At 18 years old, Ashley was already thinking about something most people don’t worry about for years: her credit.
Ashley, an avid Kikoff member, was kind enough to sit down with us and share her story. Her tenacity, resourcefulness, and dedication to progress inspired us. It's a story worth sharing.
After a divorce and the sale of her home, Ashley’s credit took a serious hit. Her once-strong credit dropped into the low 600s. Eventually, financial hardship pushed her to a point she never expected to experience. “I actually started using Kikoff when I was homeless in Florida,” she told us.
Ashley knew she needed to rebuild her credit, but the traditional options weren’t realistic for her situation. Many credit-building products require a secured card deposit of $200 or more — money she simply didn’t have available at the time. While searching for solutions online, she came across Kikoff and later saw it again through Credit Karma.
“What stood out to me immediately was the accessibility.”
“It was only about $20 a month,” she explained. “Most of the other options wanted hundreds of dollars just to get started.” For someone trying to rebuild from the ground up, that difference was critical. Ashley also had another motivation: she wanted to launch a business and open an LLC. But with credit sitting in the low 600s, lenders and financial institutions offered only friction.
Small steps towards meaningful progress.
Ashley started using Kikoff and later added a secured card to her credit mix. Quickly, she began seeing meaningful changes across her credit reports.
Ashley’s Results:
With ~9 months with Kikoff, she saw:
- 100+ points added to Experian
- 103 points added to TransUnion
- An additional 30-point jump after the first 6 months
Rebuilding Stability
The impact of rebuilding her credit went beyond the numbers. Ashley eventually moved from Florida to Michigan with relative ease. Instead of facing denials or out-of-reach deposit requirements, she secured an apartment with just a $300 deposit. She recently renewed her lease for another six months and plans to upgrade to a larger place once her business launches. Improving her credit helped her reach an important milestone: meeting the 640 threshold often required for home construction loans, putting her back on track toward a long-term goal she first set at 18 years old.
Rebuilding Takes Time
Ashley frequently recommends Kikoff to friends and others in similar situations. “People sometimes question the monthly costs,” she said. “But when you’re trying to rebuild, having something that reports consistently and helps you build history really matters.” For Ashley, credit wasn’t just about fixing a number. It was about rebuilding stability, step by step.
Want to take a page out of her playbook? Start building with Kikoff through affordable, on-time payments.
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