Habits of people with the highest credit score

MyFico has a great article on the key habits and behaviors of individuals with FICO scores greater than 785, some of the highest scores in the nation.

Here’s a great infographic the site has posted:

The main important points are:

• High achievers have an average of seven credit cards
• High achievers have an average of four credit cards or loans with balances
• 96% of high achievers show no missed payments on their credit report
• Less than 1% of high achievers have an account past due
• High achievers have their average credit account 11 years old

The main ways to increase your credit score are to keep your credit utilization low and to consistently make payments on time.  FICO scores do not take into account personal attributes like race, gender, age, marital status, salary, employment history, or address.   There are no quick fixes for improving your credit score.  Practicing good credit behavior consistently will lead to higher credit scores, which leads to better loans, better credit cards and lower interest payments.  

Remember that having a good credit score is one of the most important things to have in life.