credit score is a deal breaker when dating? really??

Bentley2718

I'd like to start by pointing out that this "study" was of only about 50 people, which makes it difficult to make inferences to the large, diverse, population of currently dating individuals.

However, I can see why some people would be concerned about the credit score of someone they are in a relationship with. I think an important factor is what you are looking for in a relationship. If you just want to have fun with someone, then it doesn't really matter, but if you're looking for someone to start a life with, buy a house, raise children, even retire with a person, then you may want to think about whether this person is financially responsible. I also think why the person has the credit score they have is important. Do they have no credit because they don't believe in buying things on credit (this might be poor planning in our society today, but it does show responsibility), did they have a serious illness that racked up medical bills and made them unable to work for an extended period of time, etc., or are they just irresponsible? All of that said, I wouldn't ask on a first date, that's just tacky. It would put me off the same way someone asking how much I make on a first (or even an early) date would. My response would probably be to give a polite none of your business, pay my half of the check, and leave.

Bentley2718

What happened to falling in love with the person? If you are only looking for credit scores/money then you may be dating the "devil" as I will always believe that money is the root of all evil!

To me, a good credit score does not mean the person has a lot of money, just that they're responsible with it.

That's not always true though. I know many people with GREAT credit, but it's maxed out. They just pay the minimum each month on every bill. So yes they are responsible for paying their bills, but still lousy at money management.
But I do believe that someone with bad credit at one time had good credit and mismanaged it.
And while money shouldn't be the reason for a relationship, the management of it can cause issues because someone in the relationship will feel disrespected by the other and that's where it really kicks in.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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These are all good points, if you don't have a similar philosophy about money, it can be very difficult to make a relationship work, and if you have serious financial problems, that puts a lot of strain on a relationship. Moreover, as this person points out, a lot of people with "good" credit are maxed out, while some people are careful with their money and don't buy things they can't pay for (i.e. don't ever borrow money), but get a rude awakening when they go to buy a house and find out that because they have no credit history, they are considered a worse risk than someone with terrible credit.

ChappyEight

Your credit score tells how great you are at borrowing money. A zero credit score is a "bad" score but is it really?

This.

I don't worship at the feet of the great FICO.

Affordability does not mean you can "afford" a $30,000 car just because a bank will loan you the money. You can "afford" the $30,000 care when you can pay cash for it. That means having a little discipline, starting with a $3,000 beater whilst saving money. Through selling and saving, you can pay cash for that $30,000 car in four years or so.

Just because your income allows you to cover minimum payments on things, (house, car, toys, credit cards) doesn't mean you're responsible with money or that you can afford the things you have. You're broke. Get yourself out of debt and start letting your greatest source of wealth-building, your income, work for you; not for some bank.

RosscoBoscko

I don't understand why you are trying to tell me that I shouldn't expect the same level of responsibility in a mate...

I never said that I just find it incredible that you would judge someone's responsibility on something that is a mistake in their past. I now am responsible and repairing past mistakes. Just find it frustrating that people would think it was fine to judge me on that one thing.

pinky_pie

This entire thread just proves to me how lucky I am to no longer be in the dating world. JFC

bugaha1

Is that taking the place of "what is your sign"

wareagle8706

Your credit score tells how great you are at borrowing money. A zero credit score is a "bad" score but is it really?

That's not accurate. It tells how good you are at making payments to bills that are under your obligation. For example: utility bills such as electricity and water; internet, cable and phone bills; and ALSO money you have borrowed such as credit cards, car loans, student loans and mortgages.

So it actually takes into account several things other than borrowing money and repaying it timely. It has to do with whether you pay your typical "cost of living" bills timely as well. Don't confuse people, please.

bellygoaway

I kinda hope it has a little truth to it. I have spent the last 5+ years rebuilding my credit score. My debt is still kinda high, but is falling every month. My credit score is up past 750. Now if I can just find a way to translate that into a date :flowerforyou:

ILoveTheBrowns

i think if you base whether you're going to date someone based off a credit score or income or anything monitarily then your a fool......fall in love then work on fixing the past for a better future.....but that would involve a little work...most people want everything in the now.

Skratchie

Or, you know ... a current credit score COULD be a reflection of a certain bank with shady mortgage practices bilking a customer for thousands of dollars then foreclosing on their house anyway. It could be a reflection of said customer doing everything possible to hold on to said home. It COULD be that certain shady bank has done this to many people and ruined the credit of more than one person.

Said person may manage a $100M budget at work, and does a stellar job with that. Said person may have only worked for two companies in the last fifteen years - long term employment doesn't count, I guess. But because said person's mortgage was bought out by a company they would NEVER do business with on any other basis, and then got exactly what they didn't want to get (screwed up shady bank), it doesn't mean that said person is irresponsible or anything else.

Not that said person is bitter or anything ...

BTW, poor credit can happen to anyone, I don't care what someone thinks. Let one catastrophic illness or unemployment for a few months happen, and few people can weather it. Too often, I've seen both these things happen, and it takes a massive toll on someone's credit who has otherwise been excellent up until that point.

Walk a mile, folks. You never know unless it happens to you.

ILoveTheBrowns

Your credit score tells how great you are at borrowing money. A zero credit score is a "bad" score but is it really?

That's not accurate. It tells how good you are at making payments to bills that are under your obligation. For example: utility bills such as electricity and water; internet, cable and phone bills; and ALSO money you have borrowed such as credit cards, car loans, student loans and mortgages.

