Simply asking this question means you’re already on your way to financial health. Take a moment to congratulate yourself — recognizing the perils of unplanned and unexpected costs is a massive milestone and will mark a major turning point in your relationship with debt.

The warning signs of financial trouble are everywhere, if you know where to look. Knowing what they are and how to recognize them can be the difference between quickly recovering from one or two bad months and being trapped in a months or years-long battle with debt.

Today , many Canadian businesses have to work twice as hard to keep up with a competitive landscape in a weakened economy. If you really want to stay ahead of the curve and leave the doors open for as much opportunity as possible, it's crucial to be fully informed of your credit score and what you can do to further improve it.