0:00

Welcome to another episode of the Live Better

0:02

podcast sponsored by Centric Federal

0:04

Credit Union . I'm Emma Baines

0:06

, your host and social media coordinator

0:08

at Centric . Today , we're shifting

0:10

our focus to a topic that holds the key

0:12

to new worries financial opportunities , mastering

0:15

credit health . In a world where financial

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decisions are influenced by credit scores , understanding

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the nuances of credit health is crucial . Join

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us on this episode as we unravel the mysteries

0:26

of credit scores , explore ways to

0:28

build and maintain good credit and

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provide you with practical strategies for mastering

0:32

your credit health . Whether you're

0:34

a seasoned listener or joining us for the first

0:37

time , get ready to dive into the essential

0:39

conversation around credit health . Let's

0:41

explore how you can empower yourself with the

0:43

knowledge to navigate the world of credit successfully

0:46

. So I want to welcome all

0:48

of our listeners to another episode of the Live

0:50

Better podcast , and today we are joined

0:53

by Kelli Green , who is a credit expert

0:55

here at Centric . So before we get

0:57

started , can you tell our listeners just a little bit

0:59

about yourself and what you do here ? Yeah

1:02

, well , thank you .

1:02

I appreciate you having me here . It's fun

1:05

coming back on the podcast because we talk

1:07

about all kinds of things that are really

1:10

beneficial to helping members genuinely live

1:12

better . And so I

1:14

have been at Centric , been in finance probably for

1:16

about 16 years at Centric almost

1:18

12 years and I'm

1:21

a mom of two . I have a husband

1:24

let's see what else is fun . I like to camp

1:26

. I also love to ensure learning

1:28

about all these things from a credit health standpoint

1:30

, because my journey was not as

1:33

pretty as it looks . Even today . It's still

1:35

a journey , but I've walked

1:37

through some really dark times financially

1:39

, you know , and if I would have had this , I

1:41

feel like these tips and , you know

1:43

, just some guidance right , would have looked

1:45

a little bit different .

1:46

Yeah , I agree

1:50

. So credit is a

1:52

big topic and , like you said , you

1:54

know you went through some dark times financially I think we all

1:56

probably have and especially

1:58

you know at a young age , when you're freshly

2:01

married and you kind of don't want to clue what you're doing

2:03

. That's exactly right , and the last thing that

2:05

you know a lot about is credit . Like , what is that

2:08

? I didn't learn that in school . I

2:10

mean , everything I've learned it's kind of just been on

2:12

my own as time has gone on , and so I think equipping

2:15

people with this knowledge at a young age

2:17

is so important to help them avoid

2:19

the mistakes that we made .

2:21

You're so right and the sooner the better

2:23

. Yeah , I think you just , in anything

2:25

that we do , from , like , grocery shopping

2:27

to paying , you know your utilities

2:29

. Any conversations that you can have with

2:31

your kids do that you

2:33

know , even if it's they're doing different tours at

2:35

home and so you pay them a dollar you

2:38

know , Well , you just reward them in a ticket , you know

2:40

, and at the end of the week you'll get ice-free

2:42

or something . Whatever it is is

2:44

just showing them so they can understand . Hey

2:46

, you know , this is what this amount costs

2:49

, this is what you know . You make an hour

2:51

having you stretch that out and then just

2:54

having the overall conversations . That

2:56

is that's critical . You can never start

2:58

too soon .

2:59

Right , and I mean just looking for

3:01

, like teaching moment with your kids

3:03

. Like it might just you're just going through the

3:05

motions with your bills and paying for things

3:07

, but like there's always a time where you could stop and make

3:10

it a teaching moment . That's right . Like you know , yeah

3:12

, we could spend this on this today , but

3:14

in three days this bill is due . That's right . So

3:17

if we do that , you know it might put us in a band

3:19

in a few days . So I mean just you know talking about

3:21

those things so they kind of understand what it's like

3:23

to pay bills , but

3:25

anyway . So let's just talk about credit score . What

3:29

does it mean ?

