Just found out my FICO score went down 10 points because they decided that I don't have enough... what did they call it, Paid Accounts?
Basically, I have no debts of any kind, and currently have only one credit card active. Why? Because I'm a lazy simpleton *COUGH* er I mean Thoreauvian who enjoys the peace and tranquility of the simple life. Uh yes.
In any case, I say this is a good problem to have because I'd rather be this than have massive debts that are spiraling out of control. I also know it very likely won't stay like this forever, with expenses that will have to be incurred into the future. Also, there are some things I would like to do eventually, I think, though they are more wants than needs, so they are not a priority or anything.
In the meantime, does anybody have any fun or creative suggestions for tackling this peculiar issue of "lacking in Paid Accounts"?
December 18th, 2025 at 07:58 pm 1766087883
High net worth individuals for the most part are high income earners who got where they are because they are highly competitive,
An 850 FICO score seems like a grade that says ‘you are successful.’
In reality, the ‘benefit’ between a 700 and an 850 score is identical - good interest rates, good background check.
But lenders convince people to carry debt to ‘raise their FICO score.’ Who profits when you carry debt you don’t need? Lenders.
People with low FICO scores are those who cannot manage their debt well. They are not good risks for lenders, and thus get low scores.
People who save for what they want rather than financing are not good for lenders and their scores also end up lower.
The best people for lenders are those with debt that they consistently add to and pay off, providing a steady income stream for lenders. They get high scores because they are desirable - to lenders.
Financial freedom is having enough assets so that you never need to worry about borrowing money. This is usually accompanied by discipline about balancing ‘wants’ and ‘needs’ and the willpower to delay gratification. There is no score for that because no one but you benefits from that situation.
December 18th, 2025 at 09:53 pm 1766094822
December 19th, 2025 at 03:26 pm 1766158010
I never had a bad credit score, but I did want to boost my score as high as possible just in case I ever needed to borrow money. Which I did a year ago to buy my car; i could have paid cash, but for various reasons I didn't want to withdraw all that added cash (i., taxable income) all at once.
Also, while I was still working, I kind of enjoyed earning a $250 bonus just for using a new credit card to spend money on things I'd be spending anyway. It seemed like a no-brainer. So over the years, I collected a lot of cards, some of which I cancelled after I earned the bonus. But then I realized my credit score was actually higher if I kept some of the extra cards because having a higher total credit amount from all the different lenders (over $100K at this point), combined with the overall small dollar amount I actually charge on the cards for any given month, resulted in a low credit utilization ratio, which credit card lenders love to see.
In other words, if they see that you pay everything on time but don't go overboard using their cards, they'll want to give you more cards.
December 19th, 2025 at 03:27 pm 1766158073
December 19th, 2025 at 05:37 pm 1766165876