How often do you check your credit reports (you have three of them)? Did you know that you are entitled to a free copy of each of your credit reports once a year? There are lots of places that you can go to get them, but most of the places require you to sign up for a "free" membership. This translates into getting a certain amount of time for free - say 30 days - and then they start charging you a monthly fee for their service. However, there is a website that is a legitimate way to get your reports for free. You can go to http://annualcreditreport.com/ and try it for yourself. You have the option to get all 3 reports at once, or you can spread it out throughout the year - so every 4 months you can get a different report. They do try to upsell and get you to spend money to get your credit score, but your credit report is totally free.
I pulled all three for both me and Mike last night, and I am happy to report everything looks correct. The only weird thing that came up is an address on my report that we have never lived at....hmm....weird.
If there are negative marks on your report, this will impact you whenever you want to borrow money - for a car or a home. Your credit also can be used, in part, to determine your auto insurance premiums - did ya know that? Many employers are also starting to check credit reports....(why would they trust you with their money if you can't handle your own???) It is always good to know what is on your credit report and to check it at least once a year.
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