Build Strong Credit

U. S. workers with poor credit (or no credit at all) pay grossly inflated prices for many basic products and services – car loans at interest rates over 25%, car insurance premiums that are doubled, and leases for items such as mattresses and refrigerators from rent-to-own stores that quadruple market prices. In emergencies, these workers often have little choice but to borrow from high-priced payday lenders at 400 - 1000% interest. Finally, with poor or no credit, it’s nearly impossible to get a mortgage, and, because most landlords check credit, it’s difficult to access quality rental housing. Workers with poor credit come from all walks of life - though low-wage workers are often hit the hardest. Among adults in low-income neighborhoods, 46% have no credit score at all, and another 38% have low scores (below 620). Combined, 84% of adults from low-income communities get the worst rates and terms in the marketplace - depleting their wages, making it difficult to weather a financial emergency, and dimming the possibility of homeownership and wealth accumulation. Ricki Lowitz, Co-Founder and CEO of Working Credit, discusses the KEY to the non-profit employee benefit she and co-founder Amanda Carney started in 2014 - the path to good credit is shorter than many people think. You don't have to be wealthy to build good credit, you just have to know the rules of the credit scoring system. Working Credit offers an 18-month financial wellness program that employers are embracing as the missing piece of the employee benefits package. Through a unique combination of education, counseling, and access to financial products, Working Credit is helping U.S. workers take control of their financial lives, build credit, and reap the associated benefits.