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Knowledge is the key to unlocking financial success. Experian is committed to increasing consumer understanding of financial concepts. By doing so we are confident that we can empower consumers, make a difference in our communities and help to create a better tomorrow As part of that commitment, Experian has contributed $475,000 to 10 non-profit organizations to boost personal finance education for the people they serve. The organizations support a range of communities, from military members and minorities, to youth programs and women trying to establish their own small businesses. Experian’s funds will help the following organizations strengthen financial education and help individuals make more informed financial decisions now and throughout their lives: Heroes at Home — $75,000 Heroes at Home partners provides financial education to U.S. military members and their families at Air Force bases across the United States. Experian’s support will enable the program to expand to additional bases and grow to include financial education events at key European Air Force bases, reaching more service men and women and their families serving our country. Grameen America — $75,000 Grameen America is a community development nonprofit that focuses on helping women in poverty build small businesses through micro-lending and education. Experian’s funds help women who are excluded from the financial system achieve financial inclusion and success by establishing their own micro-businesses. Working Credit — $30,000 Working Credit is a program that works with employers to conduct financial education in the workplace. Experian’s contribution will facilitate a pilot program with employers who have lower-wage employees in the retail and manufacturing sectors. The program will provide financial education for employees with three goals for employees:  increasing their credit score, investing in retirement savings and creating emergency funds. Financial Beginnings — $21,000 Financial Beginnings is a nonprofit organization that conducts financial education and training for adults and youth in the Pacific Northwest.  Experian’s funds will facilitate growth of the Financial Beginnings outreach by adding additional trainings. Junior Achievement — $42,000 Experian employees in the Boston volunteer with Junior Achievement of Northern New England, which provides financial education for youth. Experian’s contribution will enable a significant number of trained staff to volunteer their time to participate in youth financial education in the region. Society for Financial Education & Professional Development (SFE&PD) — $60,000 The SFE&PD’s mission is to improve financial literacy in the African American community through programs with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). The organization conducts financial education programs for students, faculty and staff. Experian’s funds will enable financial education programs at HBCUs across the country. America Saves First-Time Workers Program — $50,000 The America Saves First-Time Workers program brings together nonprofit organizations, municipal government and private business.  First-time workers are paired by government agencies with businesses and must participate in financial education through their employer. Experian’s grant is being used to expand the program to additional cities and to reach more low- and moderate-income summer youth workers. JumpStart National Financial Educator Conference — $50,000 Experian funding will support the JumpStart National Financial Educator Conference, which is dedicated to personal finance education for classroom teachers.  Teachers who participate in the conference conduct trainings with colleagues across their school systems to implement financial education in their schools, reaching tens-of-thousands of students each year. Additionally, Experian employees volunteer with JumpStart state coalitions to encourage financial education in our schools. LifeSmarts — $22,000 Funds from Experian  will support the LifeSmarts growth initiative to strengthen its relationships with 4-H and U.S. Air Force to help grow participation among military youth. LifeSmarts now has more than 250,000 participants annually in more than 5,000 public schools, as well as youth organizations including 4-H, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA). LifeSmarts provides volunteer opportunities for Experian employees who want to attend competitions and submit questions for the LifeSmarts National Championships based on their areas of expertise in financial literacy. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County — $25,000 This is the fourth year that Experian has awarded Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County a grant for its Behind School Walls program. The initiative pairs professional adults with high school freshmen. The mentor/mentee relationship continues through the students’ senior year.

Financial education for me as I was growing up consisted of two things. The first was learning how to balance a checkbook register in sixth grade. But that had everything to do with addition and subtraction. There was no discussion of what a checking account was or how it should be used. The second was about credit, and it came from my parents. In my mother’s view, credit was a gift from God. My father’s perspective was that credit is evil. In time, I learned that neither view is financially healthy — or true. I wish I had been taught that credit — when used properly — is a financial tool, that debt is a financial problem, and that you can have one without the other. Instead, I graduated from college with $25,000 in student loan debt, which is about average now. But that was 26 years ago, so I guess it made me above average then. “Credit is a financial tool, and debt is a financial problem.” I also got a credit card for each T-shirt I signed up for and every drawing I entered to win a prize. That led to the pay-one-balance-with-another-card strategy, until I couldn’t make it work. I finally had the epiphany: The way to fix the credit problem was to quit spending. I proudly managed to pay all my debts on the salary of a small-town newspaper reporter — a whopping $13,000 a year at the time. But it was a long, slow process with a steep learning curve. Apparently, I was a pioneer in the gig economy, finding odd jobs outside of work to make a bit more money, which helped pay my debts a bit faster. If anyone wants to learn the Texas two-step, let me know! “True financial health is making your money work for you, not you working for your money.” Eventually, I discovered that true financial health is making your money work for you, not you working for your money, no matter how little or much of it you have. Even on a reporter’s salary, I could have a steak dinner once a month — granted, it was at a restaurant where you got the steak, potato, salad bar and drink for $7.50. For many things in life, learning from your mistakes makes sense. Financial health is not one of them. That’s why financial education and financial inclusion are so important to me and my work at Experian. Giving people the knowledge they need to make financially healthy choices before they make mistakes ensures they have a much brighter financial future and a much healthier relationship with money and credit. Financial health matters. That’s why we’re joining the Center for Financial Services Innovation and the nation’s leading banks, financial services providers and nonprofits in supporting #FinHealthMatters Day on June 27, 2017. Tell us, how is your financial health?