3:30

Well , you'll hear a lot of people

3:32

that will talk about credit and

3:34

why is that important ? And to pay cash

3:36

for all the things . You may hear different scenarios

3:39

, and I believe in a lot

3:41

of those things , as far as paying for cash

3:43

. But the debt is not necessarily

3:45

a bad thing , right , it's really not . It's

3:48

all contingent upon how well you manage that

3:50

with the money that you have coming in versus

3:53

your overall necessities . I don't know about you

3:55

, but it would be challenging for me to go buy a

3:57

brand new vehicle and just pay cash

3:59

for that . But there are ways that you can work

4:02

up towards that , and so what does that

4:04

really look like ? And so that's really where

4:06

your credit score comes into play , because

4:09

we never know what future need that we're going

4:11

to have . And really and truly , your credit

4:13

score is just talking about your overall financial

4:15

journey . It's how well

4:17

what your behavior is with money and

4:20

with , like just the overall

4:22

capacity that you've been given . For example

4:24

, your credit

4:26

score is made up of a couple of things installment

4:29

and revolving . Installment debt

4:31

is really like a mortgage

4:33

or a car note , because there's a fixed

4:35

amount that's due at the same time throughout

4:37

the month . Your revolving

4:40

is more so your credit cards where

4:42

you have a particular capacity

4:44

, your balance on your credit card and

4:47

that kind of fluctuates . So you

4:49

have a large sum when you first open that credit

4:51

card but then , as you start spending well , then that balance

4:53

what's available to you that

4:56

starts dwindling down , and

4:58

so your credit score really and truly is how

5:00

well you are paying your bills , are

5:02

you paying them in full and are you paying them

5:04

on time . Well , I said , those are the things that

5:06

are most important when really thinking about

5:08

your credit score . Interesting

5:12

enough , when we're having conversations and going through

5:14

credit reports with folks , a lot of things

5:17

I try to explain to them is you want

5:19

to see your history

5:21

, the length of time you packed something open and

5:24

how well you've managed that

5:26

particular amount . So something

5:28

I always share with folks is if you are

5:30

, you know , say , you're opening

5:32

up several new lines of credit , that's going

5:34

to cause your credit score to drop , even

5:38

if you're paying your debt off . I would

5:40

not recommend closing them immediately

5:42

because it's going to have a negative impact

5:44

to your score . So what I mean

5:46

by that is , if you are paying off , say

5:48

, three or four credit cards , close

5:51

those relationships out anywhere

5:53

between 30 and 45 days in

5:55

between the other because

5:57

you're not doing such a shock , and all to your credit

5:59

score , right , and so even when it

6:01

spikes up , or even if it shoots really low because

6:04

when it shoots really low it takes a little bit longer

6:06

to increase it but something people

6:08

don't realize is that your credit score can drop

6:10

almost 100 points if

6:13

you have 30 days of no pay , or late

6:15

pay late pay , so to speak . So

6:17

it's really interesting . You know it's time

6:20

is something you really want to pay close attention to

6:22

you . In the regard of the length of time you've

6:24

had a card open . So I still have the

6:26

card , the very first credit card that I had

6:28

whenever I was in college , very

6:31

first one I ever opened , and I still have it . I

6:33

hardly ever use it , which is not I won't say

6:35

that's the best practice of doing it , because I just

6:37

have a lump sum that's writing out there

6:39

, but that still tells a

6:41

you know the creditor that I have

6:44

the potential to go into that amount

6:46

of debt . So you have to keep

6:48

that , you know , in mind . My

6:51

suggestion is it

6:54

really just all goes down to the individual

6:56

when they're . What

6:59

is their relationship with money ? Are

7:01

you a compulsive shopper ? Do

7:04

you utilize credit cards to get very the

7:06

month ? Is this the way that you

7:08

are really trying to bloat

7:11

yourself ? You know , essentially , I

7:13

think that's a dead end road

7:15

. Right , I'm heading into disaster . So

7:18

those are some things to think about Now . Are

7:20

you looking at , say , hey , you've

7:23

got a credit card and you're in this time

7:25

frame , right now we're

7:27

having double rewards points Usually we do that a couple

7:29

of times throughout the year at Centric but

7:31

are you just trying to put everything on your credit card

7:33

just to accumulate those points

7:36

, to use those for later on throughout

7:38

the year , or even now for Christmas

7:40

, and you have full intentions

7:43

of paying off that debt at the end

7:45

of the month ? That just goes back to the person

7:47

. And what is your cash

7:49

flow like throughout the month ? So

7:53

, really , truly , your credit score tells a lot

7:55

about your behavior , your relationship

7:58

with money . Right , right .

