topic Re: Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge 2019 in Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge!

Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge 2019

Kenny — Tue, 01 Jan 2019 20:26:50 GMT

Can you believe we’re entering our TENTH year of the myFICO Fitness Challenge?
If you have financial goals, the myFICO Fitness Challenge is the place for you!

What is the myFICO Fitness Challenge?
To take part in the myFICO Fitness Challenge, simply post an introductory note and state your financial goals for the coming year. Are you hoping to raise your FICO Score? Buy your first home? A new car? Get that coveted rewards card? Tell us about what you hope to achieve, and what reaching those financial goals will mean to you. As the year progresses, check back here to report on your progress, talk about hurdles you encounter, or simply reach out for support and encouragement from your fellow Fitness Challengers.

Monthly Check-Ins
To help you stay on track we encourage you to stop by for monthly check-ins. On the first day of each month, myFICO will post a monthly check-in thread for you to talk about your progress, successes, speedbumps, etc. Participation in these monthly check-ins is optional - but encouraged!

First time Challenger?
If you’re new to the myFICO Fitness Challenge, then welcome! To begin, set up your official MyFICO Siggy signature on your Profile page (Go to My Settings➢Personal Profile➢Personal Information). Then just reply to this topic, telling us a little about your financial situation, your goals, and how you plan to achieve them during the coming year.

Returning Challenger?
Welcome back! Please be sure to update your myFICO Fitness Challenge signature ,so it directs to the current challenge. If you'd like, you can review 2018's challenge here.

Re: Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge 2019

Anonymous — Tue, 01 Jan 2019 15:03:37 GMT

🙋🏽‍♀️ I'm in!
Happy to be at the starting line.
🏃🏽‍♀️

Re: Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge 2019

CashBackQueen — Tue, 01 Jan 2019 17:40:12 GMT

My goal is to reach 700+ across the board by this time next year and purchase my first home.

Re: Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge 2019

Anonymous — Wed, 02 Jan 2019 06:20:05 GMT

So diving into the Challenge for 2019... Looking to buy another car so want to bump up my score... Also looking to raise my CL on my credit cards and move utilization to 30%...

Re: Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge 2019

Crysis — Wed, 02 Jan 2019 07:37:30 GMT

I'm taking up the gauntlet of repairing my credit. I'm starting with abismol credit scores in the 470s and intend to get to the upper 500s by the close of the year.

Re: Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge 2019

sportsguy83 — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 02:03:27 GMT

This is my first year participating and boy do I need to. After spending 2014-2015 repairing my credit from multiple CO when I was young and stupid I almost undid all that hard work by racking up a lot of credit card debt in 2018 due to unforeseen circumstances. Very frustrated with how I ended up here and I’m aware this will be a multiple year process to completely dig out of.

On the plus side (I guess) I only have 1 INQ and all the old derogatory credit did finally roll off my credit report so provided I can do what I need to do in 2019 it seems like my scores should increase as my debt and utilization lower.

Short term goals are pretty simple; pay down credit card debt, lower my utilization and prevent any accounts from becoming derogatory – the only account seen with a negative mark (apart from the high uti) on my report right now is my Target card which was 30 days late in 2018.

Down the road (6 months to 1 year) as my scores hopefully increase I would like to see what my options are for consolidating some of my debt (most of my cards are high interest) into an installment loan but I will cross that bridge when I am able to get to it. Purchased a fresh 3B report today so I could be clear on what my scores are and I’m actually surprised they aren’t worse.

Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge 2019

Anonymous — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 16:10:59 GMT

Glad to finally join. I have always caught in the middle or at the end.

I am looking to purchase a home soon.

Re: Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge 2019

Anonymous — Fri, 04 Jan 2019 18:42:15 GMT

I'm a few months into rebuilding. I'd like to continue that upward trend.

My goals for the year:
Garden until my inquiries and TLs reach a year old.
Enjoy another year without an auto loan.
Get my secured Discover card to graduate.

PC my QS1 (I know its a pipe dream) or give it the axe before the AF is due.

Pray for an auto CLI on NFCU card.
Get my foot in the door at Penfed.

App for 2nd NFCU card.
Break into the 700s with my FICO 08 scores.
Start a GW campaign for 2 year old lates.

Re: Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge 2019

psylentj — Fri, 04 Jan 2019 22:34:12 GMT

Hello everyone!

I just joined the site today and am glad I am going to try this challenge hoping I can learn a lot and want to buy a new car soon.

Unfortunately, in my younger years, I didnt pay very much attention to my credit and have handfull of old collection accounts I need to clear up. I have been good a stopping myself from opening new accounts in the past several years other than one credit card I have been paying on regularly over the past year.

I have an auto loan that will be paid off in February but am in need of a new car. I still have a lot of reading to do on this site, but am happy I have found a great resource to learn from. A lot of things I read here are foreign to me and not sure what all the different scores mean right now, but am excited to better my credit.

Re: Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge 2019

Dreams_Come_True — Sat, 05 Jan 2019 04:14:31 GMT

@psylentj wrote:
Hello everyone!

I just joined the site today and am glad I am going to try this challenge hoping I can learn a lot and want to buy a new car soon.

