Changing the Game with Angel Rich: From CreditStacker to Global Financial Empowerment

‍Angel Rich has never been one to shy away from a challenge.

Growing up in Washington D.C., which as she points out is “not only the political center of the United States but also a hub of culture, history, and innovation,” Angel was surrounded by a family legacy of service and leadership dating back generations. But it was witnessing firsthand the financial struggles of others, through her family’s top life insurance company, that lit a fire in Angel to empower people with financial literacy and entrepreneurship.

By age 30, Angel had already accomplished enough to fill multiple lifetimes. She created a prize-winning algorithm for Goldman Sachs, sold her first marketing plan to Prudential, co-founded a major financial regulatory organization, authored the first ever study on African American financial experiences, invented a world-leading financial literacy app, and earned accolades from Forbes to the White House.

How did she do it?

Angel pioneered one of her crowning achievements after leaving Prudential. While helping Prudential grow their business by billions, she realized financial literacy education was desperately needed. So she founded The Wealth Factory to bring equal access to all. Their breakthrough app CreditStacker has been called the best financial literacy product in the country by the White House, and tech giant Google named it a Top 10 App of 2017.

But Angel hasn't stopped innovating. In 2017 she released her first book, The History of the Black Dollar, and co-founded an entrepreneurship institute at her beloved Hampton University. By age 30, Angel Rich definitely earned her nickname: Wealth Pioneer.

Angel's career has been defined by driving impact at the highest levels. As one of the first employees when FINRA, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, was founded, she played a pivotal role in the historic merger of NYSE and NASDAQ.

"My role included reviewing every rule to find gaps, leading to me becoming one of the co-authors of the Member Regulation Handbook," she explains.

This experience provided invaluable insight into the intricacies of the financial industry. But even more importantly, it fueled Angel's motivation to improve financial literacy, especially for underserved communities.

She was able to put this passion into practice when she conducted the first ever study on African American financial experiences. Angel modestly says she was "inspired by God at 6 years old" to understand Black financial literacy. And just 18 years later, she spearheaded research that became the blueprint for marketing financial services.

"The study proved Black people owned life insurance at equal or higher amounts than other races, showed entrepreneurship to be the growth engine of the Black community, and discovered that the way to gain trust is through the church," Angel reveals.

Armed with these findings, Angel invented a game-changing new product: CreditStacker. Designed like Candy Crush to "gamify" financial concepts, CreditStacker has been called the single best financial literacy tool in the country.

Angel explains, "So many people around the world struggle with financial literacy, so making it more accessible has always been a top priority for me."

Through her pioneering research, regulatory experience, and inventive spirit, Angel Rich has improved financial outcomes for countless people. And she's only just getting started.

When Angel Rich was named the "Next Steve Jobs" by Forbes, it was a watershed moment in her career. As she puts it, "Steve Jobs was a visionary and influential figure in the business and tech world, so it meant a lot to have that recognized within me."

Being compared to one of the greatest innovators of our time is rarefied air for any entrepreneur. But for Angel, the recognition carried extra significance. It highlighted the immense obstacles she's had to overcome as a Black female founder in a world where Black women receive only 0.02% of VC funding.

As Angel recounts, “when I first started my company, The Wealth Factory, I found it really difficult to be taken seriously in business, I was laughed out of every room.” Investors didn't take her seriously or believe in her mission to advance financial literacy. But she persevered, driven by the knowledge that her inventions like CreditStacker could change lives.

Angel shares, "I will never stop innovating and trying to change the world." That tireless spirit reminds us of another pioneering founder who believed his products could dent the universe.

Like Steve Jobs, Angel Rich sees problems as opportunities. She writes books like The History of the Black Dollar not only to document achievements, but to highlight the systemic inequalities holding so many back from economic mobility. As she explains, "By documenting the history of Black economic achievements and struggles, I aim to educate and inspire readers to take control of their financial destinies and work towards economic empowerment."

