My dad's 5 minute rant about credit card utilization from 2017

I was cleaning out my old emails last night and found a message my dad sent me back in 2017. It was just a link to a NerdWallet article about keeping credit usage under 30%. At the time I was 22 and had a $300 limit card I maxed out on pizza and gas. I ignored him for years until my score dropped 60 points last spring after I put a $600 vet bill on a $2,000 card. Has anyone else had a family member give them advice they wish they'd listened to sooner?

2 comments

2 Comments

seth_martinez216d ago

Your dad sent you a NerdWallet article. Mine gave me a lecture about 'the principle of the thing.' Took me three maxed out Best Buy cards and a 10 point drop to realize he wasn't just being dramatic. I was 24, buying a TV I couldn't afford, treating my credit score like a video game high score. Landed a 680 after the vet bill hit. Now I'm the guy with three cards and a strict spreadsheet. Dad still sends me articles. I still ignore them. Some things never change.

williamschmidt6d ago

Used to roll my eyes at all that personal finance stuff, just thought it was boring old people talk. Reading about your vet bill and credit score drop actually made me rethink that, pretty sobering how fast a bad situation can get worse. Might finally look into that credit card my dad keeps mentioning.