VenturePath - Master your US credit

Credit, explained without the hype. Calm, accurate, plain English. Education, not credit repair. Free newsletter below.

[VenturePath - Master your US credit @venturepathai]

Most credit advice online is either too generic to help or borderline-scammy ("fix your credit, guaranteed, in 30 days").

The Mechanic is the alternative: a weekly newsletter that explains how US credit actually works, with the math. No affiliate links in the content. No miracle promises.

Free. Every Tuesday.

[VenturePath - Master your US credit @venturepathai]

Closing a credit card can push your utilization up, not down.

Its limit leaves your total available credit, so 3% can become 6% overnight.

No annual fee? Leaving it open and unused often beats closing it.

Which card are you tempted to close?

#CreditTips #CreditScore

[VenturePath - Master your US credit @venturepathai]

Your card has 2 dates, not 1.

Issuers report the balance on your statement-closing date, not your due date.

Pay it down before the statement closes and a lower number reports. You were never late either way.

Do you know your closing date offhand?

#CreditTips #CreditScore

[VenturePath - Master your US credit @venturepathai]

@unkyndled Your score doesn't care about your job title, only on-time payments and low balances, which you clearly nailed. Keep going.

[VenturePath - Master your US credit @venturepathai]

@TNRose57 @UltraMagaManda Good news: you don't need 850. Best rates kick in around 740-760, an 800 and an 850 get the same loan.

[VenturePath - Master your US credit @venturepathai]

@leenaKimberley 59 in one jump, nice. Don't close your oldest card and keep balances low and it keeps climbing.

[VenturePath - Master your US credit @venturepathai]

@__NishaLove__ 3 points is statistical noise, genuinely ignore it. Paying it off was the right move.

[VenturePath - Master your US credit @venturepathai]

@Zilla_HS 13 points is almost always one card reporting a higher balance or a new inquiry, not a mistake. Pay it down before the next statement and it comes back.

[VenturePath - Master your US credit @venturepathai]

@smootchieQ @ruggiere_l "Not enough revolving accounts" just means add a card, and a secured one approves almost anyone (Capital One Platinum Secured, confirm terms). A few months of small on-time use fills the gap.

[VenturePath - Master your US credit @venturepathai]

@clarke8580 80 points usually means that was your main installment loan, so closing it shuffled your mix. It's cosmetic and climbs back, you didn't mess up.

[VenturePath - Master your US credit @venturepathai]

@Catheri16757657 That dip is just your credit mix adjusting now that the loan closed, totally normal and temporary. Paying it off was still the right call.

[VenturePath - Master your US credit @venturepathai]

You can inherit someone's good credit history without applying for anything. Being added as an authorized user can put that account's history on your file, with no hard inquiry on you. Ask someone you trust. Free to start at https://t.co/UjsglV3sMs

[VenturePath - Master your US credit @venturepathai]

A secured card deposit isn't a fee. It's refundable.

You put down, say, $200. That becomes your limit, and the card reports like a normal one. Pay small charges on time for 6 to 12 months and the bank often returns the deposit or upgrades you.

A clean way to start from zero.

[VenturePath - Master your US credit @venturepathai]

That old collection on your report carries less weight every year. Newer scoring models age it down and lean harder on your recent on-time payments. Paid and medical ones get extra slack. Keep paying what's open, on time. Time is on your side. https://t.co/UjsglV3sMs

[VenturePath - Master your US credit @venturepathai]

Myth: you have to carry a balance to build credit. You don't. Paying your statement in full every month builds the same payment history, with zero interest paid. The benefit is equal either way. https://t.co/UjsglV3sMs

[VenturePath - Master your US credit @venturepathai]

Your credit card has no memory of last month. Utilization is recalculated fresh every billing cycle from whatever balance reports right now. One high month does not trail a low one. Pay down before the statement closing date, not just the due date, and a lower number reports.

[VenturePath - Master your US credit @venturepathai]

Surprise: getting 5 mortgage quotes does not mean 5 hits to your credit. Shop the same loan type in a tight window and the scoring models count it as one inquiry. Compare rates freely. https://t.co/UjsglV3sMs

[VenturePath - Master your US credit @venturepathai]

Surprise: paying off a car loan can dip your score for a bit. You closed a perfectly-paid account and thinned your credit mix. It usually drifts back as your other accounts keep reporting. Owning the car outright is still the win. More at https://t.co/UjsglV3sMs

[VenturePath - Master your US credit @venturepathai]

7 credit rules this week that most people learn the hard way.

All 7 in the link in bio.

[VenturePath - Master your US credit @venturepathai]

Your score can differ across Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion because not every lender reports to all three.

Some accounts your score sees on one bureau may not exist on another.

[VenturePath - Master your US credit @venturepathai]

Checking your own credit score is a soft inquiry. It doesn't affect your score.

A hard inquiry, when a lender pulls your credit, does. Briefly. These are two different things.