Credit score is a means to an end, not an end in itself

SmartMoney offers 5 New Rules For a Healthy Credit Score. Among them: "A quirk of credit score math actually makes it advantageous to max out certain cards."

Other tips include not asking to have your interest rate lowered, and opening new cards.

Wisdom like this is a case of getting way too nerdy about credit scores, to the point where it actually becomes detrimental to your financial health.

I've never met -- or heard from -- anyone who used credit responsibly for a reasonably long period of time and didn't end up with a credit score high enough to buy a house with a decent-sized down payment. First-time home buyers can get FHA loans with credit scores in the 600s -- which is below average.