CreditSmart is a financial education curriculum and consumer outreach initiative designed by Freddie Mac to help consumers build and maintain better credit, make sound financial decisions, and understand the steps to successful long-term homeownership. CreditSmart increases consumers financial understanding by teaching them life-long money management skills and showing them how to avoid costly mistakes.  The MEDC presents the 12-module curriculum in a 5-week series.

 

Download course materials here [pdf only]

 

• Your Credit and Why It Is Important
  Freddie Mac believes that the single most effective way to prepare consumers for homeownership is to educate them on the importance of using credit wisely. This module introduces credit, basic terminology, and the importance of building a better credit record.

• Managing Your Money
  Explains the importance of developing a spending plan and developing wise spending habits, and provides tips on how to save money.

• Goal Setting
  Describes the importance of setting goals to achieve financial objectives.

• Banking Services: An Important Step
  Provides information on the basics of banking and the importance of establishing a relationship with a financial institution to build credit, save money, and achieve goals.

• Establishing and Maintaining Good Credit
  Provides information on how to establish a credit presence and maintain a good credit history. The module also reviews the contents of a credit report, as well as the primary credit and consumer protection laws.

• Understanding Credit Scoring
  Describes credit scoring from a borrower's perspective and illustrates how consumer behavior affects credit scores.

• Thinking Like a Lender
  Explains how lenders and other financial institutions determine creditworthiness and how it relates to credit scores.

• Avoiding Credit Traps
  Provides tips to avoid credit traps, identity theft, and predatory lending practices that can consume personal resources and severely damage credit histories.

• Restoring Your Credit
  Explains how to deal with credit difficulties and provides tips on how to restore impaired credit.

• Planning for Your Future
  Outlines the process to achieve goals and attain financial security.

• Becoming a Homeowner
  Provides practical information on how to prepare to obtain a mortgage and own a home.

• Preserving Homeownership: Protecting Your Home Investment
  This newest curriculum module contains a wealth of information on understanding home equity, maintaining and improving your home, preparing for emergencies, and recognizing scams. It also includes a comprehensive section on alternatives to foreclosure.

• Visit Freddie Mac at www.freddiemac.com