…but just once a year.

AnnualCreditReport.com is a joint service of the three major credit reporting companies that allows all consumers to check their credit for free as part of the FACT Act. Even if you’re not comfortable transmitting a lot of personal information like Social Security and credit card numbers over the Internet, there’s info on how you can phone or mail in your request.

I like to request these credit reports just for my own amusement, but sometimes you may notice a forgotten account or a mistake in your file. This is also a good time to ask these same companies not to sell/use your personal information for spam.