How To Find Out Your FICO Credit Score

You are entitled to one free copy of your credit report from each of the three credit reporting agencies annually at http://www.annualcreditreport.com/.

Unfortunately, there is no ''free'' way to obtain your FICO score. Usually when you obtain your free credit report you are offered the opportunity to purchase your score (usually for under $10).

There are also several credit monitoring websites, such as http://www.truecredit.com/ and http://www.freecreditreport.com/ which allow regular access to your credit reports and FICO score on a monthly subscription basis.

If you really just want to get a free peek at your score, you can visit http://www.freecreditreport.com/. This site offers a 30 day free trial of their service. You can sign up for the service, view your report and score as often as you like and cancel before the trial is up.

However I recommend keeping the credit monitoring service because your score changes on a month to month basis and it is a good way to track your progress if you are working to boost your score. An additional benefit is that you can view your score on a month to month basis which allows you to catch any errors or suspicious and fraudulent activity in a timely fashion. This is important because many victims of credit fraud don't realize what has happened until they're knee deep in a mess.

Although your credit score is easy to obtain, it isn't free. Paying a small monthly fee is a good investment in monitoring and managing your credit as well as protecting yourself against fraud.

Yours Truly,
Finance Girl

Sample Dispute Letter

Sample Dispute Letter

10/11/2006

Jane Doe
33-22- Elm St.
Somewhere, NJ 10607

Dispute Department
[Name of Credit Reporting Agency]
[Address]
[City, State, Zip Code]

Dear Sir or Madam:

I am writing to dispute information on my credit report. The items I wish to dispute are listed below and also highlighted on the attached copy of my credit report
[List the items that you feel are inaccurate including the type of accounts, names of the financial institutions, and full or partial account numbers. Include what changes you feel should be made.]
Enclosed are copies of [payment records, credit report, letters from the creditor, court documents, etc.] supporting my dispute. Thank you for investigating this matter.

Sincerely,
[Signature]
[Your full name]
[Date of birth]
[Social Security number]

Enclosures: (List what documents are enclosed with your letter)

Click here for books that will help your get your credit on track.

TransUnion
2 Baldwin Place
P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19022
http://www.transunion.com/

Equifax
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
http://www.equifax.com/

Experian

go to http://www.experian.com/ and submit a dispute online

Raising Your Credit Score

Who doesn't want to raise thier credit score? A1 credit can be yours through active and responsible credit management and it's easier than you may think. Following these golden rules will rocket you above and beyond the ideal 700 fico score range.

The first rule is to make punctual payments! Payments of 30, 60, 90+ days late stay on your report for 7 YEARS! Yikes! Avoid making late payments at all costs, make a minimum payment or a strike a deal with the creditor. Collect cans from the garbage for recycling if you have to but whatever you do, avoid late payments!It's just not worth it! And think of all the late fees, it's hard earned money down the drain, give away your money to charity, not banking institutions!

Next rule, check often, check closely. Order copies of your credit report and go over it with a fine tooth comb. Check for errors and unusual or unauthorized activity and take care of them ASAP!

Curb debts, don't max out or keep high balances. It's a huge waste to pay interest month to month on high balances and it puts up a red flag to potential creditors AND it lowers your fico score. Ideally, balances on accounts should be 30% of the total limit or LESS or even better, pay everything in full every month.

Stop applying for credit! Don't apply for every credit offer that comes your way because this lowers your fico score and ultimately hurts you in the end. Once you have a sufficient amount of open accounts in good standing only apply for offers that are really necessary or have not just good but GREAT deals.

Patience. Waiting SUCKS but it's necessary for optimizing your credit reports. A long history of accounts in good standing are indispensable on your credit report. Like fine wine the older the accounts, the better! It's important to always think twice about closing your oldest account because it may make your credit history appear shorter than it actually is.