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Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge for 2013!

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Ponti
New Member

Re: Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge for 2013!

ljohn27, thanks for the reply. I'm aware that I'm already at the point that I'll be getting the best rates. My primary reason for pushing higher is to add a cushion for my scores just in case an unexpected life event does something that would drop my scores. The boy scout motto is "Be Preppared" and it's a motto I've taken well into adulthood.


Starting Score: EQ 806 | TU 808 | EX 769
Current Score: EQ 806 | TU 808 | EX 769
Goal Score: EQ 825 | TU 825 | EX 800


Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge
Message 671 of 735
ljohn27
Contributor

Re: Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge for 2013!

Ponti - I think that's awesome and what a great motto to live by. I'm working hard to get where you are! Very encouraged.

EX 678 | TU 689 | EQ 698 LENDER PULL 07/22/2014
EX 655 | TU 690 | EQ 678 MyFICO SCORES 07/09/2014
Message 672 of 735
lunch
Established Member

Re: Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge for 2013!

I am new here.  

 

My story is typical.  Was dumb and careless in early 20s. Had too much credit, didn't pay my bills, ignored everything and ended up with bad credit.  Had no medical insurance and racked up $1000s in medical bills.  Don't know what my lowest FICO score was, probably in the low 500s, maybe lower. Rock bottom was when I could not even get a checking account or debit card and had my wages garnished. 

 

I built everything back up, starting wtih secured cards, working out arrangements to pay off debts. Moved on to unsecured cards. Got a super high interest rate auto loan, paid on time for two years and was able to refinance at a normal rate.  Paid everything on time.  Establishing a successful career did not hurt either.  

 

Fast forward to this week, much older and wiser, I went to get a mortgage to buy my first house and was relatively happy to see that my score is up to 704, but I think it can go higher. Mortgage was approved but could save on points with high CR.

 

I'm hoping to see a significant increase fairly quickly as you can see from the stated goals.  

 

2013 Goals

  • Raise score to 760 by the end of the year and keep it there
  • Begin increasing revolving credit to around $30K 
  • Decrease utilization from to under 10%  DONE
  • Get a mortgage with no penalty for low credit score
  • Make two extra student loan payments   DONE

 

Message 673 of 735
fromTheBottom
New Member

Re: Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge for 2013!

Hello everyone,

 

My name is Isaac. I joined this forum today and wanted to put myself out there and get involved. My goal here is to increase my credit score, learn more about credit, improve my quality of life, and maybe help others to do the same.

 

My story:

When I was 20, I had a WF platinum with a $4200 limit and a 730 credit score. I used college loans to pay off my large balances and swiped cards like I just didn't care. College ended and my loans went on forbearance because I couldn't afford them, I had 4 cards at this point and couldn't afford them either since they were maxed out at $4200, $1300, $1000, and $1500 - all with interest rates above 22%. After a while of steadily destroying my credit with missed payments, I realized I needed help but I didn't know what to do. I called a credit consolidation company. They lowered my payments and interest rates considerably, but they also forced me to close every credit card that I owned. I've been paying them for a short while now at usually minimum payments and my balances are now $3,350.85, $795.09, $1,069.11, $1,099.56 respectively.

 

I'm now 27, and last month I got a new apartment. I passed that credit check and got a very low deposit. I hadn't checked my credit in a while and assumed that it must be slightly improved from when I hit rock bottom. Last week, I looked around my empty living room and decided to get some furniture. I went to Rooms-To-Go and found the perfect sofa for my place but it was $1199. I have almost no savings at all so I applied for credit and was declined.

 

My Current Credit Situation:

I have no open credit card accounts. I have 4 closed Credit card accounts with an average weighted interest rate of 10%(lowest 1%, highest 25%). I have student loans with 3 lenders, from 5-6% interest. Almost all of my accounts have had late payments as late as January of this year, and on two of my student loans I had 60days past due as late as this month(my loans came out of forbearance and I hadn't updated my address so I didn't know). All my loans are now on deferment since I'm back in grad school this semester. I have a car lease from toyota, $345/month. I'm not sure my interest on that but I'm pretty sure it's not good since it's a 2011 Corolla with a $345 payment.

 

Conclusion:

I've decided that I need to take a more active role in improving my credit, and do a better joib managing my finances in general - so here I am!



Starting Score: EQ 621; TU 645; EX 502(9/11/2013)
Current Score: EQ 631; TU 645; EX 502
Goal Score: 660


Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge
Message 674 of 735
k0csi
Valued Member

Re: Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge for 2013!

I'm going to assume that I'd be coming to the party a bit to late to participate in a 2013 Challenge?  Is it safe to assume that there will be a similar activity starting in 2014?

