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With a bankruptcy looming large on your credit history, you are probably anxious to start getting more positive indicators on your report. This is a good thing. You can do this by getting a new credit card or taking out a personal loan. A lot can be said for either avenue, but you will have to take a good look at your current financial situation to figure the option that would work best for you.

Personal Loans

A personal loan is kind of a friendly peg onto which a variety of financial instruments can be hung. Amounts can vary widely, as can interest rates and repayment terms. Usually, right after bankruptcy, your chances of finding a decent loan with acceptable rates and terms can be pretty difficult, but not impossible.

Bad Credit Loans

You may have to enter the world of private lenders and bad credit lenders. These loans can carry interest rates and terms that would make a loan shark blush, but they can improve your status if they are paid off as stipulated in the contract. Also, since this market is tuned to borrowers with bad credit, many lenders act as if they are doing you a great big favor. They prey on the unworthiness and exasperation of their borrowers. Check the credentials of any lender you may approach thoroughly. If you sense the Big Favor syndrome, find another lender. Honest lenders willing to make bad credit loans are out there.

Credit Cards

Just as with a personal loan, landing a good credit card deal with appropriate interest rates can be a struggle if you are fresh out of bankruptcy. But that is okay. You can fall back, calm yourself, and seek the alternative. Also, if you are having trouble landing a credit card, it could be that you are applying around too much. Making multiple applications over a short period of time will only heighten a lenders concern that you are credit hungry. Credit card issuers do not like to see that. Some issuers will deny a card just on the basis that you have been denied elsewhere.

Bad-Credit Credit Cards

If your are stymied in your quest for a regular credit card, you should consider a secured credit card. They work in very much the same way as regular credit cards regarding where they are accepted and how they report to the various credit agencies. They just require a security deposit which can range from 0 to 0. That deposit sets your spending limit. The deposit is never used toward payment unless you default, and you are expected to maintain your monthly payments according to agreed-upon terms. Benefits will be apparent on your credit reports within months.

Find a Method and Make It Work

A small personal loan and a secured credit card are both worthy ways to rebuild your credit. Some folks take out a small personal loan, put the loan amount in a special account with automatic payments to the lender, and let it lie until the loan has matured. They have in essence used loan money to improve their chances of getting a loan. Two or three times of this sort of activity can go a long way to rebuild a credit history. Just remember, no matter which avenues you choose, there are shysters out there who will play on your post-bankruptcy emotions to steal your money.