Dec '25 • Home Work
Coffee & Credit
Why we don’t start by removing the oldest credit first
Even though it sounds logical, removing old accounts can actually hurt your credit instead of helping it.
Here’s why 👇🏽
1. Length of Credit History matters
Your score looks at how long you’ve been using credit.
Older accounts = longer history
Longer history = better score
👉🏽 Removing old accounts can shorten your credit age, which can drop your score.
2. Old accounts often help utilization
Credit utilization = how much credit you’re using vs. how much you have.
Old accounts usually have higher limits
Higher limits help keep utilization low
👉🏽 Removing them can increase utilization, hurting your score.
3. Age ≠ negative
Just because something is old doesn’t mean it’s bad.
Old positive accounts are gold
Old negative items may fall off on their own (usually 7–7.5 years)
So what SHOULD we start with first? ✅
This is the smart order ⬇️
1️⃣ Errors & Inaccurate Information
Start with anything that is:
Wrong balance
Wrong dates
Duplicate accounts
Not yours (identity theft)
Incorrect late payments
👉🏽 These are easiest to remove and legally disputable.
2️⃣ Collections & Charge-Offs
Especially:
Medical collections
Small balances
Paid collections still reporting incorrectly
👉🏽 These hurt scores the most.
3️⃣ High Credit Utilization
Focus on:
Cards over 30% usage
Maxed-out cards
👉🏽 Paying these down can boost scores fast.
4️⃣ Recent Late Payments
Late payments in the last 24 months matter more than older ones.
Goodwill letters work best here.
5️⃣ Build Positive Credit
While cleaning:
Secured cards
Credit builder loans
Authorized user accounts (done correctly)
👉🏽 Credit repair is clean + build, not just remove.
Simple way to remember it 🧠
Don’t delete your history — correct it.
Fix what’s wrong, not what’s old.
If
1
0 comments
Coffee & Credit
skool.com/rsc-credit-club-8216
Welcome to RSC Credit Club, a community built for individuals who want to understand credit
Leaderboard (30-day)
1
+37
2
+29
3
+11
4
+9
5
+4
Powered by