
How I built my credit with a credit card
Credit cards are an effective, low-stakes credit building tool.
“I share the advice I wish someone had shared with me a long time ago. I want my reader to find my words when they're most needed… and be able to make a better-informed financial decision because of something I've written. That's what keeps me going.” - Ana Staples
Ana Staples is a reporter for Bankrate and an expert on all things credit basics and personal finance for the younger generation. She has two expert columns that aim to offer financial education and encouragement to young people: “Swiping Right” on CreditCards.com and “Green & Growing” on Bankrate. Ana also covers credit card news and discusses women’s finance on To Her Credit.
Ana first started working as a writer in 2015 at a small car transportation firm in Los Angeles, California, focusing on the company’s SEO needs. Since that time, she’s written for a wide range of industries, from commercial interior design to ecommerce.
She entered the credit industry contracting with Experian in 2019, where Ana worked as an SEO content specialist and contributed a few articles to the bureau’s blog. She joined CreditCards.com in 2020 and began writing for Bankrate, as well, later that year.
Ana studied journalism and public relations at Moscow State Institute of International Relations before making a leap to try herself at acting in New York Film Academy in Los Angeles, California—you can check out her acting chops on Bankrate’s TikTok.
You can also find her on LinkedIn or send her and the Bankrate team your credit or personal finance questions here.
In her free time, Ana writes romance stories and plans a trip to the French Riviera she'll take one day—when she has enough points, that is.
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