What's so bad about checking a potential suitor's FICO score during the fourth date? Nothing if you're 22-year-old grad student Martina Paillant. With a credit score above 800, Paillant credits her family with teaching her about financial responsibility, and it's something she looks for in a potential suitor. For Paillant, if a man has less than a 700 FICO, he should look elsewhere.
By the fourth date, Paillant asks for FICO proof, and she isn't ashamed to do so. In an interview with the New York Post, Paillant explained her motives.
“I need a man who has his life together and can pay his bills,” Paillant said.
“I was raised in a family of professionals who keep their finances in check and taught me how to handle my money,” Paillant continued. “I have no student loans and I can already take care of myself financially. I need a man who can take care of himself, too.”
When I saw this article being circulated on social media, the responses seemed to vary by gender. A lot of the men judged Paillant's looks (she's petite and slender), describing her as having the body of a pubescent boy. They also said she had the nerve to be picky. One can only assume these men have a credit score of minus 400.
On the other hand, some of the women agreed with Paillant. And said that since she's on the right track, why shouldn't she expect someone else to be? Phrases like being "equally yoked" were thrown around as it pertained to what people can bring to the table.
I understand Paillant's preferences. When you're looking for someone with potential, you want someone who is responsible and not a money pit. But should there be flexibility and a margin for "error"?
So you meet a person, and the person's credit score is in the high 500s … do you immediately dismiss that person? Or do you talk to the person to see how he or she is fixing the credit issue? I have one male friend who did just that. The woman he was dating didn't have the greatest credit, but he helped her get her finances in order. Although they're no longer together, I'm quite sure she left the relationship with a higher credit score.
But some men only date women with big breasts, so I guess there's nothing wrong with looking for a person with a big credit score.