Hi Anne,

I think it's a good idea to establish a credit history--perhaps with one or two carefully chosen credit cards--as soon as you are able. An excellent way to do this is to become an "Authorized user" on a parent's account, provided that the account has a perfect payment history and does not carry a large balance.

One caution: be sure that you are prepared to use the card responsibly. That means making all your payments on time, and not running up your balance on non-necessities.