Personal blog on early retirement, selling tradelines, and analytics projects. I write about what I learn as I am learning it.
People come to me with a specific goal more often than a vague one. Not “I want better credit” — more like “I need a 680 by March to apply for this card.” The credit card question comes up constantly, and the answer is more nuanced than a single number. It depends entirely on which card you’re applying for.
Continue reading “What Credit Score Do You Need to Get a Credit Card?”
I put a $2,200 HVAC repair on a credit card once. Didn’t think much of it — I’d pay it off in a couple months. But in the meantime, that card went from about 15% utilization to over 70%. My credit score dropped around 30 points. I wasn’t planning to apply for anything, so I didn’t notice for weeks. That was the last time I “just charged it” for an expense I knew was coming.
Continue reading “Sinking Fund Categories That Actually Make Financial Sense”
Getting to 800 didn’t happen overnight for me, and I didn’t do it because I wanted bragging rights. I did it because a higher score meant I could list more valuable tradelines through Tradeline Supply Company and Boost Credit 101 — the brokers pay more for seasoned cards on accounts with strong profiles. An 800 score, combined with the right cards, puts you in a different tier of earnings.
But the 800 credit score benefits go well beyond tradelines. Let me run through the actual practical advantages — and one thing people with high scores often learn the hard way.
Continue reading “800 Credit Score Benefits: What It Actually Gets You”
People ask me why their credit limit increased all the time. It happens — usually automatically, without any request — and it catches people off guard. My short answer is that your issuer is watching you more closely than you think. The longer answer is below.
Credit limits matter more than most people realize. They’re one of the levers that affect your revolving utilization without you touching your balances. An automatic increase can quietly move your score a few points just by giving you more headroom — same spending, lower percentage used.
