"I never did very well in math - I could never seem to persuade the teacher that I hadn't meant my answers literally."Calvin Trillin
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Handle Your Personal Finance Easily
All too often people make the mistake of thinking that they are capable of handling their own finances without any worries at all. However, in most cases people learn rather quickly they cannot handle their own finances without help or assistance ...
Personal Loans, And How Cash Flows Like Information In 2006
We take a dynamic approach to our lives, but it’s rare that this dynamism extends to our personal finances. Perhaps it’s the nature of the beast but, at least in the UK, personal finance is a topic that is off limits in conversation and pushed to the back ...
Rate tarts no longer welcomed by mortgage and credit card providers.
Following on from recent moves in the credit card industry (see Cashzilla, “Rate tarts losing ability to cherry pick” ) to reduce the number of people switching from one financial provider to another, mortgage lenders are now looking to follow suit.Abbey ...
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Yes, you can now get your credit report without paying a dime. And unlike before, now it is truly free. No longer do you have to sign up for a "free" credit report by signing up for "credit monitoring protection service" for a low annual fee of $79 a year! The days of dodging the annoying charges and service fees for a free credit report are over.
Under the 2003 Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, you have the right to a free copy of your credit report within a 12 month period from the big three credit report bureaus (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion). The goal of this new government act is to ensure that Americans have the right to stay informed about what these three credit reporting bureaus say about you without having to pay for it. Since identity theft, fraud and errors are quite common today, why should you have to pay for a copy of a report to fight back against these problems?
Here are the 3 ways to get your free annual credit report:
1) The three credit reporting agencies have created a website to request your annual credit report. Go to www.annualcreditreport.com to order your report.
2) Call (877) 322-8228 to request your free credit report.
3) Complete a form from the Federal Trade Comission, http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/include/requestformfinal.pdf and mail it to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.
If you go directly to the three agencies or use any other type of service you may end up having to pay or sign up for the subscription services I mentioned above! Make sure you use one of the 3 methods I have listed to get your annual free credit report.
You can get the reports from all 3 agencies at once or stagger the reports from each one during the course of 1 year. The advantage of staggering the reports that you receive is to keep track of how any major changes in your financial picture affect what is on your credit report. For example, if you plan on getting a second mortgage over the coming year, or applying for student loans, ect. it might be wise to get a report before and after these major events!
This new Act does not supplant the other methods you can take advantage of to receive a free credit report. If you are applying for unemployment or been denied a loan, or need a credit report in order to get a job, you still have the right to obtain a free credit report.
Take advantage of this new government regulation and make sure all of the information listed by all three credit reporting agencies are correct. Any errors or omissions can reduce your credit score and end up costing you a lot of money when you apply for any type of credit.
About the author:
Greg Quincy is the publisher of the website www.financialtipsforyou.com, offering his insights and personal finance budget tips that he has gained from working in the financial industry and the economic challenges of raising a family. Copyright © 2005 FinancialTipsForYou
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