tldr; Mortage delayed, woman says "fine" outloud & gets 2 top tier (is that a thing?) CCs, tripling? total CL, automates investments & savings & gets cash back debit card... for only one HP.
I've had a heck of a week. Family, work, and life. So I hid out in credit and cash planning which seemed like the only place left I had any control. My conclusion is I've maybe not been doing everything wrong, but not enough right.
I forgot to put finances first. MyFicos are all very good/great, DTI excellent, but cash, not so much. Enough, yet not saving enough to de-stress. Somehow I got lazer focused and left out the 'balance' part.
Most of my bank accounts aren't earning interest! This is awful. I've got a Fidelity CMA for at least a year that I don't use. Thankfully my 401k is automatically funded weekly & reinvested, etc. But there's cash deposits here & there in savings/checking accounts in online fintechs & whathaveyou, but it's a mess. I got mad (at myself). It's just sitting there.
Now nearly debt-free at 1%, great (to me) scores, but somehow my money has got to benefit me more. I'm terrible at "pay myself first", and honestly this is the first month I've been able to guilt-free (without having to worry about interest charges).
My get out of debt was possible mostly because of automation. Auto pay in full, auto deposit, auto transfers. I thought what I need is an auto-INVEST! Enter the 3rd or 4th Fidelity mailer promo the mailman brought on Monday. Auto deposit unlimited 2% into an eligible Fidelity account - ahhh, I like automatic. But it's Elan... no way.
So I got mad, what have I been doing all this for? To get into more debt with a mortgage (good debt) but still debt. But that's what's been stressing me - what I need is that balance, savings, investments, compounding, to see retirement possibilities.
Now I know a lot of people can do auto-investment deposits and have it work, but I'm fickle. I just am, it works for a little while, but some how not long term. I can't NOT know it's there. And it bugs me. I have to mess with it - personality flaw I guess. I do have paycheck deductions go straight to 401k but I don't "see" that in my accounts, so it's fine. The extra investments in addition to that is what my problem is. I don't have the skill of paying myself first.
Some wizard on the forums mentioned pre-qual for the US bank (Elan) cash+ visa signature for a temp gauge on if this Fidelity/Elan unlimited 2% cash back to my investment account on purchases (with a $150 bonus & 12 mos. of 0% on purchases & 0% on BTs) would be approved or not. So I went to US bank & did the prequal for the cash+ vsignature and it said yes. Wow, it said yes. I declined to continue for that card because it's not the kind of useful needed right now. But useful info, Elan doesn't completely dislike my profile.
Then I went to Amex BCP to prequal for that "big" card and see what reason codes popped up & and it declined for:
"The average credit limit on your credit card accounts is too low (Experian)."
Wow, so my 820 to 847 Fico scores on Experian couldn't help me because of that reason. it was the only reason given. Helpful piece of info nonetheless, still don't want that card, want only $0 annual fee cards. I wondered if Elan cared more about scores or other cc's limits.
I'm at least 6 months out from mortgage approval (current closing cash shortage), and I want a substantial cash/reserve funds buffer upon mortgage approval. I'm justifying an Experian credit pull. It's my highest mortgage score at 772. How much will an inq hurt it? How much will a new account hurt all 3 & for how long, does it really matter for at least 6 months out? My MMS is stuck at 739. Annual fees are coming up on some cc's I'd love to cancel. I don't need all these cc's anymore, I'm mad I don't have more invested.
Fine! (every one knows when a woman says "fine", lol)
I app'd for the Fidelity and got instantly approved for $12k. $12,600. Ridiculous. Card will arrive in 4 days it said. 0% for 12 months, $150 sub, etc etc. I screenshot(ted) everything twice in utter disbelief & then went into my Fidelity account dashboards to pick where to auto invest the cash back automatically. Sweet pickleberries I won't even SEE IT! Auto Perfect!
One HP on TU did NOT lower any of my Fico scores AT ALL. Not one point. (I can prove this for Fico dp people if asked, I did screenshot reports and all MyFico scores before/after.) This was the only HP in the last ~14 months, though there were already at least 5 there between 14-24 months old.
Next up was to open a checking account that pays interest. That money that just "sits" there in all those little accounts online is going to be put all together & made useful. I'm tired of only getting 3% cash back when I spend!
I'm then in a mood and 1/2, since Elan says here's $12k we believe in you & yet my keybank secured still sits at secured & $300.
I chose a local CU with great APY levels for checking and okay levels for savings. Once I called them for free notary service I needed last minute for an RE transaction that they declined to provide since I wasn't a member (impressions are forever, I'm like a very skinny elephant). I digress, but they offer 4%+ apy on checking and 1% on savings (weird, but better than what I have). They also do *soft* credit pulls, not hard inqs AND use Experian unlike Fidelity/Elan that used TransUnion.
Opening the accounts was easy enough, I'm 100% legit as the youngsters say these days, and do no funny money things in any way. No hard inqs. Typical disclosures.
And then...
when the CSR and the manager shared computer screens, I was offered...
using the same credit check/lexus type financial check data...
with no hard inq at all......
a $20k Visa with a 1.9% intro rate and 13% after the intro period is done.
Fine! I physically walked out with the new Visa in my wallet. Not a temp Visa, THE Visa. AND my new debit card that AUTO deposits 4% apy of my checking balance into my savings account - monthly - automatically. If I didn't have to work tomorrow and take Mom on errands, and pick up family from the airport and and deal with life I'd close my KeyBank Accounts tomorrow.
I may still find time.
Totally worth the lower AAoA. Totally.
Now it really is fine. It's amazing how nice they are when you've got credit credit/assets and only 1% debt. I feel better.
Tomorrow I'll start consolidating everything. No more cash doing nothing but losing value from inflation 
Ah, yes, rage powered financial improvement. It never gets old. Hell hath no fury like a bank account scorned.
