---|
| credit-plainly-resources | Central index of official links, topic matrix, and pointers to sibling repos |
| Repository | Focus |
|---|---|
| credit-report-glossary-map | Terms by report section; links to site glossaries |
| free-credit-report-resource-map | Official free report sources, report vs score basics, review cadence |
| Repository | Focus |
|---|---|
| credit-report-dispute-starter-kit | Step-by-step dispute study path, evidence checklists, bureau starting points |
| credit-report-error-checklist-kit | Checklists and notes for reviewing possible report errors before disputing |
| credit-bureau-dispute-resource-map | Bureau dispute entry points with official links and prep checklists |
| Repository | Focus |
|---|---|
| credit-score-learning-path | Ordered lessons on scores, models, factors, and building credit |
| credit-utilization-learning-kit | Utilization math, balances vs limits, and score factor context |
| secured-credit-card-education-map | How secured cards work; no product rankings or issuer pitches |
| Repository | Focus |
|---|---|
| credit-monitoring-basics-guide | What monitoring can and cannot do; alerts vs full reports |
| identity-theft-credit-report-starter-kit | Warning signs, action logs, freezes/alerts/disputes with official sources first |
Full maintainer table: RESOURCE_REPO_MAP.md.
- Credit Plainly editors review guides on the website first; GitHub repos are updated when checklists, links, or structured maps need to match those guides.
- Official URLs (CFPB, FTC, AnnualCreditReport.com, IdentityTheft.gov, bureau dispute portals) are checked periodically; if a government page moves, we update the repo and open an issue when needed.
- Sibling repos link to each other only when the topic genuinely overlaps—for example, disputes and error checklists—not as a directory of every page on the site.
- Issues and pull requests are welcome for broken links, unclear wording, or missing official citations. We do not accept promotional content or product rankings.
- No promises about score increases, deletions, approvals, or timelines.
- No quick-fix credit marketing slogans.
- No credit repair service positioning—we explain consumer rights and workflows, not paid dispute filing on your behalf.
- No outcome predictions for investigations, disputes, or fraud recovery.
- Accurate negative information generally stays on a report until it ages off under applicable rules; disputing accurate data is not a lawful shortcut.
When in doubt, verify current rules on primary sources:
| Topic | Starting points |
|---|---|
| Free reports | AnnualCreditReport.com |
| Reports and scores (overview) | CFPB — Credit reports and scores |
| Disputes | CFPB — How do I dispute an error on my credit report? · FTC — Disputing errors on credit reports |
| Identity theft | IdentityTheft.gov · FTC — What to know about identity theft |
Bureau dispute portals change their UI; each dispute repo lists current entry points in its docs.
Website: https://www.creditplainly.com
Email: contact@creditplainly.com
Organization repos: github.com/creditplainly
Credit Plainly and these GitHub repositories are for educational purposes only. They are not legal advice, tax advice, or individualized financial advice. Laws and bureau procedures change; always confirm details on official sites and with qualified professionals when your situation requires it.
Maintained by Credit Plainly. See also editorial policy and corrections policy on the website.