I believe in good debt namely housing and in some instances higher education. As I’ve said before, I am not a complete anti-debt guy. I don’t believe in using cash to buy everything. Good debt, like bad debt, requires a credit score. There are several different ways to find out what your credit score actually is. Some credit card companies will tell if you call. If you are buying a house, the lender may reveal it if you ask nicely (ours did). However, they most likely will only tell you what your number is with one bureau. Perhaps they will give you all three; even so, it is only for when they ran your last credit check. The easiest way to be absolutely certain you know your score is to buy it from one or all of the credit bureaus. Don’t be fooled by some websites that offer “free” monitoring up front. You’ll end up getting dinged with a hefty monthly charge. I do support one site that will give you the honest truth about your credit score and report: myFICO.com. They give you the ability to get all 3 FICO scores and credit reports. There is a charge involved, but you should expect that. You have a couple of options that I can recommend to purchase through this legitimate website:
- A 30-day free trial that will get you a credit report and credit score from Experian.
- “FICO Credit Complete” ($47.85) which gives you all three credit reports and scores from the three different credit bureaus. This option also lets you dispute credit errors through myFICO, although you can dispute with each bureau individually for free.
Also, if you purchase before May 1, you will also get 25% off FICO credit scores & reports. That brings down the cost of the Credit Complete to $35.89. Let me remind you that you can get your credit reports for free from AnnualCreditReport.com. There are some instances where you need to know what your credit score is right now. Maybe you are about to start car shopping and can’t pay cash for a car. Since you will be financing, your credit score can affect what interest rates you are eligible for. Maybe you are about to lock in on a 30 year fixed rate mortgage. A lower score can push that rate up as well — and that’s a long commitment. Avoid anything that offers you free credit monitoring. It simply can’t be truly free. “Credit repair” sites are also most likely a scam. I do support myFICO. If you need to know your score, use them to get all 3 FICO scores and credit reports. And remember, if you purchase by May 1st, the price is 25% off.
Stick around, later today I’m going to tell you how I earned money with toothpaste.
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