About PrimerScore
Our Mission
PrimerScore exists for one reason: to help people who are starting their credit journey from zero, or close to it. So we want you to actually understand how credit works — without the jargon, the sales pitch, or the assumption that you already know the basics.
Most guides written about credit cards and credit scores are aimed at people who already have some credit history. Instead, we write for the person applying for their first card. Maybe that means wondering whether a $200 deposit is safe. Or trying to figure out whether an ITIN can get them approved. That’s a genuinely different starting point, and it deserves content built around it specifically.
Meet the Founder
PrimerScore was founded by Mauricio Valdivia. Mauricio doesn’t come from a background in banking or financial services. Instead, he built his own credit from scratch, the same way most PrimerScore readers are starting out now. Along the way, he noticed a gap. Most guides either assumed too much prior knowledge, or buried the practical, step-by-step information a true beginner actually needs.
He started PrimerScore to put that knowledge in one place. Specifically, he wanted something clear and practical. He built it for someone starting exactly where he once did, not for someone who already understands how credit works.
Mauricio isn’t a certified financial advisor, and nothing on this Site is personalized financial advice — see our Disclaimer for more on that. In reality, what he brings is firsthand experience with the beginner side of credit building. He’s also committed to keeping every article on this Site accurate and current.
What We Cover
Our articles walk through the fundamentals of building credit as a true beginner. We cover how credit reports and scores actually work, how secured credit cards and deposits function, and how credit builder loans fit in. Also, we cover becoming an authorized user, along with the practical decisions that come up at every step. That includes the mistakes that are easy to make early on and hard to undo later.
How We Approach Our Content
We aim to write content that’s genuinely useful to a beginner, not just optimized to rank in search results. That means:
- We verify what we publish. Where possible, we check card terms, rates, and program details directly against issuers’ own sites or primary sources. And we note when something couldn’t be independently confirmed, rather than guessing.
- We update when things change. Financial products change terms, get discontinued, or get replaced. However, when we catch that, we update the relevant article rather than leaving outdated information live.
- We say when something is nuanced. Personal finance rarely has one universally correct answer. Where the honest answer is «it depends,» we explain what it depends on, instead of forcing a false sense of certainty.
How This Site Is Supported
PrimerScore is supported by advertising, including ads served through Google AdSense. Advertising lets us keep our content free for readers. Ads do not influence which cards or products we choose to write about, or what we say about them. For more detail on how we handle advertising and any potential affiliate relationships, see our Disclaimer.
Questions or Corrections?
If you notice something on the Site that’s out of date or inaccurate, or you just want to reach out, visit our Contact page. Specifically, we take correction requests seriously, especially for a topic like credit — where accuracy actually matters to people’s financial decisions.