8:00

But this is the way I kind of look at it . You tell

8:03

me if I'm wrong . So I kind of think

8:05

of credit score as like a

8:07

grade in a class . I mean

8:09

your grade in , say

8:11

, your math class is going to tell

8:13

anybody who looks at it for

8:16

the most part how well you know that subject , and

8:18

I mean this is kind of the same thing . So I

8:20

guess your credit score could be more like what

8:23

is your mindset with

8:25

money , like you said ? Are you using it to

8:27

get through the month and pay your bills or

8:29

are you using it more as a tool to

8:32

give you advantages for things in the future ?

8:35

And it's just , it's very interesting

8:37

. Especially with inflation and I know that we actually

8:39

talked about that a few months ago I

8:42

realized that the cost of things has increased

8:44

dramatically , and

8:47

so I do understand

8:49

that . But that's when you really need to think about

8:51

. Okay , hopefully , inflation , things will kind of

8:53

start leveling out a little bit . But

8:56

what are you doing so that you're not continuing

8:58

to create a future problem for you and your family

9:01

? You accumulate a lot of credit card debt that's

9:03

going to strap you for the future . So

9:05

, yes , it might feel good to go get that

9:07

compulsive buy here , you know , right around the

9:09

holidays , or even back to school shopping

9:11

, or , you know , going on a vacation , but

9:14

if you plan for those kind of things , it really

9:16

won't bother you . Some that always share

9:18

with folks is if you're using your credit card

9:20

and say you're

9:22

going , you know , oh well , I don't have a

9:24

whole lot of money , I'm just trying to get through the last

9:27

couple of weeks of the month , or one how many , you

9:29

know and you go in and you say , hey , I'm going to use

9:31

this . I'm eating lunch every week or

9:33

we're going out to dinner . This will be a little splurge If

9:35

you're not intending on paying that off at

9:38

the end of the month . Think about that . That meal just

9:40

sustained you for how long ? Probably a few

9:42

hours , right ? Right , I'm

9:44

hungry . That export us six hours , yeah , but you're going to be

9:46

paying on that debt and you tie on interest , Right

9:49

, Neil ? That was $50 for your family of four

9:51

. You tag on you know an interest

9:53

rates on credit cards or anywhere from God

9:56

. You know , the lowest ones I've seen are here

9:58

at Centric right , and so they start , you know

10:00

, anywhere between 11 , 12 , 13%

10:02

, and I've seen them all the way up to 30 and 40%

10:04

. That's outrageous , yeah , so

10:07

it's . That's the thing I always share with people

10:09

. You know , your credit

10:11

score is something that is so incredibly

10:13

important . Everything you do , the way you

10:15

spend your money , the way , um , whether

10:17

you're saving or you're paying off quickly , even

10:20

if you can't I would say you can't pay

10:22

off a full debt make a payment . Do you have something

10:24

there ? You know ? But , um , but

10:26

it's just , it's so incredibly important for

10:28

us to make sure you know that you're making those timely

10:30

payments . And just think about , like , is this a

10:32

real necessity , Is this something you absolutely

10:35

need ? And you've made a plan to pay

10:37

that off at the end of the month , or

10:39

you have a plan to pay something . Right

10:42

, you know that's , that's something that you

10:44

always encourage folks , because not paying at

10:46

all really , you know , hurts

10:48

your credit score but , when you can pay something

10:50

that doesn't hurt it as badly as it certainly

10:52

could if you just avoid the payment , all the day

10:54

, right .

