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I Have a Credit Score of Zero…And I Love It! Archived From: Finance

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I saw that. I believe it has to be a pen name aka synonym.

I think you mean a pseudonym.


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CoffeeEater said:kamalktk said:CoffeeEater said:The author has to be a woman...\\
from the site : "Posted by Matthew Paulson @ 11:37 PM "


I saw that. I believe it has to be a pen name aka synonym.


Her real name is Paula Mattsdaughter


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ILikeDollars said:That blogger has an even dumber post here:

You Cannot Use Credit Cards Responsibly

He says that anyone who says they are using credit responsibly is a liar. If this guy were posting here I'd accuse him of being a troll, but since its on his own blog, I assume he's just an idiot.


I think the other article deserves to be posted in it's entirety too:


When it comes to credit cards, there are three types of people. There are the diggers who are just putting themselves in a hole and don’t realize what they are doing. There are those who are full of it, and make statements such as “I pay off my balance at the end of the month!” Finally, there are those who know what’s going on and stay away from the credit card game all together. I’m sure some of you who love your credit cards are going to get mad and say that I’m crazy, but that’s fine. You have a right to do stupid things with your money.

Let’s take a look at the first type of people, the diggers. They see credit cards as “free money.” They do not understand how badly compound interest is working against them, and how long it will be to pay off the balance by writing checks for only the minimum payment each month. They carelessly use their credit cards for every day purchases. Pretty much everyone can agree that these people are mishandling credit cards.

The second group of folks is where it becomes a bit more controversial. These are the people that think they are using their credit card responsibly. They pay off the balance at the end of the month and redeem their rewards points thinking that they are getting free money! These people do not understand that there is always the possibility of your payment somehow not getting to the bank (and it does happen), and you being charged a $39 late fee, and huge sums of interest.

There have also been a number of studies showing that your average purchase is anywhere from 10% to 50% higher when you are using a credit card as compared to cash. This is because it hurts to spend cash, whereas with credit cards that emotional pain of spending money does not exist. You will spend more money if you carry around a credit card as opposed to cash if you realize it or not.

Even knowing these statistics, some people will think that they can beat the system, and will take their 1% Cash Back or rewards points. These people add layers of un-necessary sophistication to their life, when cash would substitute just as well for a few dollars a month. Most rewards points are never redeemed because credit card companies make it so hard to redeem them. More often than not, it’s not worth your trouble.
The next time someone tells you that they are using their credit card responsibly, they are lying. They have accepted debt as a way of life, and because of that, they will always be in bondage to a bank, a financing company, or a mortgage company. Use your credit card responsibly by putting it in the blender.


After getting blasted in the comments section the author replies with:

Hmmm ... this is the dark side to the power of the internet. You can become very popular, or very unpopular, really quickly.

One of my more popular posts on my blog attacked some ideas in a book pretty harshly. But one thing I didn't do was attack people, or at least I tried not to. I think this was the mistake that was made in the post. It's probably evident, but I thought I'd point it out anyway.

The thing is I tend to agree that it's very, very difficult to use credit cards the same way you use cash just because it's so easy to swipe a credit card. So, looking past the personal attacks, I'll be more aware of that point.


So he thinks it's just because of his "personal attacks" that people don't take him seriously


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Colecovision said:I think the other article deserves to be posted in it's entirety too:There are those who are full of it, and make statements such as “I pay off my balance at the end of the month!” ...
The second group of folks is where it becomes a bit more controversial. These are the people that think they are using their credit card responsibly. They pay off the balance at the end of the month and redeem their rewards points thinking that they are getting free money! These people do not understand that there is always the possibility of your payment somehow not getting to the bank (and it does happen), and you being charged a $39 late fee, and huge sums of interest.
With the help of this forum, I have charged my banks thousands of dollars in interest on their own money. I haven't found an AOR variation that gets them to pay me late fees...yet.

I think Bank of America, AMEX, Citibank, etc. need this guys education on how to use credit more effectively.


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Even talking about a late fee she can be off. I was once 2 days late with a MBNA CC I lost the bill and forgot about it. I called them up paid in full and asked that they credit me the late fee which they did. I'm guessing she was burned by CC recently and has residual anger towards them.


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It cracks me up that there is actually a movement of people that refuse to use credit cards because, to them, there's no way to control spending with credit cards. Do these people not have a soul, or maybe no sense of what is theirs and what isn't theirs? I am able to control spending on my credit cards because:

1. Many places don't accept credit cards for the many small purchases that usually accumulate and get me in the end and/or I feel embarrassed using a card for a pack of gum. Usually when I have cash on me I am more prone to buy small, useless crap.

and

2. I fully realize that what I buy with a credit card needs to be paid off - it's not free, or magic, or anything like that.


These people that say no to credit cards just end up losing out on tons of free rewards, not to mention a higher credit score which saves you money on car and home loans.


Edit: Just saw the late fee comment. Guess the author is also oblivious to the whole 'pay online' system where you can pay straight from your checking account and get a confirmation number - thus negating the fear of being charged a late fee. And, oh yeah, you can always pay the card off more than a day ahead of time so you have some time to act before a late fee is assessed.


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Colecovision said:
So he thinks it's just because of his "personal attacks" that people don't take him seriously

well, people continue to show up and screech like banshees on American Idol and then cry that the judges didn't appreciate them...


