Natchez &8212; An opportunity to help clients fulfill the American dream of home ownership led Aaron Patten Jr. and Sharon Bradford to open Express Tax Finance Center two months ago.

The business will assist people with debt management and reversal of poor credit ratings. It also will help with income tax preparation.

&8220;Our plan long range is to see the rise of home ownership,&8221; Bradford said. &8220;That&8217;s one of the great American dreams, and it is possible for it to be a reality for people who may not think so now.&8221;

Bradford and Patten, sister and brother, see the business as a service to the community. &8220;It&8217;s a service. It&8217;s helping people,&8221; said Patten, who works full time at Natchez Regional Medical Center as facilities management director and holds an associate degree in business administration.

&8220;I&8217;ve been burning the midnight oil,&8221; he said, describing how he juggles the two jobs. &8220;It&8217;s going very well, probably better than expected at this point.&8221;

Bradford, a registered nurse who works part time in the medical community, said she always wanted to be an accountant.

&8220;I love nursing,&8221; she said. &8220;But my mom is a math teacher. And my desire to be an accountant came out of high school. I went into accounting for the first two years in college but lost interest and went into nursing.&8221;

A friend introduced her to the company, and the fit seemed right, Bradford said. She pitched the idea to her brother, who also liked the idea.

&8220;What&8217;s different about this business is that we work for the clients and not the creditors,&8221; she said. &8220;The company got started because credit ratings can be changed so quickly. All it takes is one late payment. I called the company and went to all the courses through the Internet.&8221;

Bradford is a certified debt consultant. The program that helps her clients will consolidate debts, reduce interest rates and teach them how to manage credit and pay bills in a timely manner.

&8220;Most people don&8217;t even know what a credit program is. With education, I think they can do a lot better,&8221; she said.

With unmanageable debt and a bad credit rating, people give up on home ownership, Bradford said. &8220;Our real goal is to make a change in people&8217;s thinking, to let them know they can be debt free and own their own homes.&8221;

The new business owners researched to be sure the company was right for them and for Natchez.

The clients who will benefit from their programs include someone needing help with tax preparation, someone with overwhelming debt and someone who wants a better understanding of what credit reports and credit scores are all about, Bradford said.

The company is at 319 D&8217;evereux Drive. The telephone number is 601-304-5670.