Credit Builders:
Power Through Knowledge

Knowledge is power – and a path to financial freedom. Synchrony is highlighting those turning complex credit concepts into clear, actionable insights.

Born to Be a Credit Builder: How One Leader is Transforming Financial Futures in Our Communities

“I was a young child when my father took me to open my first bank account with Ms. Richardson, one of our neighborhood bankers,” shared Derrick Ramsey, who now works as a portfolio credit manager at Synchrony.

“We would go see her all the time and I would save all my coins, roll them up, and take them to her to deposit,” Derrick recalled.

As a child, thanks to his interactions with Ms. Richardson and his father’s support, Derrick showed an instinctive grasp of sound financial principles. Now an avid financial literacy advocate, he ties his day job to his passion of uplifting his community. What began as depositing his coins at the local bank has grown into a movement reshaping how communities access financial knowledge and has shaped Derrick’s career and family life.

“That same passion is what I’m trying to share with my daughters today. My oldest, just 2 years old, recently took her first coins to the bank and is already asking when we’re going back. I truly believe this knowledge can benefit everyone, and you can start at any age.”

Feeding off that passion, Derrick began running financial literacy classes with his colleagues – talking through the basics of savings, and how credit can be an important tool to manage expenses and build a healthier financial future. The classes were a hit, and he expanded them from a few dozen to hundreds.

“Many people view finance as this complex, intimidating thing,” he explains. “Our mission is to show them that new tools have made it more accessible than ever. We’re building bridges between where people are and where they want to be financially.”

“Credit can be a powerful tool for helping people build healthier financial lives when it is used responsibly and managed effectively,” says Ramsey. “Having good credit unlocks a lot of opportunity.”

For example, he encourages people in his financial literacy classes to view good credit as a tool that in the long run can lower costs.

“Having a good credit score doesn’t just mean you can access more credit; it can save you money for things like securing lower insurance premiums and lower interest rates on loans,” says Ramsey. “Credit should be an output of maintaining good financial habits. If you are spending less than you make, paying your bills on time and working towards saving consistently, you will be on the path towards a strong credit outlook.”

When it comes to credit as a tool in your financial wellbeing, he reminds people to pay bills on time, to monitor credit reports regularly to check for inaccuracies, limit actions that could negatively impact your score before you’re planning on accessing credit.

Derrick had so much success working with his colleagues on financial and credit literacy that he decided to spread this knowledge nationally too – taking his show on the road. At NC A&T State University in Charlotte, he developed a program where students received virtual instruction on credit fundamentals, investment strategies, and financial planning. Building on this success, Derrick established Synchrony’s partnership with Harlem Grown, an organization focused on youth empowerment through urban farming. Through this initiative, he led Synchrony volunteers in sharing practical tools like the “envelope method” for budgeting alongside fundamental principles of saving and investing.

As a portfolio credit manager, Derrick brings unique insights to his community work. “I’m evaluating consumer performance in the credit space on a regular basis. I monitor the US economy and how consumers are responding to it. While I’m not interacting with consumers directly, I know that behind every missed payment there is a person who may be struggling financially. And that’s what encourages me to do the work I do in the community every day.”

“We’re building something that can grow and adapt,” he says, looking toward future program expansions.

Behind Derrick’s financial literacy mission lies a powerful truth: education creates transformation. As his programs continue to evolve, the impact ripples outward – changing not just individual futures, but strengthening entire neighborhoods through the currency of knowledge.

Closing the Gap: How Synchrony is Rethinking Financial Literacy in America

Derrick Ramsey’s grassroots efforts to bring financial literacy to the communities where he lives and works is also taking root at scale through Synchrony’s Education as an Equalizer initiative.

In the modern economy, credit isn’t just about borrowing—it’s about opportunity. A good credit score can provide short-term financial perks—but also lay the foundation for lasting financial health and stability. It ensures easier access to everyday wants and needs and greater opportunities throughout various stages of life. It can even help lower costs: From accessing more affordable loan rates for cars or mortgages to getting approved to rent an apartment or even lower insurance premiums, credit affects nearly every aspect of financial life.

By understanding the value of credit and using it responsibly, individuals are empowered to build secure, stable, and healthier financial futures.

Yet as credit options multiply and financial products grow more sophisticated, basic financial education continues to lag behind – creating a widening gap between what Americans need to know and what they’re actually learning.

