Too much emphasis has been placed on “building our credit scores”

We spend too much time worrying about credit scores and not enough time working on saving money. I don’t believe in debt so I made the decision to stop borrowing money. My last credit card was closed in 2006 and I haven’t borrowed another dime while we are attacking the mortgage.

My credit file is thin, so my score should be low

Traditional credit scores are based on credit reports, which you can get free once a year by visiting AnnualCreditReport.com. If what we have been told is true, more credit accounts being paid on over a long period of time results in a higher score, then my extremely thin list should result in a low score.

When I got my score, I was shocked

Watch this video of a cranky old guy (me) walking through the steps to buy his credit score from MyFICO.com. My score is much different than you would expect:

Pay particular attention to how many times I am almost forced to sign up for a monthly membership. It felt like I was sitting in on a timeshare presentation.

Don’t be swayed by the propaganda

So many people repeat the mantra that we need the right mix of debt products and need to manage them wisely. This activity if folly. If you want to be rich and have good credit, even without a credit score, then

• Pay all your bills on time
• Don’t borrow a bunch of money
• Use eCredable if your credit file is thin and you want qualify for the best rates on a mortgage (the only time I would consider borrowing money)

We even have all the tools necessary to live completely debt free in America (watch my on-stage performance in front of my peers). Do the right thing and build wealth, not credit.