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hypochondriac said:Even talking about a late fee SHE can be off.... I'm guessing SHE was burned by CC recently and has residual anger towards them.
It's a man.


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He's checked his referrer logs and has a post pointing to this thread now.


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kamalktk said:hypochondriac said:Even talking about a late fee SHE can be off.... I'm guessing SHE was burned by CC recently and has residual anger towards them.
It's a man.


Allegedly a man. Because of the irrational statements in the article, I believe it's a female author.


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Colecovision sai: [Q= said:ILikeDollars]That blogger has an even dumber post here:

You Cannot Use Credit Cards Responsibly


The next time someone tells you that they are using their credit card responsibly, they are lying. They have accepted debt as a way of life, and because of that, they will always be in bondage to a bank, a financing company, or a mortgage company. Use your credit card responsibly by putting it in the blender.


Just by the way this idiot worded his blog, I can tell he is a blind follower of Dave Ramsey, always trying to mix in religious-sounding language
</blockquote>


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Reading through some of the archive posts. I'd say at least half of his posts are flat out wrong, and the other half are obvious common knowledge.


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Yep, a cult of the same kind that show up at Jonestown. Kinda sad. Probably couldn't even convince the dude that there's actually smart ways to use credit, because he's not been able to do it himself.


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Put a good tool like a credit card in the hands of an idiot and the will do stupid things with it. Put it in the hands of an intelligent person and they will prosper with it. Because some people are stupid and can't handle a credit card doesn't mean everyone is stupid and can't handle a credit card.


The second group of folks is where it becomes a bit more controversial. These are the people that think they are using their credit card responsibly. They pay off the balance at the end of the month and redeem their rewards points thinking that they are getting free money! These people do not understand that there is always the possibility of your payment somehow not getting to the bank (and it does happen), and you being charged a $39 late fee, and huge sums of interest.


Never in my life have I had this happen, even if it did, the credit card company should waive the late fee for being a good customer.


There have also been a number of studies showing that your average purchase is anywhere from 10% to 50% higher when you are using a credit card as compared to cash. This is because it hurts to spend cash, whereas with credit cards that emotional pain of spending money does not exist. You will spend more money if you carry around a credit card as opposed to cash if you realize it or not.


"a number of studies" How bout you list some or better yet link them? These studies also gave an huge 40 point range? Again, a credit card is a tool, you can use it or abuse it.


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DamnoIT said:This person sounds like they are 82 and they pinch thier pennys so hard they make Lincons face turn blue.

Sorry, you can't do that without having a rebate card. Not having a rebate card = voluntarily paying more than you have to. Voluntarily paying more than you have to = not being cheap.


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The blogger has a crap-ton of ads on his blog. He's kind of in a win-win situation here. If you drink his kool-aid, he just found some loyal readers. If you don't buy it then you are driving a ton of traffic to his site.

Also by linking you are driving traffic to his site and bolstering him in the search engines.

Whether an intnetional or unintentional troll (I think he means it for how extensive the blog is), I say the best action is to agree he's an idiot and stop linking and going to the website.


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CoffeeEater said:The author has to be a woman...
And you must be some kind of subhuman rat to author that gem of a comment


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asdf9876 said:The blogger has a crap-ton of ads on his blog. He's kind of in a win-win situation here. If you drink his kool-aid, he just found some loyal readers. If you don't buy it then you are driving a ton of traffic to his site.

Also by linking you are driving traffic to his site and bolstering him in the search engines.

Whether an intnetional or unintentional troll (I think he means it for how extensive the blog is), I say the best action is to agree he's an idiot and stop linking and going to the website.


my bad, even i clicked.... just to see what this fool was about.

he's some 21 year old idiot and , as i suspected, links Dave Ramsey on his site...whats sad is that his blog is titled how to beocme a millionaire, when he has no clue.

perhaps he would like to read about the numerous FWF who became millionaires before the age of 30, and guess what - some even used CREDIT to do it! Under-30 FW Millionaires already told their story..


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i feel i understand the writer's feelings. It was years before i would have a checking account because of the couple bucks in fees they charged. Credit cards were an anathema to me and debt was evil and the opponent. Slowly started changing my mind when i needed to rent a car, had a pocket full of cash, offered the rental company $1000 cash security, and was refused. It still baffles me that a check or a VISA card trumps cash, but that's beside the point. Given the choice between self deprivation and meeting my obligations i would and have chosen to meet my obligations. To my mind a minmum payment is just that: the minimum i'm obligated to pay. While no-credit thinking might have slowed down our property aquisition it by no means doomed us to a life unable to buy or rent. I still feel that credit cards are a leech on the productive economy - the 3-5% drag they impose provides no food or clothing or anything else physical - it simply makes things more expensive. The fact that we can take advantge of the card offers does not mean that credit cards are good for the world. While i currently am using a 1 1/4% Cash Back PenFed card instead of our 1% Chase card and both have and am making property loans i don't feel that the writer is stupid for living his/her life as s/he sees fit, any more than i feel a vegan eating a plate of fresh lawn is stupid for living their choices as i eat my steak. Give 'em props for living with hardship in support of their opinions.


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calmloki said:I still feel that credit cards are a leech on the productive economy - the 3-5% drag they impose provides no food or clothing or anything else physical - it simply makes things more expensive.

More like 2-3%. They provide a service. They are millions of businesses that don't provide anything physical. CC companies are charging businesses for the service of transaction processing.


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