Credit used to feel like this dark cloud following me around. Now, I feel accomplished. I feel confident. I feel like I can plan for the future.

When Roberta Smith talks about her financial journey, you hear wisdom, resilience, and a determination to do better for herself, her family, and her future.

Living in Lockhart, Texas, Roberta works as a Claims Resolution Specialist at Austin Regional Clinic (ARC). She also identifies as a wife, mother, and grandmother who spent her life caring for others and managing the household finances, learning the hard way how credit can take a turn. “My husband and I weren’t good with credit cards or managing debt versus income. We struggled,” she shares. But when her children became adults and the house grew quiet, Roberta knew it was time to focus on herself. “Being empty nesters, I wanted to understand and fix my credit.”

That’s when she found Working Credit in her employee benefits package. “I was kind of flipping through the benefits, I saw information about the organization, and it talked about helping people to better understanding credit. It really struck a chord because my husband and I had this bad credit. We knew we’d always had to get higher loan interest rate loans.”

From the moment Roberta connected with her credit counselor, Ivory, things started to shift. Through workshops and one-on-one counseling, she began understanding how credit really works, not just the scores, but the systems behind them. “I had no idea you needed to have credit to build credit. For so long, we thought paying everything in cash was the right move. We just didn’t know.”

The knowledge she built became power. Over the course of a year and a half, Roberta not only saw her credit score rise by over 30 points—she also opened her first 401(k), started paying off lingering debts, and began dreaming out loud about homeownership and a second vehicle. “Ivory helped me realize that goals can be flexible. Even if you don’t hit them right away, you just take that next step.”

Possibly the most impactful has been the emotional weight lifted. “Credit used to feel like this dark cloud following me around. Now, I feel accomplished. I feel confident. I feel like I can plan for the future.”

Roberta encourages others, especially those unsure if this program is for them to take that first step. “Just go on the website. Make the initial contact. It doesn’t cost anything but a little time. And the peace of mind you get in return? That’s everything.”

She also hopes more employers begin to see Working Credit as more than just a benefit, it’s a way to support their employees’ well-being. “Financial stress is real. If your employer can offer a tool like this, it helps people show up better at work, and in life.”

At 56, Roberta is just getting started. “I’m not settling. I want to get to the highest credit score I can. And I know I will—because I’ve got the tools, and I’ve got the support.”