“Dear Steve,
I am trying to get my financial house in order, I must work on cleaning my credit. Shall I pay off old debts or new debts first?
Jeanette”
Dear Jeanette,
It does not matter what debts you pay off first, unless the old debts are in default, if they are, pay those off first.
It is important to know if the old debts are mainstream credit cards, don’t close those accounts once you pay off the debt. Those old accounts help you more than your new accounts do. If you are going to close any accounts, let them be the new ones.
Please update me on your progress by 
You are not alone. I'm here to help. There is no need to suffer in silence. We can get through this. Tomorrow can be better than today. Don't give up.