10:56

So let's talk about so . Let's say , once

10:59

you have tanked your credit score

11:01

, what does that mean for you in

11:03

the future ? Like , how does that tie

11:05

your hands ? What are you not able to do once

11:08

your score , you know , reaches ?

11:10

below a certain point . Well , so

11:12

this is really interesting . We actually

11:14

work , we pride ourselves on at Cendric

11:16

, really helping members who are incredibly

11:18

credit challenged . Some people think

11:20

that bankruptcy is the only answer , and

11:22

it's genuinely not the only answer . We

11:25

believe in relationship lending at Cendric

11:27

and while , for example , if we say

11:29

, hey , you've got a goal of wanting to get you

11:31

a car , okay , and

11:34

you say , okay , I want this particular

11:36

type of car , well , do you have any

11:38

cash that you might want to put down on that vehicle

11:40

? Okay , so those are some things to think

11:42

about . So you're looking at . That is a commitment

11:45

, not only for me . That's your cash , you put

11:47

on that vehicle and we will come halfway

11:49

and see what we can do for you , you know

11:51

, as far as helping you achieve where you're

11:53

wanting to be with that . And he um , that

11:56

does two things really and truly . One , it shows

11:58

us that you're really bawled in right , you have skin in

12:00

the game . You're with people talking about that . Um

12:02

, the other side of that , too , is the more

12:04

you're able to put down , the less you're having to finance

12:07

, which means you're going to pay less for that particular

12:09

vehicle . So one

12:12

of the things you know that I really try to share with folks , too

12:14

, is just when they're thinking about this from credit

12:16

and really managing you know your

12:18

, your credit score . There are ways

12:20

to really enhance your score and

12:22

, like I said , it depends on why

12:25

your score is that way . Is it because you have

12:27

opened up multiple

12:29

, you know new lines of credit and you've max

12:32

out all those credit lines ? Um

12:34

, or do you have credit lines that

12:36

you have opened and maybe

12:39

you know you just have a balance on there and it's

12:41

just been lingering for a period of time and you're just paying

12:43

kind of what you can ? It just , it

12:45

all depends for folks , you know . But something

12:47

that I would share is you know , one

12:49

of the things you can do that would just like flip

12:52

it upside down one call

12:54

. The creditors always stay

12:56

in communication with the UO . Just

12:58

always do that when they

13:00

can reach you and you can reach them , it's a really

13:02

nice relationship . Contact

13:05

them and say , listen , I'm going to bond , can we get in

13:07

a payment plan ? Because we talked

13:09

about that revolving and installment that perhaps

13:11

you know if you've got . If you don't have a really good

13:14

mix of both installment and revolving

13:16

installment or those speak statements the revolving

13:18

is that credit line where it kind of looks white

13:20

. So I

13:23

would say , maybe take a look at that . You sit

13:25

down and the credit , the credit officer and they will

13:27

actually take a look at it here at Centric and say

13:29

, okay , maybe you have a whole lot of revolving

13:31

, a lot of credit cards . Perhaps

13:33

we can consolidate that desk right and

13:35

put that into an installment . So

13:37

then you're getting a good mix of credit . Just

13:40

keep in mind , if you're closing out those

13:42

scores right , when you're closing out those cards

13:44

or lines of credit , in a short period

13:46

of time your score is going to be shocked

13:48

but you're going to trend upward

13:51

and that's what you want to see happen . There's

13:54

just so many different things that can happen there

13:56

. If you don't have a mortgage

13:59

, a lot of times , if you want to ever really reach

14:01

your 800s , it's kind of challenging to

14:03

do that . I

14:06

would also say , too just be mindful

14:08

, is this debt yours or are you a

14:10

co-borrower with someone else ? That's

14:13

where we see a lot of our folks really

14:15

get into a bond , a financial

14:17

bond with their overall

14:20

financial trajectories , because they've decided

14:22

, hey , I want to co-sign on this vehicle , or

14:24

I'll have someone as an authorized signer on my line of

14:26

credit , and there's

14:28

not a lot of control that you have in that , right

14:30

.

14:31

I mean you're completely dependent on how the other person handles

14:34

that at that point . So I mean there's got

14:36

to be a lot of trust there .

