Credit Score

Ok, a few years ago I would never thought I'd be writing a post titled "Credit Score", but I want to explain why it's important to keep an eye on it.

Being in the accounting industry, I see numbers all day long and most of the time it's in the millions. Obviously I am not there yet (one day I will, believe it), I have taken steps here and there to ensure that I will get a taste of all the zeros one day in the event I don't die a sudden, unexpected death. Yes we cannot save 100% of our paychecks or even 10% in my case, but we can all be concious in our decisions everyday to better our credit scores.

During my drunken college years I didn't get raped or knocked up, however, I did manage to skip just one Verizon payment for one too many months and that has lived with me every single day till now. That shit stays on there for 7 years! Think about it, I can't get the top rate for my car loan because I put off one bill one summer between moving and traveling and now it's costing me thousands more in interest cost. Who knew it was going to be fucking with me for so long? It is the reason why I am no longer with Verizon because I refuse to give them business after they burned me bad and will continue to do so for years.

Anyways, moral of the story, I've been keeping my eye on it by checking my score approximately once every 3~5 months. It is so satisfying seeing the scores creep up each time. It's amazing how much can change in two years! If you haven't started already, I strongly encourage you take a look and start doing something about it. By the way, all the websites offer free scores by signing up with certain services... DON'T FALL FOR IT! I did once years ago and it was so annoying to cancel AND after I canceled it they still charged me. It took so much time and many phone calls, it's just not worth it. I now pay my little $12~$15 bucks to check the score and believe it's worth every penny!

Another tip, I just check the Experian because that's the strictest one and what the credit unions use. You two other scores, Transunion and Equifax is likely to be higher. It may be different for you, so for the first time just look at all three to gauge what they look at and go from there.

 

Me Again

For the past three and a half years I lived for work. Not that I was getting paid extremely well, it was just something I had to do to stay in the comfortable middle-top tier and avoid the shit list. In the end, I suppose it paid off career wise.

Through my "living for work" years, I first lost touch with friends. It kind of worked from both ends. After working 12 hours, I really don't have the energy to dress up and look pretty to go out with people to meet people that would do nothing for me in the work arena; and the friends were not eager to hear me bitch about how a client pissed me off and how I was fuming for hours then eventually win the argument. To me, my days at work were important, everyday was a little teeny tiny steps to my ultimate success, but to everyone else around me it meant little to nothing. Even when I did go, I would be a shell and yawning by 9:30pm - for sure.

After having all my friends dwindle down to what I can count in one hand. I started to lose track of myself. I didn't go down any downward spiral of drug and alcohol (at least that'd be more rock 'n roll), but I definitely felt "life" slipping away. I would see a tired, lifeless person in the mirror with a few white hairs who is living day to day as scheduled. Gone were the days I sleep in and spend hours lounging around the house, then get ready at a last minute's notice for dinner with friends.

Through the past three and a half years I came to realized time is worth more than money or what the corporate world would label "success." Don't get me wrong, I am not about to turn Buddhist or live on a mountain. It is just about time to find a balance.