5 Reasons Dave Ramsey Is Totally Wrong About Credit Scores

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Dave Ramsey, who talks about finances, records one of his old shows in his studio.

Dave Ramsey works in his broadcasting studio in Brentwood, Tenn. Because of his wealth, Ramsey can afford to be credit invisible. But for regular people, having no credit can make life costly and difficult. Josh Anderson/AP Photo

Dave Ramsey doesn’t need a credit score. He says you don’t need one, either.

The anti-debt crusader, who has an estimated net worth of at least $200 million, calls FICO scores the “I love debt scores.” He’s proud of the fact that he doesn’t have a credit score.

Ramsey has inspired countless people to pay down debt — and we love that. But the truth is, he can afford to be credit invisible. If you’re a regular person, not having a credit score makes life a lot more costly and complicated.

5 Reasons Dave Ramsey Is Wrong About Credit Scores

  1. You’ll pay deposits for everything.
  2. It will be difficult to get a mortgage.
  3. Credit cards are usually the safest way to pay.
  4. Travel is challenging without a credit card.
  5. Credit can be a valuable tool in an emergency.

Here’s what Ramsey gets right about credit scores: They aren’t a reflection of your overall finances. Doubling your salary or your savings is great for your finances, but it won’t affect your credit scorebecause a credit score only measures how you manage debt.

If you’re like Ramsey and you don’t have a credit scorethat probably means you haven’t used credit in the past 24 months. So the credit bureaus often won’t have enough data about you to give you a credit score.

But you don’t need to carry debt to have a credit score. In fact, one of the best ways to build excellent credit is to open a credit card and pay off the entire balance each month.

Here’s why everyone who’s not a multimillionaire should ignore Ramsey’s credit score…

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