Review Annual Free Credit Report
Why
Your credit report affects loan rates, insurance premiums, employment, and housing opportunities. Annual reviews help you catch errors, fraud, and identity theft early. Federal law entitles you to one free report from each bureau annually - use this right to protect yourself.
Action
- Visit AnnualCreditReport.com (the only official site).
- Request reports from all three bureaus: Equifax, Experian, TransUnion.
- Review each report carefully for accuracy.
- Check all accounts listed belong to you.
- Verify personal information is correct.
- Look for hard inquiries you didn’t authorize.
- Check for accounts you’ve closed that show as open.
- Dispute any errors with the relevant bureau.
- Save copies of all reports securely.
- Set reminder for next year’s review.
Remember
Space out your requests throughout the year (one bureau every 4 months) for continuous monitoring, or get all three at once for a comprehensive annual review.