During my 20s, I quickly went from being a new mom living in a new house to becoming a divorced Solo Mom living in a tiny cottage on my parents’ farm. In picking up the pieces of my life, my first priority was financial independence. My goal was to get my own credit, buy my own car, and eventually buy a house. That quest for financial freedom was quickly dampened by the realization that I had bad credit. Even more upsetting, I had no idea how that had happened. Looking for a job to make ends meet, it became a natural transition for me to begin working as a subcontractor for a credit-repair company. I soon learned that FICO scoring is the cornerstone to financial freedom. I repaired my own credit reports, increased my FICO score, and began a new, self-directed life of financial control. In 2000, I founded The Kelly Group, which grew to become one of the most successful and trusted credit-consulting companies in the Northeast. I’ve appeared on NBC’s Today show and have been quoted in media outlets including CNN, Money, and the New York Times. In 2011, I released my book, The 90 Day Credit Challenge.