[pengaru]

It all seems like predictable outcomes of capitalism run amuck.

At least it's not illegal yet to live without credit cards and/or lead a frugal life.

But it is arguably part of the problem IMO that credit scores have become so necessary it's difficult if not impossible to find an apartment without one. That alone is a forcing function pushing young Americans to rely on credit, greasing those consumer wheels by decoupling their spending from their earning at a young age.

[Red_Leaves_Flyy]

My employer keeps track of my credit worthiness. People have been fired by my employer for having bad credit because they present a risk to the company. I cannot keep my employment without maintaining good credit. Maintaining good credit cannot be done without taking on debt.

[nostrademons]

You don't actually need the debt balance, you just need the payment history. I had zero debt in the decade between paying off my student loans and taking on a mortgage. Credit score ~820 at that point. I had credit cards but auto-paid them in full every month and never carried a balance. It's the payment history that your score cares about, not the balance. You actually end up with a lower score if you have a higher balance.

[bombcar]

You can maintain good credit with empty credit lines. Not amazing credit, but good.

[kennend3]

> . That alone is a forcing function pushing young Americans to rely on credit, greasing those consumer wheels by decoupling their spending from their earning at a young age.

I'm Canadian and lived in the US for several years and can attest this is a strange system.

Here (Canada) credit scores are starting to become more and more common but this is a new thing, and probably something we 'borrowed' from the US.

When i moved to the US I had a credit score of zero and a really good income. I had problems finding a place to live as everyone asked for my credit score.

I finally bought a car and took out a loan which i paid off a few months later simply to attempt to build a "credit score" and make my life easier.

Things may be different now, but I dont recall ever being asked for a "credit score" when attempting to rent in Toronto many years ago.