Stephen Gold visits towns all over New Jersey, giving free talks on financial literacy to underserved communities. “I probably speak to over 10,000 people a year - these are people that really need help and I’m incredibly touched by the stories I hear and the letters I receive from people I’ve helped”, Stephen says.

Haunted By Bad Credit

What may come as a surprise, is that only three years ago, Stephen’s credit was so bad he couldn’t even rent an apartment and actually had to live in his car for over a month. “Yeah, I had paid some bills late and got in a little over my head with debt, but I had no idea how bad my credit score was or that I could be denied a place to live because of it”.

“Most people are shocked to learn how much these credit companies know about you and how much influence your credit has on your life”, Stephen told us when we met with him after a recent speech he gave to young parents.

“I try to drive home the point as strongly as possible that the most important number in your life isn’t your age or even your income, it’s your credit score”.

A Shocking Revelation

Stephen is very open about his past and recounts how shocked he was to find out his score was only 540. “I didn’t even know scores went that low. I mean banks won’t even talk to you if your score is under 650”.

Credit Repair Companies Were Worse Than Useless

He recounted how he reached out to a few “credit repair” companies he found online, but they took his money (up front!) and two months later his score had gone DOWN by 10 points. “There are too many fly-by-night credit repair companies out there that are good at selling but terrible at fixing your credit”, Stephen said.

Credit Sesame And The Big Turnaround

Then Stephen found Credit Sesame, a service that provides a credit score, credit monitoring and guidance on how to improve your score...all for FREE.

“Credit Sesame did a hundred times more for me - for free - than these credit repair companies had done after charging me hundreds of dollars”, Stephen excitedly recalled.

They showed him the items on his report that were causing his low score and gave him straightforward, easy to follow advice on how to improve his score:

1. Get current on two credit cards he was 60 days past-due on

2. Contact the hospital where he had an outstanding, unpaid $800 bill, and work out a payment plan

3. Consolidate the balances on 4 credit cards onto a single card, and cancel the others

A 230 Point Improvement In Just Four Months!

Stephen says he was skeptical that this alone could dramatically improve his score, but he took Credit Sesame’s advice and when he looked at his score three months later, it had gone from 530 to 660 - an improvement of 130 points!  About a month later, after everything he’d done was reflected on his report, his score was 760. “All of a sudden, I’m getting offers in the mail for credit cards, car loans, home mortgages - and I didn’t even own a home! Banks were seeking me out to lend me money, it was crazy.”

Using His Experience - and Credit Sesame - To Help Others

Stephen uses his own experience to help others. “It’s amazing how many stories I hear that sound just like mine and how many people have been taken advantage of by unethical credit repair companies. I always tell people to try Credit Sesame - they’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain. I guess I’m sort of a Credit Sesame evangelist.”

Stephen lamented, “It’s sad, but we’re a nation of debtors. Banks make credit so easily available that too many people get in over their heads and it just ruins their lives. Thank God for companies like Credit Sesame that help these people fix their past mistakes so they can have brighter futures”.