9-11-13 FICO EQ: 726 - Current EQ FICO: 735 - Goal: 800

------$5900-----------$3800-----------$5500-----------$8000-----------$1100---------$13000----------$4000-----------$7000------
Goodyear Service - $2000, Ford Service $2000, Discovery Furniture $8000
Message 675 of 735
muckiem14
New Member

Re: Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge for 2013!

Hi all.  It is late in the year, but I have just discovered MyFICO and the Fitness Challenge.  My bad credit seems to be mostly medical bills.  I have almost 20 medical bills in collections.  Had I known I could have prevented that from happening, I would have.  Hindsight.  I have a judgement from an auto loan that I am paying on.  I have 2 positive revolving accounts that I havent used in years.  I thought they were closed when I paid them off in my early 20's.  As it turns out they are still open and sitting there unused.  I recieved one card in the mail today that I intend to use and pay off each month.  I have $29,000 total in student loans in collections that I am paying on each month.  My goal is to take care of the 20 medical bills and watch my score go up.  I am 29 with 2 children and I need to be able to give them the home they deserve.  We'll see how this goes.


Starting Score: FICO: 567 - TU: 585
Current Score: FICO: 567 - TU: 589
Goal Score: FICO: 667 - TU: 685


Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge
Message 676 of 735
wesconsin
Member

Re: Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge for 2013!

So I just checked my credit for the first time in a long time.  ugh, rough.  545.  I got hit with credit cards in school because I was not recieving any financial aid, eventually did get school loans though, at a different school.  I left after my first year of college because I couldn't afford it and I was falling into bad situations.  A couple of years later, I got married and had a kid.  Since then, we have really been struggling, and a lot of smaller debts have gone to collections (about $3k total in collections, $17k in school loans and car loans).  No bankruptcies or anything though.  My wife on the other hand had a car repossessed at one point.  

 

We really have been trying to pay off debt, but we just have never gotten the pay to pay all of our expenses and pay off the old bills.  I just got a new job as a car salesman, so hopefully that will change.  I want to raise my score because I would love to get rid of the two vehicles we have now (we got ripped off big time by some shady car dealers in LA, something like 20% interest and the cars are already falling apart) and get newer vehicles so I'm not worried about them falling apart with my 4 year old in the car.

 

I'm not exactly sure how to start or what to do, although I could get a credit card to raise it a little.  We have been living off of only cash, no credit for 4 years now. 


Starting Score: 545
Current Score: 545
Goal Score: 680


Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge
Message 677 of 735
dq1961
New Member

Re: Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge for 2013!

My goal is to stop paying high interest,and fees ... We have been made slaves to the credit world. Over the last 20 years I have had 15 car loans new or used. Interest from as low as 4% to 17% my last loan 2002.  I have had 18 credit cards {bank} {store}, {major credit cards}.  I have become a credit junkie and it has cost me 25%or more for products. What a waste of hard earned money to support big business. I now look back and feel if I don't have the greenbacks than I don't need it. Credit companies now look for ways for the poor to get poorer by giving out low credit lines. Example$300 line if u Max it out and late u will be charged late fee $25-$35, over limit fee $29 or more. Some will get offers from 4 or more low credit lines credit cards. A bad credit score person will pay dearly to have credit.

Message 678 of 735
Running_Up
New Member

Re: Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge for 2013!

Hello All,

 

I just started here on the 13th of this month. Thanks for all of the great advice. I have a checkered credit history that includes several collections and a few charge offs - I'm in the process of paying back the second to last charge off. It should be completed by the end of the year. At that point, I'll GW them and hope that they remove it from my CR. I'll have one remaining collection that I hope to tackle next year - the value is north of 3k. 

 

I've also had some successes with removing 1 previous collection from my CR, however it has not updated to reflect this.

 

I've previously had several accounts go into collections and currently have one remaining that I must pay. I'll hopefully PFD that item within the next month or two.

 

I have one active credit card - $500  limit - with a fariyl high util (above 50%) and also just app'd and received a secured card from BOA for $400. 

 

My goals are a to stow away a decent amount of money in savings and increase my current score of 641 to 700. 

 

 


Starting Score: 637
Current Score: 641
Goal Score: 700


Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge
Message 679 of 735
ljohn27
Contributor

Re: Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge for 2013!

Running_Up - congratulations on the steps you're taking to improve your credit. If your score is already at 641 you should test it by getting your util below 15% and see how it impacts your score. I got my cc util at 14% and go a collection removed and my scores went from 632 to 684. CC util is the secone most important and easiest way to improve scores quickly...imo.

EX 678 | TU 689 | EQ 698 LENDER PULL 07/22/2014
EX 655 | TU 690 | EQ 678 MyFICO SCORES 07/09/2014
Message 680 of 735
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