Hi Steely72! Welcome to the FICO Forums! 
Please accept my apologies that it's taken so long to get a reply-- on some of the busier posting days, some messages get pushed down and off the first page pretty quickly.
@steely72 wrote:I currently obtained my transunion FICO score. It was 591. My length of credit history, amount of new credit, and amount of debt are all rated very good. My payment history is not good. I have one charge of for $113 that will be removed in August of 2012. I have 1 debt collection that I believe comes off in July of 2012 which was for $87. I have 4 public records and one will come off in March and one will come off in February of 2012. The other two will be off in 2014 and 2015.
What is the best and quickest way to improve my score. I saw that it was hurting me by not having any credit cards so I applied for one at a local Credit Union. I received a nonsecured card with a CL of $500. I only asked for $500 because I didn't know if I would be approved and I didn't know if a higher limit would hurt me. Just by doing that the FICO simulator said my score should jump to between 630-660. I'm nervous about this card because I want to handle it properly and maximize my score. How much should I charge on a card with only a $500 CL or doesn't it matter? The day I receive the statement I will be sending in my payment so do I always pay it off or do I occasionally leave a little balance on there? I was intending on asking them for a credit limit increase after maybe 9 months, is that a good idea or would it be better to apply for a different card and have 2 cards? Any suggestions or plans of action would be greatly appreciated
Congrats on the new card! What credit union was it with? Someone may have experience with that credit union and may be able to answer your questions about credit limit increases, based on their own experiences. Planning to PIF is an excellent plan, especially so since this is your only card. You may want o PIF *before* the statement cuts, however. Or, at least before the balance reports to the CRAs.
Since you asked about raising your credit scores, can you give us more info about your baddies? What were they for? Are they paid/unpaid? You may be able to PFD or goodwill the collections off. You may be able to seek to have judgments vacated. If you can give us some more info, you're sure to get tons of advice!
ETA: You can always post your questions about credit card products on our Credit Cards board!