Editor's note: Barry Courter has a 25-year-old son who is a college graduate and a 20-year-old daughter who is a sophomore in college.

Q: Dad, how does a college student looking to buy a car or rent an apartment get credit?

A: This is one of the tricky ones. It's easy to bury yourself under a bad credit rating at this age with student loans, late payments and even credit cards that seem so easy to get. The first thing is to make sure you pay all of your bills on time. Secondly, some banks do offer different credit card options such as secured cards. I would suggest researching online and talking to a bank representative and ask about options.