[sweeps]

First thing's first. You have to get over the obsession with your credit score. If you do smart credit management, your score will take care of itself. Just like you shouldn't make financial decisions solely based on tax considerations, you shouldn't make financial decisions solely based on what your credit score might or might not do.

The problem with your situation is it seems you have no cash as an emergency fund. It sounds like if something goes wrong, you have 2 choices: put the expense on a credit card or sell your mutual fund (usually at an inopportune time). Neither of these is good options.

Can you pay off the credit card in a reasonable amount of time without tapping into the mutual fund? If so, I would do it that way and then start to build your emergency fund. I don't know much about the American Century Ultra fund, but the last 5 years has been tough for all stock mutual funds -- you may be getting out right when things are getting good.

If you can transfer the balances to another card with a lower interest rate, that sounds like a good deal. Just be sure to read the fine print for fees and make sure you don't make any purchases on that card.

The APR of your credit card itself has no effect on your credit score. Feel free to call them and ask for the APR to be reduced. But not carrying a balance is even better. Again, if you're doing these things just to micromanage your credit score, you're focusing your time and energy on the wrong thing.