Did you know that all residents of the US have the right to obtain one free credit report from each of the three credit bureaus per year? Now that we're heading into a new year, it's the perfect opportunity to take advantage of this benefit--especially now that your credit score is more important than ever with today's tightening credit standards!

But Beware  ~  Although you see commercials offering free credit reports, many of them actually state in the fine print that you'll be charged a fee or that you must enroll in some other service to qualify for the free report. That's why your best bet is to go to www.annualcreditreport.com to obtain your free credit report. This free credit report, however, will only give your credit history to help you keep tabs on the accuracy of the information in your report. It does not include your credit score. If you want to know your number, you can pay an add-on fee from the service or simply contact me for help determining your actual score.

Stagger Your Reports  ~  Remember, you are entitled to receive only one free report from each bureau per year, so consider staggering the requests. For example, make a note on your calendar to order one from TransUnion in this month, one from Equifax in May, and one from TRW in September. In essence, this will allow you to order three credit reports per year...and provide you the ability to monitor your credit throughout the year.

When applying for any type of credit, your clean credit history can help save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars in interest each year.

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