Shindy Chen - The Credit Cleanup Book: Improving Your Credit Score, Your Greatest Financial Asset

About the Author

SHINDY CHEN is an editorial manager at Vantage Production, a publisher of content and marketing materials and communications for mortgage industry professionals, their clients, and business referral partners. In this role she conceptualizes and creates digital and print content used for marketing and sales purposes.

Previously she was a vice president and regional mortgage manager at Wachovia Mortgage, now Wells Fargo Mortgage, and a senior loan originator at CTX Mortgage, sister company of former Fortune 250 home builder Centex Homes. Over her career she worked with more than 300 clients and their credit reports daily, closing over $100 million in gross mortgage volume.

Shindy worked in financial broadcast news at CNBC in the United States on the primetime show Mad Money with Jim Cramer and on European markets morning shows for Bloomberg TV in London, United Kingdom.

In addition to her current role she founded and curates Girl, Goin Gone (www.girlgoingone.com), a female travel safety site.

Shindy also writes creative content and copy for tech start-ups and digital advertising agencies. Her work can be seen on websites, and web and mobile applications serving the entertainment, beauty, fashion, finance, and technology industries.

Shindy attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in English Literature, has an MBA from Georgia State University, and a Master de Management from the Sorbonne Graduate School of Business in Paris, France. She also studied at COPPEAD, the business school at Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

I started this project in 2008, after I left the mortgage industry to pursue business school and subsequently combine my love for journalism and media with my finance knowledge. Forget the left or right brain debate; I love to write, I love art and design, all things digital and tech, and also numbers and analytics. And I love people who can see that in me and support that.

Many thanks to Beverly Langford for not batting an eyelash when asked for advice on getting published; its because of great teachers, leaders, and communicators like you, who instill confidence in writers like me. By the way, Beverlys book, The Etiquette Edge: The Unspoken Rules for Business Success, is a reminder for anyone, whether self-employed, or working at a start-up or large corporation, that courtesy and manners go a long way in business relationships.

Thanks to Stan Wakefield for ever-amusing commentary and giving me the proverbial kick-in-the-arse to resume this project upon my return from across the pond. Though the postrecession timing worked out better in the end, dont you think?

Many thanks to Hilary Claggett at ABC-CLIO/Praeger for advice, responsiveness, and insight from start to finish. And for believing in and supporting this project. I doubt many authors have such an experienced editor as you, and I consider myself a lucky one! Also thanks to Nicole Azze, Erin Henry, Catherine Lafuente, and Anthony Chiffolo at ABC-CLIO.

To my friends who also happened to be contributors to this book: the man James Dorcely, the inimitable Michael Karp, my dear colleague Joe Petriccione, the wonderful Jason sign the f-ing thing Womack, and the lovely Mary Joan Cunningham. Thank you. I am blessed to have such incredible, smart, and successful people in my personal as well as professional circle.

Many thanks to Chris Welker at Welker and Associates, and Steve White at American Credit Repair, for your willingness to share your expertiseIm so grateful to you both. To Josh Reich and Krista Berlincourt at Simple, I wish you guys all the best of luckyou are revolutionizing American banking as we know it. To Olivier Lemaignen and Jenn Jacobsen at Credit Sesame for your participationlove what you guys do and thank you. To Bethy Hardeman at Credit Karma, many thanks for your eagerness to help. To Anthony Sprauve at myFICO.com, thanks for your contributions.

To Dana Neal, many thanks for writing the tome on credit and allowing me to share your expertise with the world.

Thank you to Jeff Kuns, for being patient while showing me all the tips and tricks to using Scrivener, and for being my cheerleader, writer to writer.

To Francisco Reynoso, for providing graphics and always getting my design visions. Youre the best. To my colleagues at Vantage Production who support me and allow me to flourish: Thank you.

To my family: Thank you and lots of love to Mom and Dad for showing me the value of hard workand for providing me from an early age, with the foundation and drive that have led to the endless opportunities that I seek today. See? The English degree wasnt such a bad choice after all. To Michael and Kim for your love, support, and understanding, always.

Thank you to my dear friends and loved ones around the world who truly look out for me, love, understand, and propel me in everything I do, as crazy as it all may seem at times: you know who you areall my love.

Thanks to the folks at NeueHouse and DT-UT for keeping me caffeinated, and being my alternate spaces to write this baby up. Though I did write this in various other parts of the worldwhen I wasnt busy working on Girl, Goin Gone.

Finally, thank you to my all of my past mortgage clients in the metro Atlanta area. I am grateful for the opportunity to have learned from and worked in such a fast-paced, multifaceted, and demanding industry, and to have met so many professionals and families from all walks of life. Bad, good, excellent credityou represent the readers of this book.

Without you, I wouldnt have been able to complete this project with such firsthand knowledge. I remember your faces, your stress, your joys, and I hope you are all doing well, and are staying blessed.

ARTICLES

Andriotis, AnnaMaria. 10 Things Credit Bureaus Wont Say. MarketWatch. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/10-things-credit-bureaus-wont-say-2013-02-15 (accessed July 3, 2014).

Detweiler, Gerri. The Best Way to Consolidate Debt. MarketWatch. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/whats-the-best-way-to-consolidate-debt-2014-02-17 (accessed July 3, 2014).

Dzikowski, Patricia. Negotiating on Credit Card Debt. http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/negotiating-credit-card-debt.html (accessed July 3, 2014).

Federal Trade Commission. Amended Free Credit Reports Rule Helps Consumers Avoid Free Offers That Cost Money. http://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2010/04/amended-free-credit-reports-rule-helps-consumers-avoid-free (accessed July 3, 2014).

Federal Trade Commission. Consumer Information. Credit Repair: How to Help Yourself. http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0058-credit-repair-how-help-yourself (accessed July 3, 2014).

Federal Trade Commission. Provisions of New Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act Will Help Reduce Identity Theft and Help Victims Recover: FTC. Federal Trade Commission. http://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2004/06/provisions-new-fair-and-accurate-credit-transactions-act-will (accessed July 3, 2014).

Howard, Clark. Paying Off Credit Card Debt. Clark Howard: Save More, Spend Less and Avoid Rip-offs. http://www.clarkhoward.com/news/clark-howard/personal-finance-credit/paying-off-credit-card-debt/nFbH/ (accessed July 3, 2014).

Morales, Tatiana. Understanding Your Credit Score. CBSNews. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/understanding-your-credit-score/ (accessed July 3, 2014).

Obringer, Lee Ann. How Credit Reports Work. HowStuffWorks. http://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/debt-management/credit-report.htm (accessed July 3, 2014).

Orman, Suze. Get Your FICO Score. http://apps.suzeorman.com/igsbase/igstemplate.cfm?SRC=MD012&SRCN=aoedetails&GnavID=84&SnavID=20&TnavID=&AreasofExpertiseID=20 (accessed July 3, 2014).