Which of the following factors does NOT affect your credit score?

The correct answer is that personal spending habits do not directly affect your credit score. A credit score is primarily influenced by specific financial behaviors and attributes that are directly reported to credit bureaus.

Factors such as payment history, credit utilization ratio, and recent inquiries play a critical role in determining a credit score. Payment history reflects whether you pay your bills on time, which is a significant indicator of creditworthiness. The credit utilization ratio, which measures how much of your available credit you are using, is also essential; a lower ratio indicates responsible credit management and can positively impact a score. Recent inquiries show how often potential creditors are checking your credit report, and multiple inquiries in a short period can indicate higher risk to lenders, potentially lowering your score.

In contrast, personal spending habits, while they can indirectly influence your credit score through their impact on behaviors like payment and credit utilization, are not explicitly tracked or calculated in the scoring algorithms of the credit bureaus. This distinction highlights that personal spending itself is not a concrete factor in the calculation of your credit score.