The founder of Zenith Financial Group wrote the first known Farsi language guide to the US credit system, gives away thousands of e-book copies for free and answers credit questions at no charge.
LOS ANGELES – The story is almost always the same. A newly arrived immigrant sits across Mani Hatami’s desk. Sometimes a doctor, sometimes an engineer, often someone who owns a house and runs a business in Iran.
They were turned down for an apartment, a car loan, even a phone plan. They have savings. They have a profession. What they don’t have is a credit score.
“Credit is a language,” says Hatami, founder of Zenith Financial Group in Encino. “If no one teaches you the language, you can’t speak it. And if you can’t, you’re locked out of the conversation.”
A book written for the people no one wrote for
Hatami has heard this story for more than a decade. His answer is a 426-page Farsi language book, Everything you need to know about creditpublished in 2019.
According to its publisher, it is the first book written specifically for Iranian immigrants in the United States and Canada about the American credit system. For Farsi speakers, it has become a trusted reference in a financial culture where a three-digit number decides where you live and what you can drive.
Free, because the people who need it the most can least afford another expense
What makes the book unusual is how it reaches people. Thousands of electronic copies were given away for free to Persian-speaking immigrants.
Hatami does not benefit from the free edition. He sees writing and sharing it as part of his mission: to give newcomers the knowledge they need without adding another bill. A print edition is available via Lulu for readers who want a copy on the shelf.
A practical manual, not a motivational book
The book explains, in plain Farsi:
- The five factors that make up a FICO score
- How secured credit cards work
- How to build credit from scratch
- How to dispute errors on a credit report
- Why “No Credit History” Is Not the Same as “Bad Credit”
For someone who has never heard of a credit bureau, a charge-off or a usage ratio, the book translates more than words. It translates an entire financial system.
The problem is not money. It becomes invisible.
In the US, credit is checked by landlords, employers, insurers and utility companies, not just card issuers. A family can arrive with real savings and still not be able to rent a house or finance a car.
The problem is not poverty. It is invisibility. And it’s exactly the gap Zenith was built to close.
More than a book
Hatami founded Zenith Financial Group in 2015. The company offers credit repair, debt negotiation, and business credit development, led by a team of certified credit consultants.
His educational work reaches far beyond the office:
- Radio: A weekly segment on KIRN 670 AM, Los Angeles’ Persian-language news and talk station, covers debt settlement, credit card negotiations and score improvement
- writing: Articles in Persian media and on Medium
- Free consultations: Its office line is open to anyone with a credit question, in Farsi or English, free of charge
A second book for every immigrant
In April 2025, Hatami published an English-language book, Credit for a New Life: A Beginner’s Guide for Immigrants in America. It is written for immigrants of all backgrounds, with chapters on building credit without a social security number, common credit myths, and recovering from financial mistakes.
For Farsi speakers, the original remains the anchor. It is still the book recommended in Persian community groups, on the radio, and in kitchen table conversations from Los Angeles to Irvine to Toronto.
The first chapter is credit
In a city built by immigrants, financial inclusion is not a political idea. It’s the difference between renting your own apartment and sleeping on a family member’s couch. Between financing a work truck and job loss. Between starting a business and remaining invisible.
Hatami didn’t build an app or a new algorithm. He gave his community the vocabulary to participate in, and then gave it away for free.
The first chapter is credit. The rest is a new life.
New to US credit? Start here – free.
- Free Farsi E-Book: download Everything you need to know about credit at zenitfg.com/books
- Free credit consultation in Farsi or English: call 818-200-0000
- English edition: Credit for a New Life: A Beginner’s Guide for Immigrants in America
Zenith Financial Group · Ventura Boulevard, Encino, CA · zenithfg.com