FICO has committed to educating consumers through their national Score A Better Future program. This program brings together consumer advocates, credit educators, and community leaders, in a series of free educational events across the country.
One of FICO’s key initiatives for Score A Better Future is to help communities of color, first time homebuyers, millennials, those with no scores, and if you have less than strong credit, to improve the understanding of their overall financial health.
Over the past few months, we’ve heard directly from attendees on some of the challenges they had before attending, what they learned, applied, and the amazing progress that they’ve been able to make along the way.
Next up, let’s hear Nicole’s story. Nicole attended Score A Better Future virtually.
Name: Nicole
Age: 32
Location: Missouri
Profession: Senior Product Manager
Favorite TV show: New Girl
When did you realize that you needed to start managing your credit? I began working on my credit approximately four years ago, but actually started monitoring it consistently in 2019.
What did you want to accomplish? At first, I started with the mindset of working to improve my score, but as I continued to work on it, I made the goal to purchase a travel trailer that would allow me to visit family across the country.
What did you do to start managing your credit? When I first started, I began by creating a budget and worked on reducing my debt by allotting any disposable income towards my credit card debt. However, most recently I began actually monitoring my credit by using myfico.com. This has really given me a peace of mind because I can see my actual FICO Scores and the impact that my budgeting habits have on improving my scores.
What tips did you take and apply from the Score A Better Future event?Understanding more in depth about how the FICO Score is calculated and applying that to how I can continue to improve my score.
What have you been able to accomplish since attending Score A Better Future? The Score A Better Future event impacted my overall finances by prompting me to research more avenues to save and prepare for my goals. With the current economic climate, it is important to ensure I have a plan and to focus on what I can control. I was also able to purchase my camper (YAY)!
To learn more, visit scoreabetterfuture.com.
I am an official brand ambassador for FICO. While I receive compensation for my participation as a brand ambassador, opinions are mine.
