Was there a big focus on education in your family?

Education was important, but character was more important. My parents would always tell us, “If you have strong character, then you’re going to do your very best. And if your best is a B, if your best is a C, then that’s your best.”

What was your first real job?

There’s a program called Inroads that focuses on getting minorities into business, and that really changed my life. Inroads helped me get an internship at Fannie Mae while I was in college, and that was my entree into corporate America. I loved it, and I started to realize that I was going to work in the mortgage business, which is something I could relate to.

Did your family own a home at this time?

No. My parents bought their first home when I helped them buy their first home. I realized, “Wow, I’m going to have a job after I graduate.” Then when I was getting a couple job offers, Fannie’s salary was the lowest. But I said, “I know this company and I like the people, and I’ll have a better shot here.” You find your passion, and for me, that was homeownership.

What was it about homeownership that was so compelling to you?

When you know what it’s like to look in the refrigerator and just see baking soda, or know what it’s like to have your lights turned off, personal finance is important.

When I worked at Fannie Mae, I immediately maxed out my 401(k) before I got my first check. That comes from understanding my parents’ story. My father worked for Xerox all these years and he only had a pension, which was like nothing. It was rough. I had no idea how hard it was for my parents until we talked about it. He said, “Thasunda, I didn’t know how we were going to make it sometimes.”

So now it’s like, I am going to make sure that my parents and people like my parents are making the best decisions that they can. That’s where this passion comes from, this real conviction around financial health.

Do you think financial literacy is a major problem for this country?

Close to half of Americans don’t have $400 for an emergency. Half of all Americans worry about their finances regardless of their income. We live in a capitalist society and we don’t focus on savings, on budgeting. All the information is out there, but we need to do a better job communicating it in a way that people can understand. Because the reality is for many people, the lack of money defines who you are.