How Bad Credit Affects You
Very few
things in life can have a more devastating effect on your lifestyle than
a poor credit score. A low credit score can cost you hundreds or even
thousands of dollars per month.
Credit Cards
Most prime
credit cards are entirely out of reach to consumers with bad credit. And
the few credit cards that are available to them (known as "sub-prime"
cards) typically require exorbitant setup fees or recurring monthly
fees, offer very low credit lines, often require cash deposits and in
most cases do not even report your positive credit activity to the
credit bureaus.
Automobile Financing
If you are
making payments on a car, you are probably paying between $5,000 and
$9,000 more just for having bad credit. This added interest shows up
every month in a higher payment. Take a look.
$20,000 car paid over 5 years: |
CREDIT STATUS |
RATE |
PAYMENT |
COST OF BAD CREDIT |
Perfect
Mildly Damaged
Damaged |
10%
14%
20% |
$424.94
$465.37
$529.88 |
$0.00
$4,722.54
$8,593.30 |
Home Mortgage
Bad credit in auto financing
can really hurt, but it is nothing compared to the cost of bad credit
when a home is involved. A typical home can cost between $50,000 and
$130,000 more in interest if you are buying the home with bad credit.
$100,000 home paid over 30 years: |
CREDIT STATUS |
RATE |
PAYMENT |
COST OF BAD CREDIT |
Perfect
Mildly Damaged
Damaged |
7%
9%
12% |
$655.30
$804.62
$1,028.61 |
$0.00
$50,155.24
$130,791.63 |
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