Your Credit Report (the Boring Part)
Your online credit report is a collection of files and records
pertaining to your credit history. It is often referenced for
hiring, renting, mortgages, loans, background checks and many
other situations which may require an involvement of a larger
sum of your income or a need for your personal services. Your
online credit report contains the good the bad and yes, the
ugly, within its pages. There are 3 major credit report bureaus
from which the information comes from: TransUnion, Equifax and
Experian. For the most they are similar, but between the three
bureaus there may be some different items listed.
What If!?
What if your online credit report was only full of positive,
correct and up to date items? This would be like a fantasy
credit report. You could use it like a tool for certain things
like getting a low interest loan or the mortgage you actually
wanted. You could use it as a weapon against those creditors who
automatically assume that your credit sucks and turn the whole
finance game around on them. This fantasy credit report would be
like a report card with all A's (something most of us have never
experienced right?). Imagine not having to worry about what the
results are going to be when the phone rings from the bank
because you have total peace of mind that your credit report is
not only clean but also free of errors and mishaps. The anxiety
of waiting for the results of your credit standing concerning a
major purchase can cause equal or more mental tension than a
doctor walking in the room with his results for a major medical
test.
Making the Fantasy a Reality Okay, so this whole fantasy credit
report thing is exactly just that right? A fantasy. Well... not
necessarily. See, you are the only one that can ultimately
control what happens to your credit report. Yes, of course there
are those 'unknown factors' - BUT, the good news is there is a
big first step you can take to help start achieving your own
personal fantasy credit report. You can obtain a free copy of
your credit report and see what negative items are sitting on
your file. More than 70% of all U.S. citizens with credit
reports have false or out of date items on their credit file. By
spotting these items early and taking the appropriate steps to
remove them you can improve your credit rating. What else can
you do? Develop a personalized budget. It will take a couple
months of re-adjusting but will help you to see where your money
is going and begin to mature your spending habits. Also, think
about your major purchases before you make them. Too often in
our society, consumers buy things without a second thought and
"paint themselves into a corner" financially. When you take on
more payments than you can afford you have set up your credit
report for long term damage. Here is a saying to think about
regarding this type of situation: "If your outgo exceeds your
income, eventually your upkeep will become your downfall."
Remember that the fantasy credit report is waiting to evolve
before your very eyes - you just have to make it happen.
To read more about how you can get your online credit report
free with no obligations, see what is on your file and find out
how to fix your credit report go to
http://www.cleancreditonline.com
About the author:
Tom Justice is the webmaster for Clean Credit Online and does
all the designing, marketing, SEO and maintenance the site. He
has a passion for personal finance and how the economy and
consumers are affected by money. To see how you can use Clean
Credit Online to help you with your personal finances please
visit
http://www.cleancreditonline.com "Fantasy Credit Report" -
© (2005) Reprinting is allowed assuming all content is left the
same.