It seems fair to say that the true cost of about everything a consumer buys and/or finances these days will be determined by their credit score. When we associate the term true cost, we are speaking of what a particular item may cost the person over a period of time. Consider the following example: Consumer A has virtually perfect credit (720 plus FICO score) and Consumer B has fair credit (600 FICO score). Imagine that both of these consumers visit the same furniture store to purchase the exact same leather sofa. They both decide to open up a finance account with the store to “charge it”. It is almost inevitable that Consumer B will ultimately pay far more for the sofa than Consumer A, if financed. This is all because of that three digit number, which defines who we are as a consumer. Whether you are purchasing a car, a house or even shopping for insurance, that little number can determine how much you are going to pay for it over a period of time.
