This is a huge potential money saving tip. Each year I remind all of you to check your credit for unauthorized activity or mistakes. I also advise to put a freeze on your credit to prevent thieves from opening new credit accounts in your name. While there is a bit of an inconvenience when you want new credit, it is well worth the hassle. It is certainly better than spending months of time, and thousands of dollars repairing your credit after a thief strikes.

This is the time of year we remind you to run a credit report on yourself. You should develop a habit of doing it every year, without fail. You can get your free annual credit reports from all three credit reporting agencies at www.annualcreditreport.com, or by calling each agency directly. Twice in the last nine years I found errors on my own credit report. If you don't watch your credit, no one else will.

You can also request a credit/security freeze from each of these companies. Or, go to their websites and you can do it online. Once you get to their website, search for "security freeze" and follow the instructions. The idea behind a credit freeze is, new credit cannot be obtained without a credit report which is usually easily obtained if you don't have a freeze on your credit. When a thief becomes aware of the freeze on your credit, they will often move on to an easier target.

Invest intelligently!
Scott Buchanan