all about credit reports and how to get better credit scores

Does a cell phone contract help your credit?   Great question from one of our clients this week.  The short answer is no.  However.....with almost everything related to the topic of credit scores, there is a longer answer that must also be given.  Unless you are getting the pre-paid cell phones, this article is for you. When you go to purchase a cell phone and sign up for a contract, the company is most likely going to check your credit before they give it to you.  When they ask for your full name, birth date and social security number, it's probably for a credit check.  Then they either approve or deny your request for service with them. Every time you authorize any company to check your credit, you will get a Hard Inquiry on your credit report.  This will count against your scores, ...

We recently wrote about the so-called "Free" credit reports that really aren't free in this article.  Well, CNNMoney.com listed them as one of America's biggest rip-offs.  Amazingly, Experian - a credit bureau that owns freecreditreport.com, said that they do realize that some people who sign up don't realize they are signing up for a credit monitoring service with a monthly fee being charged to their credit card.    No kidding. Remember, your truly FREE reports are at annualcreditreport.com.  You are entitled to three per year at no cost; that is one from each of the three credit bureaus.  They'll all try to sell you something on the way to getting your free report, even through the official government mandated website.  Just click on the NO or NO THANKS button and continue on your way. If you do decide to sign up for anything ...