Your personal finance knowledge should encompass the idea of you knowing what your credit score is. Do not simply go on as normal, to find out too late that you are not eligible for that loan you so desperately need. It is important you know this before you even apply for a loan.
But, if you look around, you will find a number of companies that will sell you a copy of your credit report and credit score. These are useful, but what if you cannot really afford the fees for this information?
There are free reports available for you to access. Typically they do not give you the full information package of a paid report, but they can still be very useful as a starting point.
Each site has their own terms and conditions for them giving you the free report. Make sure you know these terms and conditions thoroughly before you apply. Some, perhaps most firms, will use the offer of a free report to get you on their database. Once they do they can try and sell you their services forever.
There are marketers who will target desperate people in order to obtain their money and then only offer a mediocre service at best. If you spend money, make sure you know exactly what you want and that you will get it.
Not everyone is like this, but you do not know which is which, so act accordingly. Only buy stuff you need and will use. And only but from reputable firms or organizations that have a comprehensive and believable complaints policy and money back guarantee.
One thing you can do right now is go to and check them out. Did you notice the https at the start? Most sites start with http. The additional ‘s’ means that the site has additional encryption security for your online security.
This site can let you have a free credit report but there are limitations. It is up to you to check out the terms and conditions and decide for yourself. Going to sites like this and accessing the free data about your financial position is one of the first steps to increasing your personal finance knowledge.