Credit scores are often the deciding factor for people’s most important financial milestones. Whether it’s getting approved for a mortgage, buying a car, or getting a loan, those three digits can make or break a person’s life. 

But what might surprise you is that finding errors in your credit score is extremely common, and trying to fix it brings a whole other set of issues.

We hear from award-winning journalist Emily Baron Cadloff, who wrote the cover story of the June issue of The Walrus.

She explains how credit scores have grown to hold so much power over our lives.

Baron Cadloff then debunks some popular misconceptions about credit scores and talks about how common credit-score errors are and how to avoid them. 

Finally, Baron Cadloff breaks down the main takeaways from her latest piece.

Links:

• How Credit Scores Can Run—and Ruin—Our Lives
• Canada’s Middle Class Is on the Brink of Ruin
• Owning Our Privilege

This week’s episode was produced and edited by Yasmin Duale and Simran Singh. Thanks so much to Emily Baron Cadloff for joining us.

Music Credits:

“Impact Prelude” by Kevin MacLeod

Link: incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/7565-impact-prelude

License: filmmusic.io/standard-license

“Inspired” by Kevin MacLeod

Link: incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3918-inspired

License: filmmusic.io/standard-license