Glinda Bridgforth - Girl, Get Your Credit Straight!: A Sisters Guide to Ditching Your Debt, Mending Your Credit, and Building a Strong Financial Future

Contents

To my husband and childhood sweetheart, Edward.
What a precious gift you are this second time around.
Thank you for your endless love and the powerful
insight that brought us back together again.

Acknowledgments

My philosophy in life is to put one foot in front of the other and move in the right direction. Who, other than God, would have guessed that my personal and professional journey could lead me down such an awesome path! I am a woman who is blessed and highly favored. So I wholeheartedly say, Thank you, God. I will continue to trust in you.

There are many people I would like to thank who have knowingly and unknowingly contributed to the completion of this book in obvious and not so obvious ways:

My wonderful parents: Walter and Opal Bridgforth. Thanks for giving me your blessing to move to California in 1977. That was the best move I ever made because it allowed me to grow up and become an independent woman. Returning to Detroit in 2000 to spend more quality time with you was my second best move ever. Thanks for so many new, precious memories and for helping me come full circle.

My incredible siblings and family: Ann and Joe for putting me on the prayer list at church; Barbara and Robert for showing me what perseverance is all about; Doris and Darrell for Saulsberry Resort and Spa; Yvonne and Van for the perfect mantra; Walter for being the best brother a girl could ask for; Anita for encouraging me to celebrate my accomplishments; and Paula for stepping up even more when my schedule got insanely busy. To my nieces and nephews whose growth makes me realize how quickly time is passing. I am proud of your many achievements: Sharon and Sonja, Yvette, Victor and Justin; Stephanie, Walter (welcome to the family), and Tracey; Kimberly, Elgin, Kaelyn, and EJ; and finally, Walter and Eddie.

My fabulous new family: Sandra and James Gantt; Martin Robinson, Jr.; LaShonda, Greg, Jonathan and Jalen Jackson; Leon Curtis; Lanard and Tanya Ingram; Glenn and Danette Culver; and Bob and Jo Seppla. Your acceptance, love, and timely words of encouragement mean more to me than you will ever know. Most importantly, thank you for loving and supporting Ed for so many years.

My remarkable Memphis family: Ruth Ellen Lester, Orell Bridgforth, Glenda Bridgforth, Lavan Kenney, Glennie Clark, Henry Ellen Taylor, Sabrina Gulledge, Annie Pearl Smith, Elaine Jackson, Denise Kenney, Janice Partee, Virginia Sanders, Deanna Roam, Rita Hines, Tina Birchett, Claudis Bridgforth (by way of Detroit), Gertrude and Eddie Bridgeforth. Thanks for being so warm, welcoming, and showing the real meaning of Southern hospitality. It is possible we may one day soon be neighbors!

My awesome sisterfriends: I get lifted each time our busy schedules allow us time to talk. Thank you Jackie Kennedy for being my best friend these last fifty-four years; Karen James for your objective insights that keep me centered and balanced; Charmaine McClarie for amazing wisdom and for offering to fly across the country in my hour of need; Venti Valdez for being my amazing photographer and for having a computer guru for a husband (thanks, Dino); Phyllis Bowie for sharing that emotional bruises do heal; Brenda Wade, Ph.D., for teaching me that treasure maps do work; Jwahir Gold, Vivian Vanderwerd, and my other Southwest Detroit sisters for hangin tough with me; and the entire wedding party not previously mentioned who had almost as much fun as me and Ed: Brenda J. Allen, Theodus Hall, Tim and Verna McDaniel, Connie Ellis Brown, Andrew Hopkins, Gene and Angela Louque, Rhonda and Stephen Moore.

Oprah Winfreythe phenomenal woman personifiedand her staff (especially Katy Davis, Candi Carter, and Tina Yee). Thank you for the opportunity of a lifetime. Participating as a financial coach in Americas Debt Diet was an incredibly rewarding experience reaching millions of viewers who tuned in and followed the steps. It has also made me stretch and grow in ways I never imagined. Thank you for the priceless gift. And heartfelt thanks to Jean Chatzky and David Bach for your support during our Debt Diet adventure. I am honored to call you my colleagues and my new friends. To Carol Hunter, Joycelyn Thompson, Lanta Evans-Motte, Gail Perry-Mason, and Dr. Ara Thomas-Brown: Thank you not only for your ideas and input during the yearlong process, but also for your affirmation and assistance.

My amazingly talented team: Thank you Nikki Carter, Kate Berardo, and Michele Bergeryour distinctive skills helped me bring Bridgforth Financial Management Group to a new level; Pamela Johnson and Darlene House for getting this project up and running; Kristin Loberg for seeing me to the finish line with amazing skill, talent, and much-needed encouragement not only related to writing, but also to my personal well-being. Ive never had so much fun! You each came into my life at the divine right time and I consider you a true godsend.

My fantastic publisher, editor, and agent: Thank you Broadway Books for believing in me and the GIRL brand for a third book! Thanks Ann Campbell for continuing to astonish me with your abilities. You make my work infinitely better! And Bonnie Solow for great representation, but more importantly for the perfect advice at the perfect time.

Other marvelous people who made a difference: Thanks John Mason in the Morning for the weekly radio gig; Donyale Adams-Winters for giving me peace of mind by helping Dad and therefore helping Mom; DeWayne Hayes and Cynthia Hathaway for inviting us to have fun in the midst of an intense schedule; Sisters United Network for your prayers and emails (sorry I couldnt get back to you, but I read them all!); television viewers for taking time to send lovely comments via telephone and e-mail (sorry I couldnt get back to you and I tried to read them all!); booksellers and events organizers for helping me empower sisters across the country; Essence for continuing to reference Straight and Grow in the magazine month after month; and finally my past, present, and future clients. Helping you helps me help others. Thanks for your willingness to reach out for support and for your ongoing confidence in my abilities.

My spiritual teacher: Thank you Pastor Joel Osteen for explaining the practical applications of Gods Word and encouraging us to live favor-minded with abundant joy.

Last but not least I thank my loving husband, my best friend, Edward L. Hodges, Jr. I am always filled with warm thoughts of you. Thank you for helping me recognize what is important in a partner and matebeing a truly good man and a praying man. Establishing our morning ritual of spiritual reading and prayer sets a positive tone for each day and strengthens our relationship with each other and with God. Thank you for understanding my work and sometimes hectic schedule. You are a great sounding board for ideas and an avid proofreader. I should have you check everything before it goes out! And thank you for the humor you bring to our lives daily. Yes, my family thinks youre kinda crazybut in a really good way. I love you much.

The Straight Story

L ets be honest. Peering into the lives of the rich and famousby way of glossy magazines and glitzy celebrity-obsessed TV showsmakes us envious of their lifestyle, clothes, bling, and the mansions they live in. We feel pushed to buy into designer culture and to measure up. We want to feel like members of the exclusive club and not outsiders looking in. Granted, we arent famous and dont have the outrageous financial resources that celebrities do. But on our own level, it means reaching for the restaurant bill even when a little voice inside says, Oh well, just because of this Im going to be short again this month. Or, I have to spend a lot on this gift so I dont look cheap. Or maybe youre just a sister who spends $500 on clothes and $300 on shoes, while making only $7.85 an hour. This is all possible, of course, largely through the use of credit.