Welcome. I'm Richard, and this community exists because I got tired of watching good people make expensive credit decisions on bad information. Nobody in my family taught me this stuff. I landed in an industry full of terms nobody had ever explained to me, and I spent a decade learning them on the job. Then I noticed I was answering the same questions over and over — for lawyers, engineers, carpenters, mechanics, contractors. Smart people from every walk of life, all missing the same foundation. So I built this as the hub for it. Four steps to get started: Step 1 - Go to the Start Here course in the Classroom. Step 2 - Read the community rules. Protect your personal information. Step 3 - Introduce yourself using the template below. Step 4 - Put the Credit Strategy Lab on your calendar. Fridays, 4pm ET, every week. Introduction template: My name: My main financial goal: My timeline: The part of credit or money I understand least: One win I want in the next 30 days: You do not need perfect credit to be here and you do not need to know the terminology. Nobody gets embarrassed in this room. Bring real questions. Do the work. Help the person who joins after you. Let's get fluent. Came from YouTube? That's where I post new videos every week: https://www.youtube.com/@RichardGuerreroYT

Short list. All of it exists to keep this room useful and to keep you safe. Rule 1: Never post personal information. No account numbers, no full card numbers, no Social Security number, no date of birth, no full address, no screenshots of your credit report with identifying details visible. Cover it or type the numbers out instead. Nobody here needs your data to help you, and anyone who asks you for it is not helping you. Rule 2: No selling, no recruiting, no DM pitches. This is not a lead list. Do not pitch credit repair, tradelines, funding programs, coaching, or anything else in posts, comments, or private messages. Do it once and you are out. That rule includes me, which is the whole point: I do not originate loans here, I do not take referrals, and I do not accept compensation from lenders, agents, or title companies for anything that happens in this community. Rule 3: Ask the real question. "How do I fix my credit" gets you nothing. "My utilization is 68 percent across three cards, I have 90 days before I apply, what order do I pay them in" gets you a real answer. Give me numbers, a timeline, and what you have already tried. That is all I need. Rule 4: Nobody gets embarrassed here. Every person in this room started out not knowing this. Collections, a bankruptcy, a repo, a 480 score, a foreclosure eight years ago. Post it. You will not get a lecture and you will not get judged. If you make someone feel stupid for asking, you are the problem, not them. Rule 5: Search before you post. There is a good chance it has been answered already. Use the search bar at the top. If the existing answer does not fit your situation, post yours and say what is different about it. Rule 6: Education only. Nothing in this community is legal advice, tax advice, or a guarantee of a specific score or approval. Lenders have their own overlays and your file is your file. I will tell you how the system works and what usually happens. What actually happens is between you and an underwriter.