Learning to be Mindful and Deliberate About Financial Decisions

This post was sponsored by CreditWise by Capital One, but all opinions are completely my own. For more information about CreditWise, click here: www.capitalone.com/creditwise.

Although I was close to 25 years old when I met my future husband, it wasn’t until our relationship got serious that I began to consider my life as adult. I spent a lot of my youth making some very mature decisions and a lot of questionable ones, too. A lot of those decisions came without the real consideration of any kind of consequence, a somewhat freebie allowed by youth that dissipates quickly as time goes on.

Once we got married and started family planning, some of the lack of deliberate decision making came back to haunt me as we applied for student and car loans. We had a ton of big plans coming in the form of a cross-country move for dental school and a baby on the way. Building my credit hadn’t been a priority for me up until then, and I regretted it. Fast forward 10 years, five children and a few major location changes and I’ve only recently learned to monitor my personal credit and make good decisions that affect that number positively.  I downloaded CreditWise from Capital One to help monitor my credit score and the factors impacting it on a daily basis.

We still have a lot of things we want to do that rely heavily on the status of our individual credit scores. Buying a home and land in the Bay Area is at the top of our list, and something that once felt totally unattainable. With CreditWise, I’m able to see the potential impact of my financial decisions right away.

The app is free, easy to use, and alerts you when there are updates to your TransUnion credit report.  It also provides details about what affects my current credit score. CreditWise offers a credit simulator that has 17 different scenarios you can test to see how each might affect your personal score (such as paying off a big bill, or increasing a credit line). I’ve made some decisions based on the information in the CreditWise app (like opening new lines of credit and making sure not to be late on any bill payments) that I can now see reflected in score improvements. It’s addicting, and one of my new favorite apps.

With big decisions and major financial investments on the horizon, it’s imperative that we maintain excellent credit health for the long-term.  I’m happy with CreditWise because I feel more in control of my score, and it’s made me more responsible and financially accountable overall. I feel empowered with this information to make smart decisions that will positively affect me and my family, and I encourage you to download this free app to help you do the same.