14:37

It does , it really does . So you just have

14:39

to think about it . There's several different situations

14:41

. Are you on the brink of bankruptcy because you've

14:44

extended yourself , overextended yourself and

14:47

every line of credit you have is completely

14:49

maxed out ? That's a conversation

14:51

to have with the creditor , and

14:54

I would definitely take a look at seeing if you can

14:56

consolidate that particular debt when

14:59

you have the relationship where your direct

15:01

deposit is going and people us

15:04

here at the credit union can really see how

15:06

you're managing your money throughout that month . That's

15:09

critical because we're able to see okay

15:11

, we know what you're making , we know what you're

15:13

bringing home and how are you managing

15:15

that , because not only whenever we're counseling

15:17

you on what we can do from a long side , we're

15:20

building a budget for you . Okay , can

15:23

I really afford this new loan ? Or

15:25

this is the financial situation that I'm in

15:28

Can't get a new loan right now , but

15:30

we might be able to remove

15:32

a few things for a short period of time

15:34

so that you can start putting funds

15:36

towards paying down your debt . It's

15:38

going to look a lot better . I've told

15:40

this story something times ago , when my husband and I got debt

15:42

free . We were first married and

15:45

we had our first little girl and

15:47

we just had a mound of debt

15:49

. We had a vehicle One

15:52

was paid off , but one we actually still owed

15:54

money on and we had two credit cards

15:57

and a student loan . So we had right

15:59

at probably $15,000 in debt

16:01

. Well , to some people it does seem like a whole lot

16:03

. We had a mortgage at the time too , but what

16:05

I'm talking about is let's look at

16:07

this debt that we can probably tackle . I

16:10

won't necessarily say this is your highest interest

16:12

rate . I don't really look at it in that regard

16:14

. We genuinely here at Cedric

16:17

follow very similar to what Dave Ramsey

16:19

has to offer , as opposed to the

16:21

snowball method is just what he has . We

16:24

want you to get to the point where you can pay cash for a car

16:26

, but we do realize that that is not necessarily

16:29

. It's not realistic

16:31

for everybody . When reference to Dave

16:33

Ramsey , I wouldn't have to definitely say that . But

16:35

what we actually did is that we just started tappin'

16:37

our debt from smallest to largest and

16:40

we just cut out everything . We cut out any

16:42

extra dining out , we took our watch

16:44

to work , we

16:47

ate at home all the time , we didn't have

16:49

cable , we didn't have internet at our house , you

16:51

know , I mean we just did a whole lot of different things

16:53

. That sacrificed we did , but it was for

16:55

a very short period of time and it was

16:57

right , at about 14 months , that we were able

16:59

to pay off that debt . We did not

17:01

take on any promotions

17:04

. We did not take on any of the debts

17:06

. We did add a child to

17:08

our income . So we had two babies

17:10

within the summer frame , and

17:13

one of which was very , very sick . So we accumulated

17:15

a lot of medical debt for her . So

17:18

it's a lot of things for us to really manage and how do we

17:20

work for that ? We were still able to do that

17:22

, you know now . You know you work back up to that

17:24

. We sold off a vehicle

17:26

. You know we pay cash for a vehicle

17:28

but we got , you know , just one to get us from point A

17:31

to point B . Right , didn't have air . You

17:33

know there's an AC . We just kind of bare

17:35

bones it . But I would never , I would

17:38

never trade that time for anything , because

17:40

it's something that really made us realize

17:43

what can we achieve in life

17:45

with doing without ? And it's

17:47

freeing really and trying to do that

17:49

and it makes you realize

17:51

it's just like this is a waste . But you know everybody

17:54

has their own thoughts and so forth , but the majority

17:56

of the time when I sit down on top of people

17:58

, you know . As far as the other credit and

18:00

how , our ways in which they can really improve it , it's

18:03

our day-to-day spending .

