FREE credit reports extended another year

Your Weekly Advisor Update

Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.

A Note From Kelly Anne

There’s one document that’s arguably the most important in your personal finances: Your credit report.

Checking your credit reports regularly can help you monitor your financial health and identify errors or potential fraud. According to a Federal Trade Commission report, one in five people has an error on one or more of their credit reports. 

Before the pandemic, you could only access all three credit reports from the major consumer credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion) for free once a year. 

But the bureaus recently extended free access to your reports through December 2023, so there’s no reason not to check them regularly.

Have a great week.

Best,

Kelly Anne

Senior Staff Writer

Consumer Finance

Free Weekly Credit Reports Extended Through 2023

Have you checked your credit reports lately?

Your credit reports give a snapshot of your financial health by listing your open and closed accounts with their balances and limits. They also give you a breakdown of when creditors pulled your information, a process known as a credit inquiry.

Checking your reports might sound like a mundane task, but it’s crucial to ensure the information on your reports is correct. Inaccurate information can affect your credit scores, which can impact how much you can borrow and at what interest rate—and in some cases, you might get denied a loan or credit product.

A 2019 Federal Trade Commission study found that 5% of consumers had credit report errors that could result in less favorable terms when borrowing money. If you review your reports and find errors, such as a late payment that has passed its 7-year statute of limitations, you should file a dispute with the bureaus.

You can pull your free credit reports every week until December 2023 by visiting AnnualCreditReport.com or calling 877-322-8228 to deliver them by mail.

Calculate Your Home Equity At Forbes Advisor

Click banner above for calculator

If you’ve been paying down your mortgage for a few years—especially in housing markets where home prices are shooting up—you’ve likely built up equity in your home that you can now access through a line of credit. To see if you might qualify, use this calculator to determine how much equity you might be able to borrow through a home equity line of credit (HELOC).

Put Your Home Equity To Work & Unlock $35K-$300k 

Forbes Advisor compiled a list of home equity lenders that excel in various areas, including offering low fees, low loan costs, convenience and flexibility, so there’s something for people with different goals and financial needs.

Here’s what else you should know
this week

What Is The No Surprises Act?

Unexpected medical bills can be a shock. Here’s how Congress aims to tackle the issue of unanticipated medical bills with the No Surprises Act.

Student Loan Forgiveness Calculator: Check If You Qualify

Use this calculator to estimate if you qualify for student loan forgiveness and how much of your debt could be canceled.

California Residents To Receive Stimulus Payments Starting Oct. 7

Qualifying California residents will soon receive their Middle-Class Tax Refund. Here’s what you need to know.

Sponsored Content

How To Report Social Security Fraud With Aura

If you suspect that someone is committing Social Security fraud, report it to the Office of Inspector General (OIG) as soon as possible. It also may be necessary to contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and local law enforcement. The sooner the authorities are alerted, the better chance they have of catching the culprit and preventing further harm.

Contact US:

Forbes Marketplace
251 Little Falls Drive
Wilmington, DE 19808