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How to Perk Up and Protect Your Credit Score

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  • Description

    John Ulzheimer of Smartcredit.com breaks down ways to improve your credit score in 2012.

  • Duration 4:03
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And a stunning 2012 kicks off many Americans are vowing to take better care of their finances this year and -- next guest says.

It's your credit score that needs to be taking center stage joining me now with his tips on how you can better protect and improve your credit score.

This year is John Alzheimer -- a consumer education president Smart credit dot com and John.

I'm just about a week or two ago we did a segment -- special series on cyber security in all the experts at least when it comes to cyber security say.

You get what you pay for if you think you're gonna get a free software is going to protect you you're wrong does the same thing apply to keeping your credit score safe.

You have to paid to remain safer.

Yeah that's a very good point -- -- today there are several options that consumers have to choose from.

When it comes to protecting their credit they can take the free approach which is to just -- -- free credit reports periodically.

Once every four months which is provided for under federal law for -- -- lot of consumers -- don't take advantage of that that that offer.

Second is to pay for what's called credit monitoring which is essentially.

A service for your passively tracking any changes -- your credit report that could be indicative of true name fraud those services running anywhere between.

Fifteen and twenty dollars a month and you really need to get one.

Network that monitors all three of your credit reports every business -- and provide for text message or email types of a marks the best option which I think -- before knocks.

A protecting your credit is the credit freeze and if you've been a victim of identity.

He -- in the past most states call for re credit easing essentially what happens.

As they all lock you out of a credit report and much you get a lender or permission to view it.

If you do not give them permission it is systemically impossible for anybody -- -- credit report -- she's like option number.

So it sounds like John the safest option is to pay somewhere between 20250.

Dollars -- see -- to shell out money.

On top of that you have to stay on top of your credit report be very vigilant.

Is that really the only thing they you can only two things you can do are there any sort of less -- -- says.

Cheaper options out there.

Yeah -- -- take an alternative approach more preventative approached.

Which is to be more diligent with respect to your personal information what we're entering the time of the year.

Where high value mail was Kennedy sent you a bunch of items that have your salary -- -- bottoms and have your tax idea of Social Security number.

This is high value for needs to come and pick out of your mailboxes.

One of the ways that you can forgo having to spend all that money.

To monitor your credit is to make sure that nothing that you have -- in any personal information on it.

Fall into the wrong hands which means.

Twenty bucks on -- cross cut shredder and make sure that nothing goes and that garbage camp that has your name your address your social or any other financial information about you on.

Don't call it junk mail John high value -- you gave me -- I wrote it down a new term I hadn't ever heard of before.

Very very quickly before we let you go three tips that you say everyone needs to take right now to remain -- -- make sure your credit report exams.

While number one is you've got now that retails for credit card -- -- on average ten percentage points higher and more expensive.

Then your general use credit card debt number two.

Take advantage of all these free credit report offers not the stuff you see on TV trying to sell you stop the federal government says it everybody in this country he claimed their credit reports.

Once every twelve months and won't cost you one red cent.

96% of those free credit reports go unclaimed you can't protect it if you don't know what's -- -- last authority not least.

Is there are a lot of web sites out there that are actually giving away free credit scores that -- -- -- The infamous spike because score.

Web sites -- credit sesame credit harm they'll actually did -- -- score without taking your credit card number from you so free actually means -- in this case.

Let's well it's all about taking control of your information knowing what credit score you do haven't it's it's shocking that -- majority of people don't even know what -- credit score is now and -- being very vigilant John Alzheimer giving us some good IDS remain safer throughout the new.

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