No, it won't cost you anything.

Yes, it will take a bit of your time.

Yes, it can be inconvenient in the middle of all the other things you have to do.

It IS the best way to be sure that there are no errors on your credit file, that items haven't been reported that you don't know about, and that your personal information has not been fraudulently used by somebody else.

EXAMPLES:
Our client traded in a vehicle at the dealership, so their credit report showed two car loans: the traded in car and the new one.  The traded in loan still showed a balance due on the account, with late payments, months after the trade in happened.

Another client went to refinance their mortgage and found out there was an $11 library collection from a few years ago sitting on their credit report that almost stopped the loan process.

A couple we worked with discovered two new accounts on their credit reports that they had never opened.  Turns out someone had fraudulently opened them in their name, didn't pay them off and left a mess for the couple's credit rating.

WHAT TO DO
1. Get a copy of your credit report.
You're entitled to three per year, at no cost – one from each of the credit bureaus.  Go to the official site: www.annualcreditreport.com

You can look at one, two or all three.  If you want to monitor throughout the year, just check one now and mark your calendar to check another one four months from now, and the third one four months after that.

If you want to know your credit score, go right to the source and get your real FICO scores.  They are on the right-hand side under My FICO Products, listed as FICO standard.  The discount code FICOHELP25 is good through July 31st for 25% off.  Contact us for other discounts after July 31st.

2. Review your credit report.
Look for any accounts you don't recognize.  Keep in mind that closed accounts can stay on your report for up to ten years.

Check for any negative items: late payments, collections, public records.  If there are any, determine if they are accurate.  If not, dispute them with all three credit bureaus.

3. Make this part of your financial routine.
Make sure the credit bureaus respond to your dispute letters in the time allowed by law.  Schedule the next credit report check in your planner or on your calendar. 

This little bit of maintenance and monitoring can make a BIG difference in your personal financial fitness, helping your credit scores grow.   Don't delay, do it today.

Our credit consulting services are available to anyone in the U.S. or Canada.  We can provide your Credit Check-up with a complete analysis and credit building plan starting at only $100.  Contact us today for more information.

We’ve said it before and yet we get questions about it. 

People still think it’s the place to go for the no-cost credit reports they are entitled to by law. 

Just because Experian pays big bucks to advertise their singing pirates all over the television doesn’t mean you’ll get the free credit report that your consumer rights allow you to get once a year.

NOTE: When you have to “enroll” in anything, and give your credit card for payment, it’s NOT free.
(If it was really free, how could they afford all those advertising fees?)

Well, here it is.  Yes, the Federal Trade Commission, the regulatory agency that oversees the credit bureaus and consumer credit issues, has released a jingle to let people know where they can get their REAL, no-cost credit report. Just click the arrow in the middle of the video screen to watch it.

Yes folks, you want to go to ANNUALcreditreport.com to get all three of your free reports each year.  Remember, you get one from each of the three credit bureaus.  You can check them every four months for year-round monitoring and it won’t count against your scores when you get your own reports.

Checking your credit report and correcting any errors is an important part of building better credit scores.  It’s easy to do, it doesn’t cost anything except your time and it can make the difference in an auto loan at 5% or one at 21%.  That’s money in your pocket. 

Let’s stop giving our money to the credit bureaus for something that we are legally entitled to for free.  Learn the facts, get credit wise and get on your way to improving your financial future.  Click here to be notified when new articles are posted to our site.  And feel free to share this article with your friends.

NOTE: There are many imposter websites as well as companies that advertise “free” credit reports.  Most of these are for-profit operations that require you to sign up for one of their services, usually with a 30-day trial period, to get your “free” report.  These are NOT your actual free reports allowed by law.

The FCRA gives every consumer the right to a copy of their credit file from EACH of the three credit bureaus annually.  That is actually THREE FREE reports per year.  You can obtain one free report every four months to effectively monitor your credit throughtout the year.

OTHER FREE REPORTS
If you apply for a loan, credit card or insurance and are turned down, you are entitled to a free credit report from the credit bureau that provided the information to the company that denied your application.  The company is required by law to send you a letter with the details on why you were denied along with the instructions on how to obtain the free report.  You have 60 days after you receive the notification to request your free report.

If you are unemployed and plan to look for a job in the next 60 days, you can state that in a letter to the credit bureaus and get a free credit report from each of them.

If you are on public assistance or welfare, you can also send a letter requesting your free report.

If you believe there is fraudulent information or activity associated with your credit report, you can place a fraud alert with all three credit bureaus and get a free report from each to assess the accuracy of your file. 

You can help your credit scores grow by checking your credit reports regularly and correcting any errors. 
Increase your Financial Fitness with a Credit Check Up and get strategies to help each part of your score.

The OFFICIAL, SECURE place to do this online is at www.annualcreditreport.com.
This site is the government authorized place to get one, two or all three of your free credit reports. 

As consumer credit scores become more important in the current economic climate, it is imperative that you make sure your credit report is accurate and your score is the best it can be.  Because more people are learning about their credit and what they can do to make it better, there are many companies that want a piece of the action.

The credit bureaus each have their own websites with many opportunities for you to spend lots of money to get information about your own credit report.  Many of these are heavily advertised in the media, particularly television and online.  When they get you to their site for your “free” credit report, you have to sign up for some type of additional service such as credit monitoring, identity theft protection or a score watch program.  THIS IS NOT YOUR FREE CREDIT REPORT THAT YOU ARE ENTITLED TO BY LAW!

At the official site, www.annualcreditreport.com, you will have the option to spend some money as they WILL try to sell you additional items, especially your credit score. 

NOTE: you do NOT need to purchase anything to get your free credit report. 

Be aware that there are some unscrupulous companies that are posing as a place to get your credit reports but they are really just phishing for your personal information for identity theft and other fraudulent purposes. 

Protect yourself, save some money and go to the official, secure site to get your free credit reports.  You can visit our Credit Report page for more information.

 We offer a comprehensive Credit Analysis starting at only $100 that gives you information to understand your credit report along with detailed strategies to improve and grow your credit scores.  Contact us now to take control of your credit instead of having it control you.