30 Days to Financial Fitness: Day 2

A step-by-step guide to getting in peak financial shape; Day 2: Check your credit report

Christine Benz 18 September, 2012 | 9:02AM Holly Cook
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Day 2: Check Your Credit Report
Degree of difficulty: Easy

One of the best ways to get your arms around your household's financial health is to check your credit report. You can find free, comprehensive credit information at several online credit reporting companies, including major firms Experian and Equifax.

Through these sites, you can obtain data about your credit history and make sure that your credit report doesn't include any mistakes that could harm your ability to obtain credit at a decent rate in the future. You may be able to see your actual credit score for free if you sign up for an account, though usually the agencies begin charging for this access after a few weeks. (Watch out for sites that offer a free check for a set period of time, after which they will start charging you. If you opt to use these sites but don't intend to pay, then set yourself a reminder to cancel the subscription before the free period is up.)

Checking these reports is also a good way to ensure that identity thieves haven't obtained credit in your name, or that a black-listed address hasn't affected your history.

I recently obtained my own credit report using Experian and found the site to be straightforward and easy to use. Inputting basic information about myself such as personal details and past addresses, and then answering some security questions, quickly produced by credit report. I last obtained a credit report as a student when an attempt to buy a new latpop on credit was declined. You still had to pay to obtain a report back then--though the charge of £1 hardly broke the bank--and it transpired that an unpaid mobile phone bill in the region of £7 was causing the problem. As I had never had a contract with Vodafone, I knew this to be a mistake and indeed it was removed from my account once I had been able to prove, with the help of the mobile phone company, that I was not, and had never been, a customer.

I can be worth checking your report with more than one credit agency in order to check that they are in sync and up to date with reality. Print each report for further perusal.  If you spot any incorrect information, get in touch with the credit agency directly to discuss amending your report.

Return to the article: "The 30-Day Financial Fitness Plan".

The information contained within is for educational and informational purposes ONLY. It is not intended nor should it be considered an invitation or inducement to buy or sell a security or securities noted within nor should it be viewed as a communication intended to persuade or incite you to buy or sell security or securities noted within. Any commentary provided is the opinion of the author and should not be considered a personalised recommendation. The information contained within should not be a person's sole basis for making an investment decision. Please contact your financial professional before making an investment decision.

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About Author

Christine Benz

Christine Benz  is director of personal finance at Morningstar and author of 30-Minute Money Solutions: A Step-by-Step Guide to Managing Your Finances.

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