For example, when American high school and college students were tested on fundamental financial concepts – credit scores, loans, retirement savings, investing, and interest rates –only 37% of high schoolers and 39% of college students answered most questions correctly.¹ This isn’t just a knowledge gap; it’s a potential financial vulnerability that follows young Americans into adulthood and impacts critical life decisions.

Synchrony is taking action with a foundational approach to building financial literacy as part of its $50 million commitment to Education as an Equalizer – an initiative aiming to expand access to higher education, skills training in high-growth fields, and financial literacy for members of underserved communities and its own workforce.

The financial education program goes beyond traditional education, focusing on practical skills that create pathways to financial independence. The initiative steers $1.2 million to directly support organizations at the forefront of financial education: DonorsChoose, Council for Economic Education, Jump$tart, and Operation HOPE. These aren’t passive donations but active partnerships designed to create direct channels between financial expertise and student learning experiences.

Synchrony has also established crucial partnerships with the National Foundation for Credit Counselling (NFCC), Everfi and more to assist adults at various life stages that are facing financial challenges. Through these collaborations, individuals struggling with debt, rebuilding credit, or recovering from financial setbacks receive personalized counseling and practical education.

Synchrony has also developed its own curriculum to train employees to provide financial education in their communities, thanks to the work of Derrick Ramsey and others. These “Financial Literacy Ambassadors” will be deployed to local organizations to share their knowledge of financial education, helping to transform abstract concepts into engaging, practical lessons.

These collaborations are already showing measurable results: participants who complete these programs demonstrate greater confidence in financial decision-making, increased savings behavior, and improved understanding of credit management. Each classroom session, each counseling appointment, and each online module represents another individual equipped to navigate our complex financial landscape with confidence.

Synchrony will continue to expand these initiatives nationally, because in building these essential skills today, we’re building a future where financial literacy becomes as fundamental as reading and writing.

Building Credit Confidence: Synchrony’s Active “View” of Financial Education

The movement that Derrick Ramsey and Synchrony’s Education as an Equalizer are driving in our communities to help people understand the fundamentals of building a healthier financial future is also being scaled digitally to extend its reach.

One way we are seeing this come to life is Synchrony’s CreditView^TM Dashboard, offered in partnership with TransUnion. CreditView^TM is a sophisticated yet accessible platform that transforms traditional credit monitoring into an interactive learning experience. For most Americans, credit scores have long been mysterious numbers that seem to change unpredictably. The CreditView^TM Dashboard dismantles this black box through its innovative Score Simulator: a feature that allows users to preview how different financial decisions might impact their credit score before making them.

“We’re seeing a fundamental shift in how people engage with their credit scores,” explains Kiara Hinton, who leads the initiative for Synchrony. “It’s no longer about hands-off monitoring; it’s about active learning and informed decision-making.”

Considering applying for that new credit card? Thinking about paying off your car loan early? The simulator shows the potential impact instantly, transforming abstract financial concepts into concrete outcomes that users can visualize and understand.

This approach allows people to understand before acting and build confidence through informed experimentation. The platform’s power extends well beyond simulation. Users receive detailed breakdowns of factors that affect credit scores, personalized recommendations tailored to their specific credit profile, and targeted educational resources that address their unique needs.

With features that allow tracking progress over time, setting personalized credit score goals, and receiving alerts about meaningful changes to their credit profile, the dashboard transforms credit management from a periodic chore into an engaging journey with clear milestones.

What truly sets CreditView^TM apart is its emphasis on actionable insights. Rather than simply highlighting problems, the platform provides specific, practical steps users can take to build their credit health—turning knowledge into power.

This initiative represents a significant evolution in how financial organizations approach consumer education. By merging technology, data science, and user-centered design, Synchrony has created an environment where learning about credit becomes an engaging and empowering experience rather than an intimidating task.

As financial landscapes grow increasingly complex, tools that bridge the knowledge gap become essential. Hinton believes the future of credit education is active, not passive: “Through tools like CreditView^TM, we’re helping people move from being observers of their credit health to becoming architects of their financial future,” she said.

In a world where financial education often remains abstract and inaccessible, Synchrony’s holistic approach – personal engagement through leaders like Derrick Ramsey, in our schools through Synchrony’s Education as an Equalizer and a digital approach at scale offers something different: a pathway to financial confidence built on understanding, practice, and personalized guidance for better financial health.

1. The SPARK Institute and Corporate Insight Report, 2023.