18:05

And I mean , I think that's why it's so important to utilize

18:09

the free financial counseling that we have

18:11

here , because sometimes all it

18:13

takes is just a fresh set of eyes

18:15

on the money , but

18:17

you know when it's yours and it's

18:19

in and out of your account all throughout the month

18:21

. Sometimes you just need a fresh perspective to

18:24

say do you really need to do this

18:26

four or five times a week , like you know

18:28

?

18:30

And it makes really and truly I mean

18:32

talking about finances too and

18:34

especially if you're looking at it , like you just said , in Medan

18:36

and Day Out , you know , and every month you know

18:38

, oh my God , Then you start getting disgruntled

18:41

. Righties are now you make it disgruntled about your job

18:43

or your relationships

18:45

with people , you know , I mean , and it starts impacting

18:47

all the things in your mental health and your well-being

18:49

and it's like it's just not worth it . No

18:52

, it's genuinely not . And , like you mentioned

18:54

, it's free to talk to us . It's

18:57

completely free . So if you can't

18:59

come to one of our locations , you know we always say

19:01

, hey , we'll do it via Zoom for the . We

19:03

can do that via , via banking , through , you

19:05

know , MyCentricConnect , you

19:08

name it , and there's just even over

19:10

the phone and we can , you know , securely email

19:12

you your credit score if you want to see what

19:14

that looks like . You get a free copy

19:16

of your credit report . We give you a free copy

19:18

of a budget . I

19:21

mean , you name it . It's why not do that

19:23

Right ?

19:24

I mean , the tools are available . Oh yeah , right

19:26

here it's great , and your tips . One

19:29

thing I did want to talk about , so the different

19:31

types of credit accounts . So we've talked

19:33

about like mortgages and car notes and

19:35

things like that , and then credit cards Are there

19:38

, one that affects your

19:40

score more than the others do I

19:43

mean .

19:43

So , like we mentioned earlier , as far as the mortgage

19:45

, you know , having that on your , on

19:48

your credit report , that's a wonderful way for you

19:50

. If you're paying in full

19:52

right and on time right , those

19:54

are ways in which you can really achieve like what

19:56

folks refer to as like a perfect score , so

19:58

to speak . I

20:01

will say this there is not one product or

20:03

other necessarily that is better or

20:05

best , just genuinely

20:07

the relationship you have . It's

20:09

the length of time that you've had those

20:11

accounts open , right , Give

20:15

it a little bit of life . You know , that's what I always

20:17

share with folks . The

20:20

other side of it too is , you know , as far as paying

20:22

on time . So that's why I mentioned them

20:24

about earlier . As far as the length of time

20:26

that something's open , I still have my off

20:28

very first credit for it . I have kept that open because

20:30

that is when I first established credit . So

20:33

my credit is dated back to when you have that very

20:35

first line of credit , whether

20:38

that be installment or revolving debt

20:40

, but that is when you established credit . So I've

20:42

kept that open . The length

20:45

of time , obviously , and also to the time in which you're

20:47

paying . So if you're a late pay or

20:50

no pay , that's going to impact your score drastically

20:52

. So while talking

20:55

about , it's really the relationship

20:57

, right , and the behavior , and

21:00

I mean , if you're a late pay , no pay , it's going to cost

21:02

you , true , because you're going to pay more . So

21:04

say , for example , in my , you and I are buying the

21:06

same vehicle right , it was Dax

21:08

and car or house

21:11

, even you know , whatever , depending

21:14

on what , if you have better credit than I do , you're

21:17

going to come out better . I'm going to pay more for that

21:19

. You're going to name house . Same

21:21

way with utilities . A lot of folks who know really

21:23

struggle where they're getting started

21:25

, you know , say , hey , they're having to move , they're not prepared

21:28

to pay different deposits and so forth . If

21:30

you know of a lower credit score , you're

21:32

going to have to pay . You know a higher deposit

21:34

If you have a very high credit score and

21:36

a positive overall credit rating

21:39

, you may not have to pay a deposit at all

21:41

, right , so you know those are some things

21:43

. A lot of times I mean , you know , there it could be the

21:45

difference between yes and a no of getting

21:47

you know whether that's at new loan or what

21:49

that looks like . Remember here , et

21:51

cetera , when we're talking about these things we don't want to

21:53

give you a hard . No , we want to explain the

21:55

why , and if you still have this desire

21:58

, then let's get you there .

