We're moving forward passed an obstacle in our plan to build wealth, develop passive income and achieve financial independence.

Your credit score tells lenders whether you are likely to repay loans. A higher credit score is in your best interest. Learn what you can do to improve your credit score quickly.

Your FICO score is an indicator to banks and financial institutions of how dependable you are with money. We know the higher your score, the better. But just how high should you aim? We'll talk about that and why this three-digit number matters.

This series will cover the basics of understanding credit and what you can do to improve it.

Melanie Lockert used the "good debt", student loans, to fund her undergraduate and masters degrees. When she couldn't find full-time work, she battled depression, loneliness, and self-confidence issues. Writing a Dear Debt letter and taking action helped her rebound emotionally and financially from a dark hole and helped her pay back all $81,000 of her student loan debt.

September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. If you debt has you down and you are plagued with thoughts of hurting yourself, please seek help. Melanie did and it was useful. NAMI is a good place to start.

Spending energy and time on unproductive relationships can sap your debt free progress. We wrap up our look into obstacles to the debt-free lifestyle by exploring why and how connections come into play. 

Connections matter. Be intentional about who you permit into your social circle.

A lot!

Accomplishing something as life-altering as digging out of debt will not happen without change. We have to change our priorities, our environment, and our habits to make the progress needed to be successful in this endeavor.

Change is hard and can be an obstacle if we let it.

Work on developing the courage necessary to become debt free. Be bold about your mission. Be bold about dealing with temptations to give up. You have to stand up to outside forces and yourself. 

If you want to be a debt-free success story, consistency must become a part of your routine. Have you struggled in this area? We'll look at obstacles and tips for developing a consistent habit to pay off debt.

Effrem Jackson has 12 years of experience in the financial services industry. However, we focus on the three years it took him and his wife to pay off $40,000 of consumer debt. Toward the end of their journey, they experience a potentially life-changing course of action that was confirmation that debt freedom is a wise lifestyle of choice.