This episode offer a comprehensive overview of the financial challenges and opportunities for immigrants in the U.S., focusing heavily on building a secure financial foundation and accessing major loans. Several articles stress the importance of understanding basic financial tools like debit and credit cards for managing money responsibly, avoiding debt traps, and eventually establishing a credit history, often pointing to community banks and credit unions as beneficial resources for newcomers. A major research piece from the Urban Institute investigates the systemic barriers, particularly the lack of mainstream mortgage financing for Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) holders, who are predominantly Latino, despite evidence suggesting that ITIN loans perform well. The collective texts emphasize that overcoming these hurdles requires a combination of personal financial literacy and policy changes to expand access to essential financial products, especially in the housing market, for this underserved demographic.