I have heard in the past that paying off a mortgage does cause your credit score to drop by a certain number of points after the fact- I can't remember the exact number offhand though. However, I can tell you from experience that you don't have to have large debt or a mortgage to have a high credit score. When we went to buy our first home, we hadn't carried more than $2500 in CC debt at any time and had never had a mortgage or car loan; our credit scores were 820 and 810 respectively (DH apparently got a bonus 10 points for having an old cancelled Pier 1 CC in his name- it was the only difference). FWIW, we do what myfask referenced and use a CC for all expenses and pay it in full each month. Since we put everything we can on the card, some months it can be quite high and current activity shows and affects your credit score- it may be one more thing we did right without knowing. Q

It sounds like with the number of credit cards you are currently holding, along with the large balance on the citibank card, you would be a great candidate for a REPUTABLE debt settlement program. I say reputable because it is well known that the majority of debt settlement companies have taken their fees first before they ever settle one of your accounts. However, new FTC legislation bans this practice, and as of October 27th, 2010, debt settlement companies must settle at least one of your debts before they can charge you for their services. You may genuinely benefit from working with an accredited debt settlement company. By doing so, the company will negotiate with your creditors on your behalf to help secure a settlement that is a percentage of what you originally owed. Great settlements are usually somewhere between 40-60% of the original debt. If you do choose to do this be aware that your credit will initially suffer, but that with more cash flow to go around because it is not being eaten up in minimum payments and interest, you can actually begin to repair your own credit by making solid financial decisions. In reality, you most likely already have poor credit due to your current situation, so you seem to have nothing to lose by seeking reputable, outside help. You can get ideas for repairing your credit from myfico.com. Further, I would be wary of going with a credit counseling agency. Though they may have a 'non-profit' status, they are in reality usually set up by the credit card companies themselves in order to recover as much of the original debt as possible. Nobody works for 'free.' Credit counseling works by contacting your creditors to lower the overall interest rate of a debt. Though this may save you some money, you would be better off finding an accredited debt settlement company to negotiate for you. Arm yourself with perseverance and a solid understanding of all your options. Once you set your mind on a plan, follow through- debt does not have to consume your entire life, and can be paid off in time.

Hi breenthumb, Rumour has it that there are other insurance companies. Granted, there are fewer than there used to be, as they, like most corporations, hate competition on their own level and will go to great lengths to get rid of competitors. Some time ago I had a personal tax-deferred retirement account with a stockbrokerage, which had incurred no administration cost for years, as it had been grandfathered that way when that company took over another company. When I came to the age where I had to reverse it from an account into which I paid in, into one into which I could no longer pay in, but must withdraw a certain percentage annually, which increases from about 7% at age 71 to 20% at age 90 and beyond, a problem arose. They said that there would be an annual administration fee, and my claim that it was a continuation/reversal of a fee-free account that I'd had with them for years fell on quite deaf ears. So ... I did some checking with some other agencies, and came back to report that, since such and such a company and so and so company would agree to carry my account without an administration fee, I was considereing transferring my account ... they seemed to have a change of heart, for it appeared that they, too, could carry that account without an admin. fee. Which they've done for about 10 years, now: nice to have a little skill and effort save one well over $1,000., on occasion, right? I didn't feel it necessary to include in my report the fact that I would be somewhat less inclined to use the other companies than the one that I had been with for years ... as Grandma used to say, "One should tell the truth ... but there's no reason that one should blab and tell all that one knows". So ... ... if you don't, or haven't owed money for several recent years in several locations/circumstances ... ... they figure that your trustworthiness is suspect, do they? As I've lived in over 20 locations in my 79 years (as I discovered when they asked over on KT in how many places one had lived), I've never owned a home ... ... so never had a mortgage. As I live fairly frugally, I've had few loans. Which situation is aided by the fact that I tend to buy old cars and drive them into the ground, which usually takes 5 - 7 years ... which enables me to buy them for cash (having added a bit to emergency funds from time to time, and drawing on it to make those smallish purchases). When I have substantial debt and must pay quite a lot of interest every month, it seems to me that, since much of our debt is usually non-deductible, if I have to pay $100. monthly in interest, and make $10.00 per hour, after-tax income ... that means that I work 10 hours/month for someone else, the holder of my loan(s). I'd rather wait until I can afford to pay cash ... and pay myself, instead. Learning how money works is an interesting hobby ... that pays well ... and I hope that you're developing increasing shrewdness at managiong your income and assets effectively: to benefit you rather than the other guys (with the exception of worthy charities). Hope you're part way into a happy weekend. One nice thing about retirement is ... that every day is weekend. A nice benefit of learning skillful management of money may well be/quite likely will be ... early retirement (at your choice, not because your company downsizes when you're about 50 ... leaving you out in the cold). ole joyful P.S. I could qualify, as I've had a Line of Credit, usually unused, for about 10 years, and have had a credit (actually "debt") card for several years, which I use infrequently. I recently took on another, which offered 1.9% on transferred balances for most of this year, figuring that I'd buy some stock using the original card, then transfer the balance, as the bank, which had usually charged me bank prime on my loans (fully secured), they recently said that prime was 3.5% ... but they needed a 1.5% surcharge, to total 5%. Now, however, they say that the interest on my Line of Credit will be 2.25% ... so I'll take that, instead of jockeying on credit cards - not a good idea to shift from one horse to another while crossing a stream, I figure. Most cards charge full rate (often 18% on mainline cards: 28% or so on store-issued cards) from the date of the advance until it is paid in full, and I'd not be sure how long it would take to transfer to the second card. o j

Have you tried to comprehend the Medicare pharmacy "benefit"? In doing so, did you come across any conceivable way in which it's not a complete gimmee to the big healthcare companies? My mom's union insurance is not allowed to cover the 'donut hole' gap. Say what? All the propaganda about the primacy of private insurance, and then when you have it, they're not allowed to pay?? Bollocks. However inconvenient, annoying, or occasionally incompetent the healthcare system may be in countries where the govt takes care of it, it CANNOT BE WORSE than this moronic 'system' we have where poor people simply have to go without, and the F-ing president says airily, "oh, they can just go to the emergency room." As if there are still any emergency rooms left in poor neighborhoods, since they've been overburdened for years with people who need care but can't pay. And as if this very practice hasn't ended up increasing the cost of all health care and insurance, as the hospitals have to raise their other prices to try to make up for the shortfall (you don't think that Tylenol really should cost $12/pill, do you?) As one of the gainfully employed Americans whose employer carries health insurance, I'm part of the "system that works." I've seen the cost of premiums on my end go up anywhere from 5-12%/year (raises average 3%). Add to that increases in co-pays and exclusions, and it's well into double digits. Between my payments and my employer's the premiums (as of before the last increase) for 2 non-smoking adults with no chronic conditions to speak of (no diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc) are well over $6,000/year. And if you further add in the hassle cost (which Jim Jubak of MSN Money has done in several of his columns on various topics) of trying to keep up with a drug formulary that changes monthly, so your refills are suddenly disallowed, or arcane rules for coverage that are never fully disclosed, or phone calls 3 years on about whether the doctor was on the 'allowed' list or not....it's enuf to make you simply give up and quit trying. That's where I am now. I've already sent them one letter; it was after that that they called. At work. I refused to give my unlisted home number. I don't think there's any way for me to prove they were participating at that time. Not only has my company changed insurers multiple times since then, it's been bought and sold. So, who would have any records? And do I feel up to trying to traack them down? I'm already having enuf trouble trying to get my pension out of their hot little hands. OK, /rant. Thanks for the advice and the message board link. I'll try that out.