What your credit score actually means

It’s not just you. Credit scores are confusing as hell.

When credit scores were invented just a few decades ago, they were hailed as a way to democratize lending. Today, they’ve become so essential that not having one can lock you out of daily life. Having a low score can make life challenging, too.

These scores have a long history — and a lot of problems. In this video, we’ll show you where they came from, how they’ve changed over the years, and explain what that three-digit number means for you.

This video is presented by Secret. Secret doesn’t have a say in our editorial decisions, but they make videos like this possible.

You can find the video above and the entire library of Vox’s videos on YouTube.