Thank you FWF -- Just crossed 800+ FICO for the first time today

Finance
1

Lame? Maybe a little, but as of today I achieved what I thought was impossible… and want to thank the community for such diverse contributions that not only helped me get through some pretty bad times financially, but sparked in me a passion for taking control of every aspect of my finances and being able to help others with theirs.

I discovered Fatwallet in 2003 as a freshman in college, Hot Deals forum of course. Immaturity and being hyper extroverted led me to maxxing out as many credit cards as I could get my hands on. Looking back, I can’t believe I signed up for a credit card whose signup bonus was a stupid T-Shirt.

Anyways, that all caught up with me about a year after graduating. Couldn’t pay all my bills and rent, couldn’t get any more cards even though I was fully wised-up by this point, got tangled up in payday loans from various sources, and had no choice but to default almost $30K of CC debt. My FICO was about 540. I even signed up for two of those “free debt counseling services” that were actually just high APR consolidation loans. Luckily I backed out when I realized this.

I never posted a whole lot… but even through just reading other peoples’ stories, FWF helped me find solutions for paying my bills, and especially the solution of getting a secured credit card from a credit union to start to rebuild my credit. I still have my nRewards Secured Visa with a $500 CL out of principle (although they automatically made it unsecured at some point). By the way, PYBDB was well well received because you guys delivered that message perfectly.

So now within 10 years of living mostly “the FWF way” and carrying no CC balances… I “own” a house, track my finances and budgets, and have learned the art of churning to take advantage of many CC signup bonuses – like “mini AORs” for some guilty pleasures and travel. Furthermore, I’ve learned to max out my 401(k) and Roth IRA every year and think we’re right on track for a nice “on-time” retirement.

So yeah I just wanted to say thanks, especially for everyone’s passion to keep the community alive by migrating here and continuing the discussion. Please keep contributing to the personal finance, rental property, budgeting, and retirement stuff in particular.

Now… time to put it to use.

15 Likes
2

There, but for the grace of God, go I.

I too signed up for multiple credit cards in college for the free t-shirts. :weary: Thankfully, I was approved for only one and I was smart and fortunate enough not to use it.

Congratulations on your rebound from that much debt and you current successes. I too owe a lot to this community. So thank you all!

6 Likes
3

Very nice OP. Kudos to you, well done!

I always appreciate threads like this, as they inspire others who might feel like progress on their situation is overwhelming or unattainable.

6 Likes
4

Congrats!

2 Likes
5

800 is great but it’s too high. Your FICO is being underutilized. I can’t even remember the last time mine was that high as I’m always messing about.

You need more cards and signup bonuses, my friend.:wink:

3 Likes
6

Congratulations!

And, I’m very glad that you are not at all shy about “taking advantage of many CC signup bonuses” as a way to make good use of your good credit.

Now, when you call the nice credit union rep about something not related to CCs, and she offers you a $15k CC w/ 12 mos. of 0% APR and 0% BT fee, you’ll take it. And when she tells you that you can BT the entire $15k (I know, I know…FDFers would frown on maxing out a CC) , you’ll take it. And when you see your FICO dip by 70-80 points, you won’t freak out! (For the record, this is what I did recently, altho I freaked out a little…)

Just curious…is your 800+ score a “real” FICO score and not some flavor of FICO and not FAKO?

3 Likes
7

Yeah, real FICO from all 3 bureaus.

2 Likes
8

Yeah… I just wanted to see it though lol.

1 Like