#ExperianStories: Marcelino Sugasti

00:00:00:03 – 00:00:02:03 Hello, I’m Marcelino Sugasti 00:00:02:08 – 00:00:03:27 and I am part of the procurement department. 00:00:04:03 – 00:00:06:16 Today I will be talking about my credit journey 00:00:06:21 – 00:00:08:01 here in the United States. 00:00:12:01 – 00:00:17:19 My story starts this way: I came here almost 10 years ago, 00:00:17:29 – 00:00:18:29 oh my God, 00:00:20:21 – 00:00:24:04 because I was working with this beer company 00:00:24:09 – 00:00:26:15 and they moved me here. 00:00:26:21 – 00:00:29:26 I remember that I was, in that time, 00:00:31:15 – 00:00:34:03 brand new to everything credit-related. 00:00:34:11 – 00:00:36:25 I didn’t even know what a credit score was 00:00:37:01 – 00:00:41:23 I didn’t even know anything related to my social security number, 00:00:41:28 – 00:00:43:18 that in that time was brand new. 00:00:43:26 – 00:00:47:29 And I remember a lot of people telling me crazy stories about it. 00:00:48:04 – 00:00:53:02 I remember at that time was living in San Francisco, 00:00:54:01 – 00:00:57:23 and used to walk or ride shares everywhere, 00:00:58:25 – 00:01:04:01 until a point in time when I wanted to make long trips 00:01:04:06 – 00:01:07:22 and so I decided to buy my own car. 00:01:08:11 – 00:01:12:01 I remember that I went to a dealership and told them, 00:01:12:13 – 00:01:14:13 “I’m interested in buying a car.” 00:01:14:25 – 00:01:18:09 So he sat with me, ran a credit check on me and told me 00:01:18:15 – 00:01:23:09 that given that I had no credit history, 00:01:24:22 – 00:01:25:27 I was high risk. 00:01:26:28 – 00:01:31:29 And it gave me a very high rate, ridiculously high, 00:01:32:03 – 00:01:36:12 which I rejected. 00:01:37:20 – 00:01:40:12 And I left that place feeling disappointed and a little sad. 00:01:41:06 – 00:01:45:03 I remember that I got back home and I called one of my friends 00:01:45:08 – 00:01:49:06 and he told me “Oh, that’s because you do not have credit. 00:01:49:11 – 00:01:52:09 You need to start building credit so I recommend you get 00:01:54:05 – 00:01:56:26 a credit card with a low limit 00:01:57:20 – 00:02:02:18 and then, after a couple of months, you go back to the dealership 00:02:02:23 – 00:02:06:01 and then you’re gonna have a better credit score.” 00:02:06:06 – 00:02:07:17 That was what I did. 00:02:10:00 – 00:02:13:16 I remember I was having a very good management of my credit cards 00:02:14:00 – 00:02:19:17 and the bank gave me more credit cards and they increased my credit limit. 00:02:20:05 – 00:02:23:18 So, everything was ok until the day 00:02:24:19 – 00:02:29:29 my company decided to downsize and move the operation to Mexico. 00:02:30:05 – 00:02:32:13 I remember it was a bad period of my life 00:02:32:18 – 00:02:35:26 because I found myself with a lot of debts 00:02:37:29 – 00:02:42:13 and I survived thanks to my parents’ support. 00:02:44:00 – 00:02:49:10 Luckily, after a couple of months I found another job 00:02:50:01 – 00:02:51:25 but the debt was still there 00:02:52:26 – 00:02:56:08 and credit card payment was killing me, 00:02:56:16 – 00:02:58:19 along with the shame of admitting it. 00:02:58:26 – 00:03:01:07 Miraculously, God sent a person 00:03:02:05 – 00:03:07:26 who gave me an invitation for a financial class, I remember. 