Drive fifteen minutes across almost any American city and you can cross from a neighborhood of check cashers, payday lenders, title loan shops, and liquor stores into one with banks, bookstores, and good schools. The residents on both sides love their families and work hard. One of the biggest differences between them is a three digit number most people were never taught to manage.

This episode grew out of a piece I wrote for TIME on why a 700 credit score just might change America. I take you through Chicago, Atlanta, and Memphis zip code by zip code, comparing credit scores with home ownership, high school graduation, crime, and life expectancy. The pattern is so consistent it stopped me cold. Neighborhoods with healthy credit tend to be neighborhoods where people live longer. You have never seen a riot in a 700 credit score neighborhood. People there go shopping.

Before I get to the maps, I talk about flossing. I use the story of a private club that asked for big membership fees at exactly the wrong moment to explain the difference between people spending personal money on the look of success and people whose lifestyle is paid for by a business model. One of those lasts, and one runs out of road when interest rates climb and the credit cards tighten.

Racism is real, and I will never pretend otherwise. But I cannot change how someone feels about you. I can help you change your credit score, and nothing outside of God or love will change your life more. Look up your own zip code on the HOPE Financial Wellness Index and see what it says.

🎧 Listen now — wherever you get your podcasts, or simply click below.

Prefer to watch? The full episode is on YouTube.