No credit card required
Browse credit cards from a variety of issuers to see if there's a better card for you.
Hey everyone!
Every couple years or so, I like to start a new thread just as an encouragement that yes, you will get to your goals and yes, you will succeed in your credit rebuild!
I first came to this forum in 2011 with a 497 mid-score, 30ish baddies, in dispair and and desperate to figure this part of my life out and put the credit problems behind me. 2000+ posts later, many threads, many failures and much success, now with scores hovering between 750 and 800 for the last 8 years. Even during that time, I occasionally had to come back here for advice when a random zombie debt surficed, or when a 14 year old default judgement was unearthed. I no longer fear credit pulls. I was able to relocate to be closer to family without fear of my mortgage application collapsing. I owe so much of that to this great community.
Be humble, work hard, take the suggestions of the vets here, and you will get where you need to be.
Best of luck to you all!
-scott
Wow, that's an incredible climb, thanks for sharing! I am about a year in and still learning, but never would have gotten so far this fast without this forum.
@rckstrscott wrote:Hey everyone!
Every couple years or so, I like to start a new thread just as an encouragement that yes, you will get to your goals and yes, you will succeed in your credit rebuild!
I first came to this forum in 2011 with a 497 mid-score, 30ish baddies, in dispair and and desperate to figure this part of my life out and put the credit problems behind me. 2000+ posts later, many threads, many failures and much success, now with scores hovering between 750 and 800 for the last 8 years. Even during that time, I occasionally had to come back here for advice when a random zombie debt surficed, or when a 14 year old default judgement was unearthed. I no longer fear credit pulls. I was able to relocate to be closer to family without fear of my mortgage application collapsing. I owe so much of that to this great community.
Be humble, work hard, take the suggestions of the vets here, and you will get where you need to be.
Best of luck to you all!
-scott
Amazing and I so needed to hear this! I'm about 2-3 years in - started on my own. I knew nothing about utilization/azeo, etc. after starting this my scores have been rising. I just have to learn patience. Thanks for posting and this group rocks!
@rckstrscott so valuable for all of us to hear. This forum is the glue for many of us that finally committed to facing our credit mistakes and resetting the process by learning so we don't repeat them again. For that alone, the stories that are here make such a huge difference and give hope to anyone that they too can do it. For me, I am slowing becomming more equipped to handle all things credit. I started with similiar scores as you and currently all my scores are hovering around 650-720 across the boards. Not stopping but the proof also encourages me. I have 2 baddies left from 12/2015 that will be off my CR's end of summer this year and then just a lone derogatory that I paid off 03/21 which will be gone in 2025. But as I learned on this forum, paid/settled is better than CO/reporting. So this alone should not pull my scores down too badly from here on out. Thank you personally, for your many posts and knowledge as ALL of it is what drives me to continue on the right credit road! Oh and congrats again, what an accomplishment and story! Continued success!
Thanks for your post and motivation @rckstrscott! This forum really should be required reading for every adult. I really wish I had found it sooner. After my BK in 2003, I figured I would just lay low when it comes to credit, so I rarely applied for anything fearing being declined or only being approved for crappy deals. What a waste of time! I had no idea how to rebuild my credit.
By 2018, when I found MyFICO forums, I owned a home (thanks to the VA), but had nursed my avg FICO into the low 600's. I'm sure my FICO would be in the 800's by now if I had discovered the goldmine of info in these forums sooner. Anyway, I am so thankful that I did find it and that I applied the intelligence gathered here. I am now celebrating a big milestone in that all 3 FICOs are over 740 and a recent CLI pushed me over $100K in personal CL and $140K including business CL.
The biggest lesson that I've learned is to use my credit as an insurance policy and tool of convenience, rather than treating it as a bank account. Keep pushing!
Beautiful post (thank you for this)!! It gives me rebuilding hope
@rckstrscott wrote:Hey everyone!
Every couple years or so, I like to start a new thread just as an encouragement that yes, you will get to your goals and yes, you will succeed in your credit rebuild!
I first came to this forum in 2011 with a 497 mid-score, 30ish baddies, in dispair and and desperate to figure this part of my life out and put the credit problems behind me. 2000+ posts later, many threads, many failures and much success, now with scores hovering between 750 and 800 for the last 8 years. Even during that time, I occasionally had to come back here for advice when a random zombie debt surficed, or when a 14 year old default judgement was unearthed. I no longer fear credit pulls. I was able to relocate to be closer to family without fear of my mortgage application collapsing. I owe so much of that to this great community.
Be humble, work hard, take the suggestions of the vets here, and you will get where you need to be.
Best of luck to you all!
-scott
It is so encouraging and empowering to hear from people who have been where we all have been and who have now the scores that we all aspire to have. In other words, it is nice to see that the light at the end of the tunnel - the one that most of us here are seeing now - is not the proverbial freight train but a clear and bright financial future.
Credit is such an important aspect of life and we just do not do - in my opinion - a very good job of teaching that in this awesome and amazing country. This forum fills a much-missed need. I am eternally grateful to all of the people who have helped to educate me in this game called FICO. And it is awesome to hear from folks who have the rebuild behind them and are living that "clear and bright financial future" today.
Thanks, man!
Funny update you all can appreciate:
I took a call on my cell phone from Portfolio Recovery, they recently aquired an outstanding debt I had, and they are willing to settle today and not report to the credit reporting agencies...........
The debt? 317 dollars from a Capital One credit card that the DFOD is 1999. Yup, 1999 zombie debt. My very first credit card, 200 dollar Cap1 that was charged off. I was 20 years old when this happened. Never came up during my credit rebuild, didn't even remember it until the call came in.
I politely told the agent that I am very, very aware of my rights under the FCRA, and I would be willing to settle this debt for $3.17. She disconnected the call. I know a Cease and Desist would end future calls from them... I actually wouldn't mind settling this debt just so I won't take another call on it as they will sell it to someone else, AND because I repaid all of my bad credit debt, but I just don't like PRA, they made my life hell for three years back in the day on another account I had with them and part of me just wants to be petty...
Once again.. even us old seasoned credit rebuilders still have occasional skeletons come back! haha
-scott
@rckstrscott wrote:Funny update you all can appreciate:
I took a call on my cell phone from Portfolio Recovery, they recently aquired an outstanding debt I had, and they are willing to settle today and not report to the credit reporting agencies...........
The debt? 317 dollars from a Capital One credit card that the DFOD is 1999. Yup, 1999 zombie debt. My very first credit card, 200 dollar Cap1 that was charged off. I was 20 years old when this happened. Never came up during my credit rebuild, didn't even remember it until the call came in.
I politely told the agent that I am very, very aware of my rights under the FCRA, and I would be willing to settle this debt for $3.17. She disconnected the call. I know a Cease and Desist would end future calls from them... I actually wouldn't mind settling this debt just so I have to take another call on it once they sell it to someone else, AND because I repaid all of my bad credit debt, but I just don't like PRA, they made my life hell for three years back in the day on another account I had with them and part of me just wants to be petty...
Once again.. even us old seasoned credit rebuilders still have occasional skeletons come back! haha
-scott
That's funny! Yes, they keep selling and trying. Absurd. You will appreciate this: I had a debt show up from a couple years ago/medical. Anyways, due to AZEO/this group I have been steadily gaining my credit so I was able to pay it across a few cards with the majority going to Care Credit. It dings me but I know it's temporary since it will be PIF soon.... and I am not applying anywhere else for a while. The thing is to have the credit to be able to do it, to know ones rights and to know how to use credit. This group is a godsend. Let us know when you hear back from them...or the next one