If you’re scratching your head wondering how to obtain a credit report on your own personal credit history, you’re in luck. Federal law requires the big three national consumer reporting companies to furnish a free annual credit report to consumers yearly. The government (in the form of the FTC bureau) put this law into place with the passing of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) by 1970, but many amendments have been made since then.

Since there are 3 different credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian (formerly TRW), and TransUnion) you can get triple the free credit reports annually! There are probably over 100 services online offering a free copy of your credit report, rating and score, so it’s tough to figure out just which to go with. Not all the offers on line are free. Some require a membership, while others simply offer a free trial to allow you to request your credit report that year. This type of service may give you an instant free credit report, but charge for your credit scores and other services.

Choosing the Right Free Credit Reports Program

It can be tough to choose the right agency to go to for information, but with the hundreds of services available, you can always find at least one website you trust totally. The FTC [dot] gov, or www [dot] Annual Credit Report [dot] com is usually a good place to go for more information. They also include a phone number, email and address in case you feel like checking up on them, or you have questions.

Why Get A Free Annual Credit Report?

Seeing as how everybody from potential employers, a car dealership, a mortgage company and even a credit card company will require a credit check, you absolutely better be up to speed on what your credit says about you. Keeping a healthy credit score could mean the difference between affording a home or having to rent for the rest of your life. Good credit is required for housing, cars, even some jobs! Just about any major purchase or decision you’ll make in your life can be affected by your credit history.

Monitoring your credit score and report shouldn’t be just a one time thing, it needs to be done once a year. You can order your credit report 3 times a year actually, since you can order a separate one from each of the credit reporting bureaus. It’s especially important to read up on different states’ credit policies, as every state may differ somewhat within their credit laws.

Get A Free Online Credit Report Regularly

Regularly monitoring your credit report is the best way to secure yourself against fraud, as well as make sure you dispute any suspicious activity in a timely manner. It’s especially crucial if you wish to start your own business, since without good credit there’s no way you’ll be able to get a decent business loan, if you can get one at all. No bank in their right mind will offer an affordable business loan to someone with horrible credit.

When it comes down to it, signing up for a credit monitoring program to view your credit reports regularly is really the way to go, in my opinion. If you want to be absolutely sure of your credit, it’s important to view it regularly and not let anything slip through the cracks. With so much riding on your credit report and history nowadays, the smartest thing you can do is manage your credit well.