Hi Mr. Mark,
Thanks for chiming in, but I'm a bit confused. Fortunately, it's a fairly normal state for me, so if the answers to my questions are obvious, I beg your forbearance. I'm fairly certain this post is not about leverage. As the title states, it has to do with increasing credit score. Specifically, the possibility of increasing my credit score. The thread has taken some interesting turns along the way, but this concept of leverage is a complete curveball.
Did I use the " 'but I get 5% return on my other investments and this only costs me 3%!' argument"?
Was it clear that I am not a renter?
Was it also clear that I have the cash to spare?
Did I ever state that I was "Relying on increasing house prices to pay off the loan"?
Does a used minivan which was my former company car-which-I-paid-cash-for-and-can-also-write-off-the-interest* count as an "expensive car"?
*AHA! I don't think I had considered this point until now: I am paid a stipend which in no way covers the actual cost of operating said vehicle to conduct company business. I completely forgot that I can write off all unreimbursed auto expenses (See how spoiled I was to have a company car all those years? Good thing I saved the difference.) So apparently I'm attempting to boost my credit score for no net cost. Yippee! Can this really be true? Fortunately, I pay a CPA (very mustachian) to keep me on the right side of the tax laws. If I can't write it off, he'll be sure to set me straight.
When I began writing what I thought would be a rather short post, I was struggling mightily for the words to phrase my response tactfully. Whilst biting my tongue, I realized that this whole experiment might actually be tax-deductible! So Thank You Very Much Mr. Mark, but please remember that this forum is designed for us to assist each other. It helps to read the subject question thoroughly and at least scan the responses if you're going to take the time to compose and post a reply. If I am being an idiot (or as my boss likes to say: eye-dee-ten-tea) and I have asked for advice, you are free to reply, but please do so nicely. Staying on or around the subject is also appreciated.
I've come to my own conclusion with the help of some very wise Mustachian input (and learned how to spell the M word correctly in the process). I'm one who likes to hear the rest of the story, so I'm posting progress reports until I figure out if the tactic actually worked.