In the throes of a seemingly neverending recession, it’s not surprising that credit expert Tracy Becker has achieved tremendous success. As president and founder of North Shore Advisory, Inc., a credit restoration and education firm based in Tarrytown, Becker helps both individuals and companies understand and manage their credit—something that’s become increasingly important in this cash-strapped economy.
Originally in the estate-planning business, Becker, who also owns a separate credit monitoring firm called The Professionals’ Professional, discovered her interest in credit after her then-husband was confronted with credit issues of his own. “He was a commercial real estate investor in the eighties, and, because of the housing crash, he had really bad credit,” she confides. “When he started to become interested in the credit industry, I did, too, and we both decided to go into the business.”
She founded North Shore on Long Island, but, 10 years ago, she took the risky move of bringing it to Westchester so she could still work close to home when she herself moved here. Her risk seems to have paid off: in Westchester, North Shore has grown 40 percent in client volume over the past two years. Many of the firm’s clients are individual consumers. “Most of our clients come from mortgage bankers, realtors, CPAs, and financial planners, in that order,” Becker reports. “It’s amazing to me how little knowledge is out there about credit when it can impact so much.”