Unfortunately, in my younger years, I didnt pay very much attention to my credit and have handfull of old collection accounts I need to clear up. I have been good a stopping myself from opening new accounts in the past several years other than one credit card I have been paying on regularly over the past year.

I have an auto loan that will be paid off in February but am in need of a new car. I still have a lot of reading to do on this site, but am happy I have found a great resource to learn from. A lot of things I read here are foreign to me and not sure what all the different scores mean right now, but am excited to better my credit.

Good luck !

Re: Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge 2019

Squishy — Sat, 05 Jan 2019 12:50:17 GMT

my first time here . new to the forums . i would like to get my scores to 700 accross the board by this time next year.

i over did the apps this year. will be gardening for atleast 1 year. hopefully can control myself for 2 years.

Re: Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge 2019

SH3L8Y — Sat, 05 Jan 2019 14:03:27 GMT

I'm down!

My debts are out of control.

Looking to avoid BK and really focus on paying everything down this year and boost my scores.

Equifax: 722, Transunion: 697, Experian: 707

Goal: 750s across the board

Re: Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge 2019

Anonymous — Sun, 06 Jan 2019 03:47:55 GMT

I'm in My goals for the year are to stay in the garden. No new HPs! Happy 2019 everyone!

Re: Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge 2019

Anonymous — Sun, 06 Jan 2019 06:10:09 GMT

Im here!!!
My goal is to increase my credit score!!!
I got 18,000 in credit card debt from 2 cards. 12,000 (16% apr) on one and 6,000 (10 mths 0% apr left) on another. I gotta figure out away to get down from 83% utilization to 30%. Well that's my fitness goal - wish me luck!!! (Sorry long post)

Re: Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge 2019

GApeachy — Sun, 06 Jan 2019 21:03:20 GMT

Good goals everyone, we are all in the same boat it looks like. Gardening is definitely the way to go (time heals all wounds) which is a low cost, high patience job....and, most importantly- we can do it. Hope y'all post in the Garden regularly...that would be cool to see progress; builds us up!

I'm in! - My 2019 personal finance and fico goals

Anonymous — Sun, 06 Jan 2019 22:45:56 GMT

New to the fitness challenge this year. Here are my goals for 2019.

1. Maxing out 2018 IRA. (~1500 remaining)

2. Max out 2019 IRA. (6k)

3. Get my emergency savings where I want (~2k more)

4. Save enough extra to max 2020 IRA on Jan 1, 2020. (6k) Continue to try to hit max IRA on day 1 into the future.

5. No additional cards in 2019. (0% AMEX BCE thru 2019)

6. Continue PIF statement balance on all cards except 0% rates.

7. Dispute 1 HP that was fraudulent and dispute lates from student loans that I received forbearances during the timeframe of lates.

This may be tight and if anything extreme occurs I may not hit it. Just putting it down on "paper" to remind me and try to stay focused.

Re: I'm in! - My 2019 personal finance and fico goals

Anonymous — Sun, 06 Jan 2019 23:33:08 GMT

@Laura I personally am NOT committing to gardening. Having goals to me does not necessarily equate gardening.

My file is thin. I have only a couple cards and a student loan. My Fico Challenge goal includes both allowing what I have to grow (no closing accounts) but also ADDING bulk (in the form of an SSL and possibly an auto loan toward the middle or end of the year).

I avoided credit for quite some time and am bulking and aging.

Re: I'm in! - My 2019 personal finance and fico goals

Anonymous — Mon, 07 Jan 2019 00:28:44 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@Anonymous I personally am NOT committing to gardening. Having goals to me does not necessarily equate gardening.

My file is thin. I have only a couple cards and a student loan. My Fico Challenge goal includes both allowing what I have to grow (no closing accounts) but also ADDING bulk (in the form of an SSL and possibly an auto loan toward the middle or end of the year).

I avoided credit for quite some time and am bulking and aging.

Your story sounds very similar to mine.

Before I found MyFico, I was exactly the same. Cash only for most of my life. Only student loans and 2 Cap1 low CL cards (plat and buypower). Credit scores were in the 580 range. About the time I found this place in summer 2017 I started bulking and following advice from these forums. 1 1/2 years later, I think I have a pretty good collection of cards to grow from. Also during that time I opened and paid off an SSL for some taxes I owed.

Re: I'm in! - My 2019 personal finance and fico goals

Anonymous — Mon, 07 Jan 2019 01:29:17 GMT

@workin yes, can't garden unless seeds have been planted.
I'm still not big on having a ton of credit and have even decided to simply my savings and checking accounts...
So, while I'm not an appoholic, I don't consider myself in the garden. I am composting (creating fertile ground) and planting. 🌱

Re: I'm in! - My 2019 personal finance and fico goals

Anonymous — Mon, 07 Jan 2019 17:27:46 GMT

Is it too late to join this also? I'm not 100% sure what is considered gardening, but I'd really like to hit 700+ by June, and then 720-750 by the end of the year, if possible. I'd like to be more rounded in my credit profile, and although I don't have any major purchases planned, I'd really like to be able to confidently apply for credit without the underlying fear of the "we'll send you a letter in 7-10 days and let you know" schpeel.

EDIT: Is anyone else having trouble adding the icon to their signature? I keep getting an HTML error.