Felicia came to the Akron FEC because she was a victim of identity theft, which gravely impacted her credit score. “I had issues financing my car and even trying to find my first apartment. I had been trying hard to dispute the things I didn’t do, but I needed a financial counselor to help.”
With the help of her counselor, Felicia was able to dispute these issues and raise her credit score 70 points. “One of my main goals was to raise my credit score so that it can be high when I am ready to own a home.”
An increase in credit score was what Felicia came to the FEC for, but she ended up with so much more. “Working with the FEC counselor also helped me track my spending so I’m not spending mindlessly on things that are not within my budget. It continues to provide me with tools to know how to get my money to go where it’s supposed to go.”
Working with a FEC counselor has also helped Felicia take positive steps towards her financial future.
“My counselor helped me understand things I didn’t know as much about, like retirement savings or a Roth IRA. Now, I’m making sure that when I’m older I won’t be surprised or scrambling to make ends meet when I retire.”
Felicia plans to continue working with her FEC counselor to maintain progress for both her long-term goals of retirement and short-term goals like paying off her car and student loans. “Right now, I’m working to pay my car off sooner than expected so then I can put that money towards my student loan balance or even saving for a home.”