Tag: FICO

Other People’s Money

Making reward cards, introductory rates and points work for you.

“A penny saved is a penny earned.” – attributed to Benjamin Franklin

I walk a lot outside during the day. It’s rare that a day goes by where I don’t find at least a penny on the ground. On average, I find about a dollar in coins a week, and I still stop to pick them up.  When I was younger, there used to be a joke circulating about Bill Gates, (who is still one of the three richest men in the world). It ran along the lines of this: “If you average out all the money Bill Gates makes in a single year, he  earns over $500 a second. If he was walking down the street and found a $100 bill lying on the ground, it would cost him money to stop and pick it up.”  The most amount of money I’ve ever found lying on the ground at one time was a loose $50 bill half-buried in the snow on Liberty Ave. That was a long time ago, and I was amazed and shocked at my good fortune, but also I felt a little bad for whomever had carelessly lost that much money.  

At a certain point, picking up discarded coins in the street becomes more trouble than it’s worth to some people, but I’m still of the mind-set that every penny saved adds up. To that end, I still use coupons and reward cards when I shop. These are great ways to save a few cents or even a few dollars each time you used them, and over the course of a year that can add up to hundreds of dollars.

The Store Loyalty Reward Card

Using a store loyalty reward card is easy enough, you just have to swipe or scan the card each time you shop. My local grocery store also sells gasoline (petro). At least 3 to 4 times a year, I accumulate enough points to earn a 100% discount on fuel. Gas in the USA isn’t as expensive as it is in other countries, but it’s still a fantastic savings in my book.  Just always make sure when collecting point to check if and when they expire, or you may lose them with noting to show.

card savings

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Reward Credit Cards

Some credit cards have a point reward system as well. These can be as simple as 1% cash back on all purchases, to a range of categories which each  have a special point rating. Reward credit cards ONLY work for people with perfect credit and who pay their entire balance in full each month.  The reason for this is twofold.

  • You usually only receive these special offers if you have good credit. The better your FICO score, the better the offers you receive from credit card companies.
  • Failing to pay the balance in full each month will cost you interest fees which will negate any savings earned by rewards.

I once read a post online where a woman was complaining about how her reward credit card was worthless because she was being charged all these fees each month for interest, exceeding her limit, and late fees. Usually the problem is not with the card, it’s user error indicative of a much greater personal problem. Never give a loaded gun to a baby, or a credit card to a fool.

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Special Rates or Introductory Offers

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Another offer reserved for those with stellar credit are cards that offer 0% interest, fees, and balance transfers. There are great during the introductory period, BUT you must exercise extreme caution with these cards. In essence, you are playing with other people’s money. The issuing bank is allowing you to ‘play with their money’ with no fees, in the hopes that you will ring up a huge balance and not be able to pay the balance in full at the end of the promotional offer. People who lack self-control fall victim to this all the time. Interest is calculated from the time of the purchase. If at the end of the promotional period, a balance is remaining, you will incur the full interest charge of the purchase, even if you have a relatively small portion remaining. For instance: Every October, I take my car in for its annual  maintenance inspection. I get all the little issues resolved, buy new tires, replace worn parts etc. Till it’s all said and done, the bill for keeping my car running another year can range from $500 to $2000. I usually pay with my Firestone Store Credit Card. It has a six months same-as-cash special promotion rate for all purchases over $299. Although the minimum monthly payment is about $20, you’ll never be able to pay the balance off in time if you only pay the minimum. The key to these cards is to divide the balance into five equal amounts, and pay that amount each month for 5 months. This allows you ONE extra month in case you need it.  In the image shown below, the six-month promotion ends April 5th. Even though I’ve paid almost the full balance except for a measly $200, if I fail to send the full balance in by the due date, I will incur $54.46 in retro-active interest fees! No thanks! I (almost) never pay interest.

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If you are able to take advantage of special offers like the ones I covered, enjoy yourself but always remember:

  • Pay your balances in full each month.
  • Pay your bill early.
  • Never skip a payment, or pay the bill late.
  • Never spend more money than you can afford to pay back.

As always, I wish you happiness and success!

WTF? (What’s the FICO?)

Understanding the 3 digit number that rules your finances.

