Be smart about your finances. Make sure you check your credit report periodically. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you have the right to view your credit report for free every 12 months from all three credit bureaus.
Your credit report is the document that is viewed by prospective employers, creditors, insurance providers, and other businesses. It contains your name, address, information about whether you have ever been sued or arrested, as well as your payment history to creditors.
It is important to be aware of what is on your credit report. Be proactive and make sure that everything on your credit report is accurate and fair.
How to get a free credit report…
To get your free credit reports from the three main credit bureaus, TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax, go to annualcreditreport.com. This site provides an easy way to access reports from all three of these companies. The site allows you to enter your personal information in one location, then it redirects you to the websites for each of the three companies. After going to each of the credit bureau’s websites, you will need to answer a few extra questions to verify your identity. These are questions such as a previous address or a monthly payment amount for a loan.
Your credit score…
Unfortunately, your free credit report does not include your credit score. Your credit score is the number calculated to estimate how good your credit is. If you want your credit score, you will need to pay six to ten dollars from each of the three credit bureaus. Keep in mind that if you do decide to pay for your credit score, you don’t necessarily need the score from all three credit bureaus. Instead, you might choose to pay for your score from just one or two of them.
Disputations…
One good reason to check your credit report is to make sure that the information seen there is accurate. If you see an item on your report that you believe is false, you may dispute that item and try to get it removed. The online credit reports that you will receive offer a simple, easy to find link for disputing items.