Remember, “credit is a tool, not a measurement of your value,” says LaDaisha Washington, financial mentor with UW Credit Union, adding “good credit saves you real money.”How do I build credit? “You need to have credit to build credit,” says Mike Hruska, another financial mentor with UW Credit Union. Keep credit utilization, which is the percentage of your credit limit you’re using, under 30%. Keep credit utilization, which is the percentage of your credit limit you’re using, under 30%. Closing old credit accounts can actually hurt your score because it lowers your total available credit and shortens your credit history.