The acronym  FICO stands for Fair Isaac Corporation.  FICO is a data analytics company which was founded in 1956 by Bill Fair and Earl Isaac.  Using data gleaned from your credit history, FICO generates a score between 300 and 850 which aids creditors in assessing your credit worthiness.  The higher your  score, the better the credit offers and terms you receive. Any number under 629 is a poor score. Fair to average ranges from 630 to 689. Good is between 690 and 719. Anything above a 720 is considered excellent. The scores reflect credit payment patterns over time with more emphasis on recent information. Scores automatically improve, as one’s overall credit picture gets better. That means showing a historical pattern of paying your bills on time and using credit conservatively.

In order to calculate a score, your credit report must contain recent enough info on which to base the number. The minimum amount of information needed is at least one account opened for at least six months or longer, and which has been reported to the credit bureau in the last six months. Adding to the confusion, there are three credit bureaus, Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian. The credit history reports from each of these companies may contain different information, and thus could result in three different FICO scores depending on the information contained within.   

Never assume each credit bureau has your identical credit history. They receive only the information supplied them by lenders, collection agencies, and court records. One bureau may have more up-to-date information than another because some lenders report credit information to the credit bureaus at different times,  resulting in discrepancies. The credit bureaus may record, display or store the same information in different ways. You should review your credit history at least once a year, and you are entitled to ONE free annual report from EACH of the three agencies. You can request a copy from AnnualCreditReport.com this is the ONLY real site to check, don’t be fooled by look-a-likes or fake phishing sites that want to steal your identity.  

Keep in mind the following:

Not all credit scores are “FICO” scores. Some credit agencies may use an internal scoring system of their own creation. FICO scores are ONLY generated by the FICO corporation. Over 90% of major creditors use FICO scores to determine your credit-worthiness.

Your FICO score will change over time.  Just because you had an 810 three months ago doesn’t mean it’s that today. This is caused by changes in your credit history report. Each time your  debt ratio on  your credit cards change, your score can change. A major purchase that brings your card close to its limit will drop your score until the balances snap back to somewhere near $0.00  and the new lower balance is reported.

Some creditors report your credit info very frequently to the credit bureau while others may only do so on a quarterly basis, and this can change your numbers as well.

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How is the FICO number determined?

You FICO score is based on the following:

35%- Payment History

30%- Outstanding Debt

15%- Total Credit History

10%- New Credit Requests

10%- Credit Type Diversity

If you want to raise your score, you need to pay your bills on time, every time, keep your balances low, and apply for new credit only when necessary. NO EXCEPTIONS, NO EXCUSES.  Late payments are reported to the credit agencies, as well as your total balances, and new credit requests. Adding negative information to your credit history will cause your FICO score to drop  like a rock! Any negative information will stay on your history for up to seven years. It is imperative that you do everything possible to avoid anything which will compromise your good credit.

Here are some suggested tips to follow:

DO:

  • Pay your bills on time! I can’t stress this enough .
  • IF you mess up and miss a payment, get current and stay current! The longer you pay your bills on time, the better your score. Every time you mess up, you sabotage everything you’ve accomplished to that point. SO DON’T MESS UP!  
  • If you are so deep in debt that you can’t make ends meet, contact your creditors and seek help from a legitimate credit counseling service. You need to get your debt under control before you can fix it. You can’t run or hide from your creditors. It will make things worse. Trust me. I speak from experience. Re-establish your credit history if you have had problems. It will take time, but it can be done. I did it, you can too!
  • Keep balances low on credit cards, (under 10%), and avoid carrying a balance.
  • Pay off debt rather than move it around.
  • Open new accounts only when needed.
  • Check your credit history once a year.

DON’T:

  • Close unused credit cards, it will lower your score.
  • Open new credit cards that you do not need. This could lower your score.

I know all of the above information can seem a bit daunting. If you’re overextended in your financial circumstances because ‘life happened’, I get it. It’s no fun having collection companies calling your home and harassing you because THEY want THEIR money.  I’ve had poor credit.  Now I have excellent credit.  I can tell you from experience that life is great when you have all your bills paid on time, are debt free, have cash in your wallet, money in the bank, and a FICO score over 750. It took time and persistence for me to accomplish this. It didn’t get fixed overnight, but it did get fixed because I stuck to the plan. I tell you this not to brag about my wealth and success, but to encourage you to follow my lead. I did it, and you can too. I believe in you. As always I wish you  happiness and success!