Seems like everyone’s concerned with what their credit score is these days. Why I remember when we didn’t even have credit scores! We saved up for something, and paid cash! – Oops, sorry – was channeling my grandfather there for a bit.
The reality is, these days a good credit score can not only save you money on a car loan, mortgage and insurance, but it might dictate whether or not you get an apartment or even a job!
With so much riding on your credit score, it only makes sense to monitor it regularly. Fortunately, the internet makes it easy to do that.
First of all, forget FreeCreditReport.com. That’s the one we all hear about on the radio and TV. However, if you sign up with them, you’ll find the credit report is only free if you subscribe to their monthly monitoring service. And that’s not free! Here are some other resources you can use to monitor your credit score, and they really are free!
Credit Karma – Their easy to read reports and graphs allow you to track your credit score from month to month. In addition, they offer free tools and advice to improve your score.
Quizzle – As their tagline says: Don’t guess. Know. This easy to use website not only gives you your credit score, but also your full credit report, home value, and tools and tips.
AnnualCreditReport.com – This website was created as mandated by the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act. It is operated by the big three credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Under the rules of the act, you are able to receive one free credit report per year from each agency. This means you can log in once every four months and request a report from a different agency. As mandated by the act, ou will receive your full credit report, but – since credit scores weren’t part of the mandate – you will have to pay extra to view your credit score.
With all of these sites, you will need to provide personal information, including your social security number. But rest assured, the sites are secure and so is your data.
This article is provided by Steve Smith, The Computer Psychic. All content is protected by applicable copyrights, and may not be reproduced without express consent of the author.
The information in this knowledge base article is provided “as-is” with no warranty, express or implied, as to the suitability or validity of its content. It is up to the reader of this article to determine if the steps outlined herein are appropriate for his or her use. As with all tasks on the computer, be sure to have a current backup of your data before proceeding.
