Acknowledgments

Credit and credit scoring can be a complex subject, which means any journalist trying to cover this area of personal finance needs great sources. I’ve been extraordinarily fortunate to have found experts who not only knew their fields, but who were willing to spend time helping me understand them, too.

At the top of this list is Craig Watts, former spokesman for Fair Isaac Corp., who invested hours researching and carefully answering my endless questions. Others at Fair Isaac were also generous with their time and expertise, including Ryan Sjoblad, Lamont Boyd, Barry Paperno, Anthony Spauve, Christina L. Goethe and David Shellenberger. VantageScore CEO Barrett Burns and spokesman Jeff Richardson were valuable resources as well.

John Ulzheimer, founder of www.CreditExpertWitness.com, is another of my go-to sources. John has a few decades’ experience with credit, including stints at both Fair Isaac and Equifax, which gives him a unique depth of experience and authority.

Special thanks also to credit expert Gerri Detweiler, Robert Hunter of the Consumer Federation of America, Gail Hillebrand of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Deanne Loonin and Robin Leonard at Nolo Press, and the folks at Insurance Information Institute, VISA, and Citibank. Thanks, too, to Beth Givens of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse and Linda and Jay Foley, formerly of the Identity Theft Resource Center for their insights into credit fraud.

Sam Gerdano, executive director of the American Bankruptcy Institute and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, author of The Two-Income Trap: Why Middle-Class Mothers and Fathers Are Going Broke, provided their vast knowledge and perspective about the bankruptcy epidemic in America.

Richard Jenkins, formerly my editor at MSN Money, conceived and helped shape the series of bankruptcy stories I wrote for that Web site. The project deepened my understanding of the bankruptcy process and its effect on people and their credit. Thanks, too, to the hundreds who volunteered their personal stories about the often-difficult decision to file.

Then there are the cheerleaders—the people who encouraged me to take on and complete this sometimes daunting project. Leading the charge was my husband, Will Weston, who picked up a lot of slack around the house and encouraged me to return to my computer on those many nights when I would have much rather watched a rerun of Friends.

My friend and colleague, Kathy Kristof, gave a realistic assessment of what was in store when juggling family, full-time work, and book writing—but told me to go for it anyway.

My first editor at FT Press, Jim Boyd, instantly understood why this book needed to be written and guided me expertly along its route to completion. He and his staff at FT Press were and are terrific.

Finally, I’d like to thank my readers who generously shared their experiences, opinions, praise, and criticism. Your letters and emails helped shape the information in this book and inspired me to keep digging for answers that could make a real difference in your lives.