K-State Research and Extension Wildcat District

Business

 

Finance

No one is born with natural money management skills. You may have learned some money management skills from your family but you may want to manage your finances differently than your parents did. You also may have learned some money management skills at school or through life experiences. Developing good money management skills takes time, practice, and patience. Check out the following resources for tips on how to manage debt and get started building financial security!

 

Credit

Consumers can request one report from each of the three nationwide consumer credit reporting companies — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — every 12 months.

The free credit report does not include your credit score. You can purchase your credit score from AnnualCreditReport.com, or from the following companies:

Credit reporting bureau web sites

You may be asked for an account number or Social Security number for identity verification. Since this site is recommended by the Department of Homeland Security US-CERT and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC), it is certainly secure. You will not be charged for a credit report. This is simply to filter out duplicate names from yours.

You may see information that is incorrect about yourself, including past addresses or employers. This does not mean the credit report is outdated. Any disputed information should be corrected by following the instructions provided on the report. This is why it is important to review your credit report on an annual basis.

Check your credit score

Your Rights: Credit Reporting This Federal Trade Commission (FTC) government site contains information to read before you request your Free Credit Report.

Included is:

  • Your Access to Free Credit Reports' brochure explaining your rights and how to order a free credit report.
  • Important guidelines for online security and warnings about how to avoid fraudulent imposter sites!
  • Accurate spelling of the web address is extremely important.

You can order your free annual credit report in 3 ways:

• By phone: Call (877) 322-8228

• By mail: Complete the Annual Credit Request Form and mailing it to:

Annual Credit Report Request Service
P.O. Box 105281
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281

Click here for the Annual Credit Report Request Form to print and mail.

• Online: The FTC site offers a direct link to the official free credit report site for security and to avoid confusion with fraudulent copy-cat or imposter sites. Click here for a direct link to the official free AnnualCreditReport.com site to order secure online copies of credit reports. If in doubt always access the official site link through the FTC website above.

Note about Credit Scores: Annual Credit Reports are free; if you want a 'credit score' provided there will be a fee requested.

Credit counseling
The US Department of Justice lists the following agency on their list of Approved Credit Counseling Agencies for Kansas

Apprisen, formerly known as Consumer Credit Counseling, a non-profit credit counseling organization.

Note: The Department of Justice and K-State Research and Extension do not endorse this organizations or views represented by their site and takes no responsibility for, and exercises no control over, the accuracy, accessibility, copyright or trademark compliance or legality of the material contained on this site.

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