21:59

Right , let's , but we might have to take a couple extra

22:01

steps along the way . That's right . The

22:03

segway , right . Yeah , that's

22:05

awesome , I mean , and people appreciate

22:08

that too , I think when you have a financial

22:10

institution who's not just , it's

22:12

not a hard no , right , like

22:14

no . I'm sorry , you know , try

22:16

later , try again later . It's

22:18

not right now , but I can help you get

22:21

to where you need to be so we can make it a yes , that's right

22:23

.

22:24

It's important , it is very important and

22:26

that's why I always say you know , that's why

22:28

I want to make anywhere else , because if I

22:30

come across , you know we haven't . If we have financial

22:32

hardship or something like that , I want

22:34

my funds to be here . I want them to

22:36

know the relationship that I have with my money and

22:39

then , if I need to be extended credit , I just

22:41

feel confident that they will walk me through a year

22:43

and what it is that I need to do . Right , and

22:46

not only that . I mean you're going to pay

22:48

your lowest credit score or even the lowest

22:50

credit rating here as far as the firm interest

22:52

rate , and then if you have funds

22:54

that you can say , bring me in every single month , we

22:57

pay you just to have your check it account here . You'd

22:59

then buy like the highest earnings and then also

23:01

the lowest amount that you're going to pay back . It's

23:03

just a no brainer to me , I agree for

23:06

sure Before

23:09

we wrap up .

23:10

is there anything else you want to add ? Is there anything that

23:12

we didn't talk about , that you wanted to kind of mention

23:15

.

23:15

No , I just really want to reiterate

23:18

the importance of having a conversation

23:21

with folks about this . I mean , it is literally

23:23

one of the best decisions that you could ever make

23:25

is when you just say , hey , I

23:27

need to hit reset and right now is the

23:29

perfect time to do that . You just kind of start

23:31

thinking about what are your overall

23:33

goals , what does your really overall

23:35

debt look like and

23:37

how do you move to the next step

23:39

? You may not have a goal . You may not have a financial

23:42

goal . Talk was one of our credit counselors

23:44

. They'll help you do that and it's free

23:46

. You can talk to somebody

23:48

either by phone or even in person

23:50

from eight to six every single day . You

23:53

want to schedule an appointment to do that ? Virtually , we can

23:55

also do that . Our Live

23:57

Better program is something that we work with our small

23:59

employers . Where we actually go , we have a team

24:01

of folks that goes into local

24:04

employers and we host different workshops

24:06

and a gift that we offer to them is

24:08

one on one with their employees to

24:10

discuss budgeting and just do an overall financial

24:13

help chat . And I

24:15

highly advise that you can reach out to

24:17

us online . I know there's so much

24:19

information to it in our show notes that you'll be

24:22

able to share , but please reach out

24:24

to us and just let us know how

24:26

we can help . Talking through these kind of things

24:28

is the best gift you can give yourself . So thank

24:30

you , emma , for having me .

24:31

Well , thank you for coming on and , yeah

24:34

, really , really good topic . That

24:36

wraps up another episode of the Live Better podcast

24:39

focusing on mastering credit help . We

24:41

hope you've gained valuable insights to navigate

24:43

and improve your financial wellbeing . Remember

24:46

your credit . Health is key and Centric is here

24:48

to support you on this journey . If

24:50

you found this episode helpful , please subscribe

24:52

, share and leave a review . Your feedback

24:55

shapes content that directly addresses

24:57

your financial needs . Keep the conversation

25:00

going on social media . Connect with us on

25:02

Facebook , at Centric FCU and on

25:04

all other platforms at MyCentric . Stay

25:07

updated on the latest insights and resources

25:09

tailored to help you master your credit health

25:11

. Centric is your dedicated companion

25:13

on your financial journey . Thanks for

25:15

being part of the Live Better podcast community

25:18

. Until next time , take care

25:20

and prioritize your financial wellbeing

25:22

.