“Are Your Legs Tired…”

…is the start of just one of many cheesy pick-up lines to start a conversation and hopefully find a love connection. If such a connection should spark, then the conversation typically gravitates towards family and friends, career and hobbies, etc. Interestingly, recent research published by the Federal Reserve indicates that a better leading line and conversation may center around the ubiquitous, yet mysterious, credit score.

We all know that our credit scores impact our ability to borrow money, rent cars and houses, and buy cell phones. Increasingly, employers and health insurance companies are also using them as markers in their own decisions. And in the recent federal study, they found that our credit scores predict our love life success.

In their study, the Federal Reserve found that people with higher credit scores tend to get married more and stay in committed relationships. Additionally, couples with matching levels of credit scores are more likely to stay to together. Conversely, couples that start with large gaps between their scores (i.e. one partner has very poor credit and one has very good credit) are more likely to separate.

The correlation between credit scores and relationship success seems to be related to the habits of those with good credit scores—paying bills on time, being responsible with money, and keeping one’s word to repay debt on time. These traits tend to transfer to building trust and consistency in a relationship.

So, if your credit isn’t quite what you’d like it to be—don’t despair! These three quick moves can help your credit score improve:

1. Order your credit report, review and correct any old or incorrect data.
2. Set payment reminders on your phone or calendar to be sure to pay your bills on time.
3. Reduce the amount of debt outstanding by coming up with a payment plan and sticking to it.

And, if you are currently dating and looking for love, instead of asking “what’s your sign?”, perhaps ask “what’s your score?”…

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