DEAR BRUCE: Shortly after I had my first child in 2005, my husband lost his job, and we began to have financial difficulties because of it. I would manage to pay most of the bills/loans, leaving only my credit card unpaid each month. I was not able to keep up with the overdue payments on my credit card until some six months later. Even though I kept up with my personal loan payments, the credit card delinquency has caused me bad credit, and I am unable to get even a small loan. What can I do, and how long will it take to bring my credit ratings back up to a level where I can apply successfully for a loan? -- L.A., via e-mail

DEAR L.A.: Unhappily, credit takes a long time to build up and can be destroyed overnight. It would appear that you made some bad judgments with your credit card, but we've all made those, and there's nothing to be done about it now. Time will heal the problem. How much time, I can't tell you. Bad information will stay on your credit report for as long as seven years. There are many lenders who are anxious to loan money even though the rates may be unattractive. I would sit tight and pay your bills on time. You haven't mentioned whether the credit card was cancelled or you still have it, but by all means, pay it on time. Buy nothing that you can't afford to pay on a regular basis. If you have no other credit cards and the primary card was canceled, you might wish to consider a collateralized card, where you make a deposit in the bank and pay annual fees. While this may be a burden, it is another tool to build your credit again. Obviously, in order to accomplish the building,! you must pay that card religiously on time as well as your other obligations. There is life after bad credit. It may be a little bumpy for awhile, but you'll get there.

DEAR BRUCE: Unfortunately, because of a very nasty divorce where my husband walked out and left me with all the debt, including a house, I had to file foreclosure and then bankruptcy. I have recently become disabled and will soon (after the inevitable appeals and such) be on Social Security. What can I do to start to rebuild my credit again, and how long does it usually take for someone in my situation to achieve a favorable credit score? -- D.B., via e-mail

DEAR D.B.: Yours is representative of dozens of letters that I am currently receiving concerning the rebuilding of credit. You mentioned that you are going to be on disability. Without other income credit is going to be difficult to achieve. Credit scores are determined by several factors, but one is the source and amount of income. Since Social Security income does not provide large sums of money, I think you're going to have a difficult time. This, coupled with a foreclosure and bankruptcy, is realistically going to take years to recover from. I do wish you well.

DEAR BRUCE: My wife and I purchased a townhouse in a 55-plus community that has an association policy. Since purchasing, the board has voted in many changes that we feel were not only unethical but also unlawful. At the time of purchase, owners were allowed to have dogs. Because some of the board members do not like dogs, it was voted to not allow dogs. It has created quite a burden on some of the owners. One seller had five offers on his unit but all were withdrawn because of the "no dogs' clause. He has yet to sell. It has been on the market for more than eight months. The owner has reduced his asking price three times. The owners that voted for these restrictions do not know just how this will affect their value and selling price. Also, there was no restriction on having a boat cover on our dock when we bought. which I said was not in the agreement that we signed. The board members voted that we could not have a boat cover. Is this legal? I am sure that this a big problem for many elderly people who are downsizing and do not understand what legal rights they have. This is going to an attorney in a few weeks. -- D.L., via e-mail

DEAR D.L.: Since you live in Florida, you should be aware that there are many, many state laws that have been passed to protect home owners given that Florida has many homeowners associations, more than most states. You mentioned that the board changed the rules. You will have to go back to your charter to see what it takes to change a rule. Can they can unilaterally set policy, or does the membership have to vote on it. I'm also wondering how often many of you folks attended board meetings until they did things that you were not comfortable with. This is a common problem. As to adding restrictions, once again we have to go back to the original rules set by the developer when he formed this community. The next thing that your counsel will have to research is precisely what Florida law allows the board of directors to do and what areas are restricted. Very few of us read the association rules and regulations and all of the fine print before we buy a home. Often, it is to our detriment. In the event that anyone is buying into a community that has a homeowners association, either they or their attorney should carefully read all of the documents and determine exactly what can and cannot be accomplished. Finally, take an interest in the association. Go to the meetings, run for office and don't allow others to take responsibility and then complain that you don't agree with their actions. I don't agree with the no-dog provision and would be interested to see how this matter is finally resolved.