Your credit report and credit score affect a lot — your ability to get a mortgage, a car loan, or even rent an apartment. But most people never check their report, and even fewer have taken steps to lock it down.
Here are two simple things you can do to protect yourself.
Step 1: Check Your Credit Report
What Is a Credit Report?
Your credit report is a record of your financial history — accounts you've opened, payments you've made (or missed), and who's been looking at your credit. Lenders use it to decide whether to approve you for a loan.
How to Get Your Free Report
By law, the three major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — must give you one free credit report every 12 months. Since 2020, they've made free weekly reports available too.
🔗 Resource: Go to www.annualcreditreport.com to get your free report. This is the only site endorsed by the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). You can also download and mail in the Annual Credit Report Request Form.
What to Look For
When you pull your report, check for these things:
- Accounts you don't recognize — this could be a sign of identity theft
- Wrong addresses or phone numbers — make sure your personal info is accurate
- Errors in your payment history — mistakes can hurt your credit score
- Who has recently pulled your credit — you should recognize these requests
🔗 Resource: Not sure what a credit report looks like? View a sample report here (via Experian).
If you find errors, you have the right to dispute them directly with the credit bureau that reported them.
Step 2: Freeze Your Credit
What Is a Credit Freeze?
A credit freeze (also called a security freeze) locks your credit file so that no one — including you — can open new accounts in your name without your permission. It's one of the strongest tools available to stop identity theft before it starts.
A freeze does NOT:
- Affect your existing accounts
- Change your credit score
- Stop you from using your current credit cards
You can lift the freeze temporarily when you need to apply for something new — like a loan or credit card — and then put it back.
How to Freeze Your Credit
You need to do this at all three bureaus separately. It's free and takes just a few minutes at each site:
- Equifax: equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze
- Experian: experian.com/freeze/center.html
- TransUnion: transunion.com/credit-freeze
You'll need to provide some personal information to verify your identity.
Your Action Items ✅
Here's a simple checklist to get started:
- [ ] Go to annualcreditreport.com and pull your free report from all three bureaus
- [ ] Review for errors, unknown accounts, and unfamiliar credit inquiries
- [ ] Dispute any errors directly with the reporting bureau
- [ ] Freeze your credit at Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion
- [ ] Set a reminder to check your report again in 6–12 months
Questions?
We're happy to help you think through your credit picture as part of your overall financial plan.
📞 (877) 568-7526 📧 team@planningforgood.co