In America, 138 million adults are struggling financially.* That’s nearly half the country’s population. Financial health matters. That’s why we’re joining the Center for Financial Services Innovation and the nation’s leading banks, financial services providers and nonprofits in supporting #FinHealthMatters Day on June 27, 2017. We’re at a critical point in our nation’s history. We need to make a stand and address the root causes of financial instability in this country. I believe the lack of financial education and access to cheaper financial products are two of the key contributors impacting people’s financial health today. Financial education drives better financial health Very early in my childhood, I learned the value of a Deutsche mark — or rather a dollar, as we say in the States. I grew up in Germany, where my father was an insurance salesman, a profession where money was sometimes tight. It was my parents’ financial principles that helped them weather the harder days and leverage the better ones. Their golden rule was always to live within their means. To help me grasp this concept, my parents gave me a modest weekly allowance I had to earn by contributing to household chores. Unfortunately, there were no dishwashers when I was growing up so I had the pleasure of hand-washing every dish at the end of each day. What seemed painful in the moment was rewarded with the funds to be able to do what I enjoyed most, like go to the movies or buy tapes to record my favorite tunes on my tape recorder. I had the freedom to spend my money the way I saw fit, but I could only spend what I had earned. It forced me to learn how to manage my money to have enough for the things I wanted or needed. In the United States, 23% of households can’t save because they spend more than their income. -Center for Financial Services Innovation To encourage their savings principle, my parents added an extra incentive to the allowance. If I didn’t spend all my money but rather saved it, I got a pay raise. Depending on the percentage of how much I saved, I saw incremental increases. The more I saved, the more generous the increase. I quickly learned that saving money had a better return than the hour or so spent in a movie theater. 43% of Americans struggle to pay bills and credit obligations. -Center for Financial Services Innovation Thankfully, I was lucky enough to have parents who taught me basic personal finance skills that set me up for success in my adult life. Unfortunately, unless they have parents who are savvy with money, most people will not learn these simple principles because they aren’t taught in most schools. We know education gives people a step up in life. Imagine how financial education would help people increase their financial health by leaps and bounds. This is why we have a dedicated public education team at Experian to provide consumers with proper credit information. This is also why we financially support nonprofits that share our mission of strengthening financial education. Access to credit increases financial health When I moved from Germany to America in 2001, I was part of the underbanked population. I had no credit history. I was invisible to financial institutions. Due to this, I faced many difficulties in accessing mainstream banking services and low-cost loans. 27% of U.S. households are either unbanked or underbanked. -Center for Financial Services Innovation This is a common issue for many people in this country, particularly low-income individuals and immigrants. These consumers are forced to turn to predatory lenders, which means it’s costing them significantly more for basic financial services. In 2015, these consumers spent a combined $141 billion in fees and interest just to manage their day-to-day financial lives.* Fortunately, my bank took into consideration the fact I paid my rent and utilities on time, and that’s how I built my credit. Others aren’t so lucky and will be in the same vicious cycle the rest of their lives, never improving their financial health — unless we do more. At Experian, we want to give the broader population an opportunity to do the same as I did. That’s why we’re working on bridging the gap between underbanked consumers and financial institutions. One way we accomplish this is through alternative data — data that has never been considered in credit decisions by financial institutions. Rental payments weren’t considered until Experian led this industry in incorporating this data into credit files. This data helps the underserved community establish credit histories. The result is greater access to more affordable credit and the overall improvement of their financial health. Our commitment to help improve financial health The struggling majority is the reason I come to work every day. In my role, I have a huge responsibility to consumers. Knowing firsthand that financial education and establishing credit are the pillars of financial stability, it’s my job to make sure we’re finding innovative ways to help people achieve outstanding financial health.   *2016 Financially Underserved Market Size Study published by the Center for Financial Services Innovation http://cfsinnovation.org/research/2016-financially-underserved-market-size-study/