Many people wonder why we’re in such a financial crisis these days. The answer may very well be attributed to the lack of education we received in school on the topic of personal debt responsibilities. Everybody should know how to work with the credit system and unfortunately, many are unequipped to do so. It is estimated that over 50% of US citizens have never even looked at their credit report and close to 90% of people have no clue how to read a credit report.
I think it is everyone’s dream to have perfect credit, and be able to apply for anything without worrying about being turned down. But do you really know what perfect credit looks like? In this article, I will outline the perfect credit profile, and share with you how you can get on the road to achieving perfect credit for yourself.
some of what you read here may not initially make sense. There are some common myths when it comes to credit, so sit back, relax, open your mind, and get ready to learn.
Maintaining the proper mix of accounts
For optimal credit, you will want to have the proper mix the following account types. Too many of some types of credit will hurt your credit scores.
When it comes to mortgages, one or two accounts is ideal. Your credit will benefit from having at least one mortgage. If you don’t have one, that can be something you can work towards.
Installment Loans (Ideal 1-3 accounts): Installment loans such as auto loans are good, but you don’t want to have more than a couple of them. Owning too many auto loans or other personal installment loans can cause you to look over-leveraged. There are also other types of installment loans that are not as valuable for your credit such as easy credit loans for furniture, household goods, etc. These may be a good way for someone with little to no credit to establish credit, but they are not the best way to obtain the best scores.
Revolving Accounts – Credit Cards / Store Cards (Ideal 3-5 accounts): This category of account has a great deal of variance among the type of credit cards and store credit obtained. Major credit cards are more valuable to your credit than department store cards. You should shoot to have no more than about 3-5 of these type of accounts. The lower-end credit accounts such as mail-order catalogs are not looked at favorably by lenders. As with any low-end credit accounts, the more high-end accounts you have the less they hurt you.
With all the above, the more seasoned the accounts are the more weight they carry to affect your credit score. And when it comes to credit cards and store credit, you want to be sure that you keep your revolving balances below 50% of the available limit to maximize your credit. Be sure to keep in mind that once you cancel a good account, it will only remain on your credit for two years. If you cancel a seasoned account and it falls off your credit, your scores will most likely drop.
