Issa Rae Says She Once Used Her Inheritance To Pay Off Credit Card Debt
Emmy nominated actress Issa Rae is recalling a time in her life where she fell into credit card debt as a college student before rising to fame in the entertainment industry and how she once used her inheritance left by her aunt to pay it off.
In an interview with CNBC’s Make It, the Insecure creator says that she wished that got a grip on the importance of managing her finances while attending Stanford University.
“I think building your credit is important, and that is something that I needed to learn,” she says. “I was targeted by credit card companies when I was in college because I was their ideal target. It was like ‘okay, gullible girl over here. She needs money, she’s broke.’”
Rae also admitted that she “lacked understanding” about the overly particular credit building process when it comes to paying what you can afford and paying your bill on time and in full each month.
“I got really, really wrapped up in credit card debt early on and it felt like it weighed on me. It was crippling,” she says.
The media mogul said that her true wake up call was when she chose to use the inheritance left behind from aunt to pay off the mounding debt.
“It was meant to invest in our futures,” Rae explains, “and it broke my heart, but I used that to get myself out of credit card debt.”
“That really lit a fire in me to never, never go through that again,” she said. “It was an opportunity to start over.”
With eight Emmy nominations under her belt, Rae has had a widely successful career in Hollywood as an actress, writer, producer and comedian. From her acclaimed HBO Max series, Insecure to her latest show Rap Sh!t, Rae has also executive produced Sweet Life: Los Angeles, A Black Lady Sketch Show, starred in The Lovebirds, The Photograph and more.
