cashnocredit

Yep. Charge card balances don't affect your FICO scores at all. I've put all sorts of different balances on my Amex from $500 to over 50k without any impact on FICO scores. As for POT (Pay Over Time), don't do it. In addition to fairly high interest rates, POT doesn't have a grace period so interest accrues at the time you make the charge. Also, a big reason to have a charge card is to make occasional, large charges over the CLs on other cards without concern that you need to pay it off before the statement cuts so it doesn't tank your scores. Use Amex for its intended purpose.

Mostly I care about statements that straddle a calendar year. So I may prepay charges before Dec. 31 just for clarity and if it's too close I'll delay making the charge until after Jan. 1. I really hate looking at stuff and wondering if the deduction was this year or last. I used to pay attention back when I first started working (50 years ago) and needed to align expenses with income. Critical when I got out of college because I was stretching cans of black eyed peas and had maybe $10 that had to be split between gas for my scooter and more peas until my first paycheck.

Removed

It's a lot easier to toss irrelevant mail in the trash than spend time writing a FOAD letter. If it makes you feel better and is worth the time go at it. For me, I just would feel vaguely amused in the 10 seconds or so I contemplated it before tossing it in the round file. But that's just me.

Yes, those are real FICO scores. Each CRA has generates their own FICO scores and there are a multiplicity of FICO score models as well. Some are used for mortages (FICO 2 in your example) while others are used for credit cards or auto loans. The lender picks the type of score to use and you don't have control over that. At this point I wouldn't get more scores but concentrate on improving your credit most likely by working to remove other negative info. The BK was the big one. Downhill from here, Congratulations.

When will the housing market cool off? The madness shows no signs of slowing - CNN "76 all-cash offers on one home. The housing madness shows no signs of slowing" So much money sloshing around. NFTs for instance. Things will get interesting in the next year or so. Not just the USA. Going to be a real test for Modern Monetary Theory.

I remember using them around 1972 traveling on business. At the time they were usable at places that didn't take credit cards. Come to think of it, I didn't have a credit card in 1972. Don't think I used them after 1973 when I got a BankAmericard followed by an Amex Gold around 1976. To bad I didn't keep the Amex. Would look good on a credit report.

No problems here. No mailboxes in this unincorporated community. The mailman doesn't come around. Have to go to the post office to pick up the mail. On the upside, POBs are free and only county ordinances. Neighbors to the West has been doing major construction for an addition to their home and even more major landscaping. Been going on for 2 years with at least another year to go. Par for the course. Major work seems to take forever hereabouts.

My home is single story. But there are some biggies here but far enough apart and recessed that about half the homes aren't easily visible from the street. No sidewalks or streetlights either. I bought a small condo in the 70's and lived there until I retired. Was fine when working but way too small after I retired. Realized I could afford a new place so off looking I went. Closed 5 days later.

No golf. Mostly it's because the lots are pretty large (I love the privacy) and the HOA membership is not very big. So road upkeep and other common property along with 7/24 gate costs are the big chunks. Quite an eclectic group of people.

Like crows, chimps, and humans, cuttlefish exhibit delayed gratification traits. Cuttlefish Delay Gratification, a Sign of Smarts | The Scientist Magazine® (the-scientist.com) Schnell and her colleagues designed an experiment to test whether cuttlefish could plan ahead, specifically, by resisting the temptation of a tasty treat in exchange for an even tastier one. In a study published March 3 in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the team found that the invertebrates delayed gratification for up to two minutes or more, a feat on par with chimpanzees and crows.

$200 a year! Holy cow. Must not be in Calif. The condo I rent runs about $250/mo and my home HOA fees are just under 1k/mo. Eats up most of my social security check.

I Accidentally created an army of crow bodyguards...... Katherine Heubeck on Twitter: "Sorry but this is the best bird story I’ve ever read. The update is *chefs kiss* https://t.co/v4fKc5bfGg" / Twitter

I haven't heard that but it's a reasonable hypothesis.