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This free email newsletter provides you with free legal information you can use in your own life. It is written by the attorneys at Andrews, Bongar, Starkey & Clagett. Visit our website, SouthernMarylandLaw.com, for a wealth of free legal information. If you have a legal issue and need an attorney, feel free to contact us. You may call us anytime toll free from anywhere in Maryland, at 1-888-SMD-LAW1 (763-5291).

Disclaimer: This is general information about Maryland law. It is not legal advice, and there is no attorney-client relationship until you meet with an attorney and sign a retainer. Effective legal advice depends on understanding the unique facts of your situation. If you have a legal question, get advice from a lawyer before proceeding. Frankly, that is the best advice I can ever give you.

No, we are not starting some new service to compete with one of those credit report services. It is just a good idea to get a copy of your credit report to make sure it is accurate. And you do not have to go through some paid service.

This is an excellent thing to do in preparation for doing your taxes. See our website for an article explaining how to do an annual review - called "Preventative Legal Medicine." You should take a day every year to make sure your own financial house is in order. Doing it at the same time as you do your taxes just makes sense because it is all fresh in your mind then.

Checking your credit report should be part of that. The big three credit reporting agencies do make mistakes sometimes. In these tough economic times, you cannot afford to have any mistakes on your credit report. The mistakes never seem to be in your favor, do they?

Did you know you do not have to pay for some service to get a copy of your credit report. In 2003, Congress made it mandatory that every American can get a copy of their own credit report, once every year – for free. You would be very smart to get a copy of yours if you have not done so recently. Just read it over, and make sure nothing is out of whack.

The big three are Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. But there is one source you need for the report. Go to AnnualCreditReport.com or call 1-877-322-8228. You can get all three reports at one time, or you can get one from each at different times. Yes, you can get one from each of them at once, or get one from Equifax in January, one from TransUnion in May, and one from Experian in September. The companies do use different methods and sources, so it pays to get a report from each of the three agencies.

Now admittedly, you would have to be very aggressive in protecting your credit to get a credit report every 4 months, but you could if you want to. I do suggest you get one now if you have not seen your credit report in the last year. It’s easy to do, and now is a good time to check up on everything the big three credit reporting agencies know about you.

You should be receiving this newsletter because you signed up for it, or you are a client of our firm. We do not spam. If you wish to unsubscribe, please follow the directions below. This content is written by Tucker Clagett, a Partner at Andrews, Bongar, Starkey & Clagett, a full service law firm with offices in Waldorf & Lexington Park. If you have questions or comments about it, or suggestions for future topics, please feel free to email him directly at Clagett at SouthernMarylandLaw.com. Thanks for reading.

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