00:03:08:18 – 00:03:13:15 And it was just steps to get out of debt. 00:03:14:07 – 00:03:16:00 And I remember that it was the first time 00:03:16:05 – 00:03:19:26 that I learnt about the ‘snowball effect technique’, 00:03:20:05 – 00:03:26:26 which basically is, you pay for the credit cards where you have 00:03:28:07 – 00:03:32:13 the smaller debts first and then you use that money 00:03:32:26 – 00:03:37:04 to put towards the credit cards with the biggest debts. 00:03:37:26 – 00:03:41:16 It took me around thirty months, sorry, 00:03:42:17 – 00:03:46:08 but in the end I was able to pay my credit card debt, 00:03:46:13 – 00:03:50:08 which was almost $50,000, and I was able to save money. 00:03:50:14 – 00:03:52:11 Today I have an excellent credit score 00:03:52:22 – 00:03:55:22 and some savings that give me some power, 00:03:56:05 – 00:04:01:06 so that I can decide what I want and I negotiate the rate that I want. 00:04:01:12 – 00:04:05:03 Financially, I grew up, 00:04:05:24 – 00:04:08:21 I am more mature and responsible 00:04:09:10 – 00:04:12:19 and I learned to be ready and 00:04:12:24 – 00:04:17:28 prepared for anything, the obstacles life could bring. 00:04:18:04 – 00:04:22:13 Now, my next challenge is to buy my first home here in California, 00:04:22:21 – 00:04:25:16 so we’ll see how it goes. 00:04:27:09 – 00:04:28:29 Have a good one, bye bye.

00:00:00:03 – 00:00:02:03 Salve, sono Marcelino Sugasti 00:00:02:08 – 00:00:03:27 e faccio parte del reparto di approvvigionamento. 00:00:04:03 – 00:00:06:16 Oggi vi parlerò del mio percorso di credito 00:00:06:21 – 00:00:08:01 qui negli Stati Uniti. 00:00:12:01 – 00:00:17:19 La mia storia si inizia quando sono venuto qua quasi 10 anni fa, 00:00:17:29 – 00:00:18:29 Oh, mio Dio, 00:00:20:21 – 00:00:24:04 perché stavo lavorando con questa azienda di birre 00:00:24:09 – 00:00:26:15 e loro mi hanno trasferito qua. 00:00:26:21 – 00:00:29:26 Ricordo che all’epoca qualsiasi cosa che avesse a che fare 00:00:31:15 – 00:00:34:03 con il credito era del tutto nuova per me. 00:00:34:11 – 00:00:36:25 Non sapevo nemmeno cosa fosse un punteggio di credito. 00:00:37:01 – 00:00:41:23 Non sapevo a cosa potesse servirmi il numero di previdenza sociale, 00:00:41:28 – 00:00:43:18 del tutto nuovo in quel momento. 00:00:43:26 – 00:00:47:29 E ricordo che molti mi raccontavano storie pazzesche a riguardo. 00:00:48:04 – 00:00:53:02 Ricordo che a quel tempo vivevo a San Francisco 00:00:54:01 – 00:00:57:23 e andavo dappertutto, a piedi o con i mezzi pubblici, 00:00:58:25 – 00:01:04:01 poi sentii il desiderio di fare viaggi più lunghi 00:01:04:06 – 00:01:07:22 e così decisi di comprare un’auto. 00:01:08:11 – 00:01:12:01 Ricordo che andai in una concessionaria e dissi: 00:01:12:13 – 00:01:14:13 “Vorrei acquistare un’auto”. 00:01:14:25 – 00:01:18:09 L’impiegato mi fece sedere e fece un controllo del credito 00:01:18:15 – 00:01:23:09 e mi disse che non avendo una storia creditizia, 00:01:24:22 – 00:01:25:27 il rischio era elevato. 