Angel doesn't just identify problems—she solves them through inventive new approaches. Her products are ingenious yet accessible, like the game-based learning of CreditStacker. And she infuses empathy into everything she builds, guided by her own experiences of exclusion, her background watching her family’s business grow, and her faith.

In many ways, Angel's vision and relentless drive mirror Steve Jobs' own. But while he turned the world on its head from Silicon Valley, she's challenging assumptions and achieving "firsts" from Washington D.C.

If her stunning accomplishments by age 30 are any indication, she's just getting started pushing boundaries and expanding possibilities.

Angel Rich then made history, again. She launched CreditRich in 2020, an AI fintech app. Let her explain: "CreditRich is the project that I’m currently the most focused on," Angel shares. "It’s an app that I created in partnership with Experian, becoming the first black American to partner with a major credit bureau."

This groundbreaking collaboration builds on Angel's mission to advance financial access. CreditRich uses AI to help users optimize credit, pay bills with spare change, and gain "credit intelligence."

As Angel explains, "I myself graduated college with over a hundred thousand dollars in debt, and I understand people's pain." That personal perspective drives her desire to empower people financially, starting as early as possible.

"We feel as though anyone who has a dime in their pocket should also have the financial literacy to go along with it," she told Forbes when CreditRich was launched.

Angel has been realizing her dream of increasing financial literacy since founding The Wealth Factory in 2013. Now, CreditRich stands to boost credit scores and long-term financial health, especially for underserved communities.  

And the app couldn't have come at a more crucial cultural moment. Launched right as the Covid pandemic wreaked havoc on economies, US income inequality hit the highest it’d been in 50 years.

She's already partnering with major employers to provide CreditRich as an employee wellness benefit. For Angel, it’s just as important for companies to help employees with their wealth, as it is to help employees with their health.

Once again, Angel Rich is leading the charge for inclusive innovation. CreditRich is the latest example of her boundless vision to empower people worldwide. And if history is any indicator, it marks just the beginning of the next frontier she'll pioneer.

Throughout her remarkable journey, Angel Rich made new paths possible with her relentless innovation and steadfast compassion. At just 30 years old, she already achieved enough firsts to fill multiple lifetimes. But accolades don't fuel Angel - purpose does.

"Faith is my secret sauce. I'm fueled by poverty, homelessness, food deserts, health disparities, and justice," she shares. This sense of meaning propels Angel's barrier-breaking work. When she encountered obstacles as a young Black female founder, she persisted in innovating financial access for underserved communities. Her inventions like CreditStacker and CreditRich uplift those who need it most.

Angel derives this empathetic outlook from her upbringing. "Every day I left home as a kid my great-grandmother would say 'Be kind to one another. There is only one race—the human race.'" It is easy to draw a straight line from those moments as a child to the Angel Rich who is empowering the world through financial literacy today.

She passes on the wisdom that has energized her own journey:

"Sleep when you can. If you try and fail, the worst outcome is being where you started. It takes the same time to make one million as one billion, so why not focus on the billions?"

Angel exemplifies how a life of purpose, fueled by empathy and resilience, can transform entire industries. She proves progress and profit can go hand-in-hand when prioritizing people's wellbeing.

For aspiring changemakers, Angel's path holds many lessons:

Focus on solving real problems. Angel founded The Wealth Factory after recognizing the lack of financial literacy resources. Her personal struggles gave her essential insight.

Turn obstacles into opportunities. Being laughed out of rooms as a young founder motivated Angel to create inclusive financial products.

Scale your impact. Angel took CreditStacker from an award-winning app to a program offered by major employers. Expanding access drives her.

Measure success by lives changed. Angel finds fuel in empowering people once excluded, not awards. Her joy comes from user transformations.

Progress takes perseverance. Angel envisions a world of equal opportunity. She knows she must keep innovating until that dream becomes reality.  

With her fearless vision leading the way, the future of financial access looks bright. And Angel Rich will keep inspiring dreamers and doers to join her in building a more just world.

Images courtesy of: Angel Rich, CreditStacker

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