Learn personal and professional finance terms to keep you in the know

Credit mix refers to the variety of credit account types you have, including credit cards, installment loans, mortgages, and auto loans. It makes up roughly 10% of your FICO score, making it a smaller but still meaningful factor in your overall credit health. Lenders like to see that you can responsibly manage different types of credit, not just one kind. You don't need every type of account to have a good credit mix; a few well-managed accounts across different categories is enough. Forcing yourself to open accounts just to diversify your mix isn't recommended, especially if the new credit isn't otherwise useful or necessary.