00:01:26:28 – 00:01:31:29 E mi applicò un tasso molto alto, esageratamente alto, 00:01:32:03 – 00:01:36:12 che rifiutai. 00:01:37:20 – 00:01:40:12 Andai via deluso e un po’ triste. 00:01:41:06 – 00:01:45:03 Ricordo che tornai a casa e chiamai uno dei miei amici 00:01:45:08 – 00:01:49:06 che mi disse: “Oh, è perché non hai alcun credito. 00:01:49:11 – 00:01:52:09 Devi iniziare a costruire credito, ti consiglio di prendere una 00:01:54:05 – 00:01:56:26 carta di credito con limite basso 00:01:57:20 – 00:02:02:18 e tra un paio di mesi torni alla concessionaria 00:02:02:23 – 00:02:06:01 e avrai un punteggio di credito migliore”. 00:02:06:06 – 00:02:07:17 È ciò che feci. 00:02:10:00 – 00:02:13:16 Ricordo che gestivo talmente bene le mie carte di credito che 00:02:14:00 – 00:02:19:17 la banca mi diede altre cartee aumentò il mio limite di credito. 00:02:20:05 – 00:02:23:18 Andò tutto bene fino a quando la mia 00:02:24:19 – 00:02:29:29 azienda decise di ridimensionarsi e spostare le operazioni in Messico. 00:02:30:05 – 00:02:32:13 Mi ricordo che è stato un brutto periodo della mia vita 00:02:32:18 – 00:02:35:26 perché mi sono trovato con molti debiti 00:02:37:29 – 00:02:42:13 e sono sopravvissuto grazie al sostegno dei miei genitori. 00:02:44:00 – 00:02:49:10 Per fortuna, dopo un paio di mesi ho trovato un altro lavoro 00:02:50:01 – 00:02:51:25 ma il debito era ancora lì 00:02:52:26 – 00:02:56:08 e il pagamento delle carte di credito mi stava ammazzando, 00:02:56:16 – 00:02:58:19 insieme alla vergogna di ammetterlo. 00:02:58:26 – 00:03:01:07 Miracolosamente, Dio mi mandò 00:03:02:05 – 00:03:07:26 qualcuno che mi invitò a seguire un corso finanziario. 00:03:08:18 – 00:03:13:15 Si trattava solo di iniziative per evitare i debiti. 00:03:14:07 – 00:03:16:00 Ricordo che per la prima volta 00:03:16:05 – 00:03:19:26 sentii parlare della “tecnica dell’effetto valanga” 00:03:20:05 – 00:03:26:26 che sostanzialmente consiste nel pagare prima per le carte di credito 00:03:28:07 – 00:03:32:13 su cui hai i debiti più bassi e usare poi quei soldi 00:03:32:26 – 00:03:37:04 per metterli sulle carte di credito con i debiti più grandi. 00:03:37:26 – 00:03:41:16 Mi ci vollero trenta mesi 00:03:42:17 – 00:03:46:08 ma alla fine riuscii a pagare il debito della carta di credito, 00:03:46:13 – 00:03:50:08 che era di quasi 50.000 dollarie riuscii a risparmiare. 00:03:50:14 – 00:03:52:11 Oggi ho un eccellente punteggio di credito e 00:03:52:22 – 00:03:55:22 qualche risparmio che mi danno un po’ di potere, permettendomi 00:03:56:05 – 00:04:01:06 di decidere cosa voglio e di negoziare il tasso che voglio. 00:04:01:12 – 00:04:05:03 Dal punto di vista finanziario, sono cresciuto, 00:04:05:24 – 00:04:08:21 sono più maturo e più responsabile 00:04:09:10 – 00:04:12:19 e ho imparato ad essere pronto e preparato 00:04:12:24 – 00:04:17:28 per qualsiasi cosa, oppure ostacolo, la vita potrebbe portare. 00:04:18:04 – 00:04:22:13 La mia prossima sfida sarà comprare la mia prima casa qui in California, 00:04:22:21 – 00:04:25:16 vedremo come andrà. 00:04:27:09 – 00:04:28:29 In bocca al lupo, ciao.