| We've all seen the funny TV commercials that | | | | major reporting agencies once per year. |
| playfully urge us to get our free credit report. It's hard | | | | Most people know that a lender will check your credit |
| to hold back a smile when you see those hapless | | | | score before making a loan, but not all of us know that |
| minstrels singing for their supper. The videos are funny, | | | | a less-than-stellar credit report can adversely affect |
| but the subtext is clear: bad things happen to good | | | | your insurance rates, or even prevent you from getting |
| people. So maybe you have a good laugh, but are you | | | | a job! True story: a friend of mine graduated top of his |
| really thinking, "wow, I'm going turn off the TV, get off | | | | class from a reputable business school, interviewed for |
| the couch and get my free credit report right now"? | | | | a prestigious corporate job, and received a good news |
| If you're not, well...maybe you should be. Unfortunately, | | | | bad news phone call the very next day. The HR |
| when that boy or girlfriend maxes out your card and | | | | manager informed him that the company wanted to |
| skips town, or when your identity is stolen online, those | | | | offer him a job, but could not make the offer because |
| bad things can follow you around for years in the form | | | | of his credit record! |
| of strikes against your credit. | | | | Fortunately, my friend immediately got his free credit |
| So why should I check my credit score? The reasons | | | | report, was able to fix his credit by paying an unpaid |
| fall into two buckets: Opportunities and Obligations. | | | | long distance bill, and got that job. This was back in the |
| Good credit can provide Opportunities to help you live | | | | days before they were airing the free credit report TV |
| a fuller, happier life. Conversely, bad credit can make it | | | | spots, so we'll cut him some slack for not knowing |
| very difficult to meet life's basic Obligations. | | | | beforehand that it was so easy to check his credit |
| In the Opportunities column, we find consumer credit | | | | score. |
| such as credit cards, home loans and car loans. In the | | | | So now that I've given you some great advice, I'm |
| Obligations column, we find automobile insurance and | | | | thinking it might be time to get my free credit report |
| employment. Fortunately, there is a way for me to | | | | again. After all, it has been over a year since I last did |
| actively manage my credit score: the law ensures that | | | | it, and who knows what bad things may have |
| I can get my free credit report from each of the three | | | | happened to my credit record since then? |