@MarineVietVet wrote:If you've accomplished everything on that list except age of accounts you've done very well indeed. You can't speed up time though. Sorry.
Ironic that my revolving credit history is short only because I lived directly off a checking acct/debit card until senior year of college. Apparentley you're not rewarded for good credit if you've never needed it in the first place 
@smallfry wrote:I can understand the resistance some of these game show hosts have to credit as it applies to people who can't even manage a checking account. However for the vast majority not using credit makes no sense. All you have to do is obtain 3 cards and use them to pay bills you would normally pay through your checking account. Otherwise when you really need credit like buying a decent car or a home you tend to be SOL.
I need to add just one more thought here. There is the "older" generation, me included at 68 yrs old, who were taught that credit was a bad thing. We only bought when we could pay cash for it, even cars. If you didnt have the money, you went without that item until you, "saved" for it. Isn't that a novel idea? 
About the only thing that we financed was a home back in the day. IMHO, I think its a shame that the "younger" generations have been brainwashed into thinking that charging every little thing you buy is the right thing to do. I think this is why so many are in financial trouble today. I know that there are those who think its great to buy and make monthly payments, but what happens when you lose your job? Don't let the system dominate your life. Do what is in your heart. Don't be a follower, be a leader.
@Imhotrodcrazy wrote:
@smallfry wrote:I can understand the resistance some of these game show hosts have to credit as it applies to people who can't even manage a checking account. However for the vast majority not using credit makes no sense. All you have to do is obtain 3 cards and use them to pay bills you would normally pay through your checking account. Otherwise when you really need credit like buying a decent car or a home you tend to be SOL.
I need to add just one more thought here. There is the "older" generation, me included at 68 yrs old, who were taught that credit was a bad thing. We only bought when we could pay cash for it, even cars. If you didnt have the money, you went without that item until you, "saved" for it. Isn't that a novel idea?
I'm not that far behind you. I'm 58. I'm not advocating spending more than you make. You should be saving 10-40% of your income. What I am saying it all you need to do is use your credit cards for things you used to write checks for in the old days. Phone TV whatever. I use the cards for small stuff like Burger King Blimpies you know the cheap lunch thing or a pack of butts at the local convenience store or gas station. Just because I use the credit card does not mean I am spending more I am just paying a different way. And I get a few days more to pay than if I used cash.
Smallfry,
We, ( you and I ), have come a long way in our lifetime with regards to credit. Maybe mine might be a little bit more conservative due to the time I was born, beginning of WW2. My remarks were not meant to insinuate that "you" were over extending yourself, but rather the comments were meant in general to those who are much younger than us, and who have grown up in a "must have it now" society, and I will worry about paying it later. While I understand that how you handle your credit is fine, I have always paid cash, or debit, for most of what I get because I like to know that the bill is paid at the time of purchase. That way, this old man doesn't have to worry about "forgetting" to pay a bill. This works best for me since I am getting pretty forgetful in my old age. 