So it actually takes into account several things other than borrowing money and repaying it timely. It has to do with whether you pay your typical "cost of living" bills timely as well. Don't confuse people, please.

you seem like you'd be fun to date

maqsmj

i cant believe i wasted 2 sec reading this, waste of time

dude if he cares about credit scores well it is his right to ask whatever he wants, and she has the right to answer him or not

don't forget 99% of divorces is because of financial issues

auticus

And 85.29% of internet statistics are made up.

sleibo87

I work at a car dealership and really can see how having poor credit can make a lot of things in life more difficult. I've always been OCD about my credit and for being 25 have basically the highest score I can have till I am older and have had my credit cards longer. So yah I think if I were to date someone with poor credit I would be more cautious.


Oh and to answer someones question, having no credit can sometimes be as bad as having bad credit. Like with a car its rare to be able to buy new if you have no credit at all and no co-signe (if you had a cosigner its a lot easier to get finance with no credit then bad credit). But its a lot easier in 6 months to GET credit then it is to repair credit.

neverstray

I don't understand why you are trying to tell me that I shouldn't expect the same level of responsibility in a mate...

I never said that I just find it incredible that you would judge someone's responsibility on something that is a mistake in their past. I now am responsible and repairing past mistakes. Just find it frustrating that people would think it was fine to judge me on that one thing.

I'm not saying that at all.

I said at the f'er start, it is circumstantial. I think if someone said, "yeah between 18 and 26, I made a lot of beer runs in college", I would understand that. If you told me that you lost your home because you we're laid off work, I would understand that. It's not the score all by itself. I know very successful people that went belly up multiple times, by no real fault of their own, just market dynamics. So, if there's a story, that's probably fine, depending on the story.

ChappyEight

Oh and to answer someones question, having no credit can sometimes be as bad as having bad credit. Like with a car its rare to be able to buy new if you have no credit at all and no co-signe (if you had a cosigner its a lot easier to get finance with no credit then bad credit). But its a lot easier in 6 months to GET credit then it is to repair credit.

Or, how about you wait until you can actually afford the car and pay cash? Novel idea in today's America, I know.

Dave198lbs

Or, how about you wait until you can actually afford the car and pay cash? Novel idea in today's America, I know.

without credit and people using it, the economy would go into a deep depression, not just a recession

imchicbad

Criminal record is my deal braker

iamshells

I personally wouldn't care if a person I met a person with bad credit. Firstly, a credit score, I think wont be a topic of conversation until later in the relationship (6+months) right? And by that time, you may be already emotionally invested. Secondly, Why do they have a bad credit score? Divorce, Medical bills, and/or hardship? they are many factors contributing to a poor credit score from my experience working in finance. Besides...being a relationship is about helping each other to be successful.

iamshells

lol! ummmm yeah! a criminal record is def a dealbreaker! lmao

mistesh

An imperfect FICO score can very much be a deal breaker. What kind of a future would a 800 person have with a 500 person? The score reflects your ability to pay back borrowed money. Personal responsibility, if you will. Life is too short for financial bickering. I'm so glad I'm married to someone whose FICO score is better than mine!

ladymiseryali

If that were the case, I wouldn't be engaged. My fiance's credit got ruined because of his mother and one of his exes. He's slowly bringing it back to where it should be.

pseudomuffin

If that were the case, I wouldn't be engaged. My fiance's credit got ruined because of his mother and one of his exes. He's slowly bringing it back to where it should be.

Same! My fiancé has terrible credit because his ex wife made some really stupid investments and insisted on being in charge of bills but never made payments on time. It would have never occurred to me to ask him about his credit score when we started dating but in being with him and getting to know him I know that he's very responsible financially. It's absurd to veto someone completely on this basis right off the bat without knowing them or their personal history.

Of course, I always tell him I'd live in the woods in a yurt with him if it came to that, love is more important than money to me.

djsupreme6

lol..is this for real

penrbrown

i think if you base whether you're going to date someone based off a credit score or income or anything monitarily then your a fool......fall in love then work on fixing the past for a better future.....but that would involve a little work...most people want everything in the now.

How did I miss this gem? Great points man.

Admiral_Derp

This is why I never go on a first date without a pre-nup.

HappyNinjaStar

My $0.02:

In a serious relationship (prior to marriage) money/finances/debt/ability to manage needs to be discussed thoroughly. This doesn't negate future money squabbles, but it does help everyone enter the relationship with open eyes.

A current credit score does NOT necessarily give anyone a full picture of fiscal responsibility. *kitten* happens that can devastate your credit score and it may not be your fault. Today I have a mediocre credit score. Am I fiscally irresponsible? Absolutely not. But my ex-husband decided to rake me over the coals financially when we split, followed very shortly by the economy crashing and me losing my job. I had to file for bankruptcy and despite perfect financial habits since then I will have mediocre credit for several more years until that black mark drops off.

If my current husband only looked at my credit score, we would have never gotten married, but he understood the circumstances, and the truth is, I'm much more responsible with money and keep his credit score high by making sure bills are paid on time, and balances on credit cards are appropriate, and what-not.

Brianna716

Money problems are a leading cause of divorce in the US. If somebody I'm dating has a bad credit score, it's likely because they do not manage their money well. If that somebody is not willing to permanently change the way they handle money- I'd rather end it sooner than later.

MorgueBabe

I would totally be turned off by bad credit.

I work really hard to keep my credit score in this economy. (I've been out of what I call a "real job" since 2009), I have medical bills, a student loan, and a credit bill. I make sure I keep my credit score good.

IMO a bad credit score says a lot about a person.

PBsMommy

I am a cheap *kitten* and I manage my money extremely well. If I didn't marry someone who wasn't at least half as responsible as I am with money, we would most likely have frequent arguments. So I could see credit score being a deal breaker for people similar to me.

Credit scores are a good way to determine if they fall within those lines or not. Of course I know **** happens in life and some people with low credit scores are not necessarily irresponsible with money, but instead had a horrible turn of events in their life.