01The ITIN Owner's Manual · Part 1How to Get an ITIN: Form W-7, Step by StepIt is nine digits from the IRS, it is free, and it is a great deal smaller than whoever told you about it made it sound.9 MIN →

02The ITIN Owner's Manual · Part 2ITIN Loans: What You Can Actually Get Without a Social Security NumberThere is no ITIN loan program — there is ordinary lending, and there are institutions willing to write your ITIN where the form expects a Social Security number.9 MIN →

03The ITIN Owner's Manual · Part 3How to Buy a House With an ITINIt is legal, it happens every month in this country, and it is harder in specific, predictable ways.9 MIN →

04Banking · Step ZeroYour First Bank Account in the US — No Social Security Number RequiredThe law requires a bank to know who you are. It does not require you to have a Social Security number — and the mattress is charging you more than you think.9 MIN →

05Remittances · The Faithful BillSending Money Home Without Giving It AwayIt is the most faithful payment in America, made every week without a contract or a reminder. It deserves the same five minutes of math you would give any other bill.8 MIN →

06Your First Year of Credit · Part 1How to Build Credit With an ITIN (and Check Your Score for Free)You do not need a Social Security number to have a credit file — you need one small account that reports, and a year of paying it on time.9 MIN →

07Score · month 1 to 18Zero to 700: An Eighteen-Month PlanThe plan a loan officer would hand their own family.10 MIN →

08The First Car · Cash or CreditYour First Car in America: Cash, Credit, and the Lots to AvoidNobody needs a Social Security number to sell you a car. The trap is not the buying — it is the financing built for people with fewer doors.9 MIN →

09Trades & BusinessBusiness Financing for Independent Contractors — With or Without an SSNNobody writes you a pay stub, so the paperwork is the whole job — here is what lenders actually need from a 1099 contractor, and which doors open with an ITIN.9 MIN →