Many of life\u2019s most important transactions are cloaked in complicated language. From health insurance to home loans, many people either ignore the bits they don\u2019t understand, or just pretend like they \u2018get it\u2019 and move on. In the case of your credit report, understanding the complicated parts can actually help you get a better sense of your financial standing. Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each credit bureau \u2014 Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion \u2014 actually has a slightly different way of calculating your credit report. For example, a card<\/a> you opened last year might show up on one and not the others, or a mistake can show up on one but not the others. So for a comprehensive look at your creditworthiness, get all three \u2014 after all, they\u2019re all free to access. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once per year, you can use the government-approved site AnnualCreditReport.com<\/a> to pull your three reports.\u00a0 If you just want to keep tabs, some people stagger them throughout the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Personal info<\/strong>: This includes your name, past addresses and maybe a job you\u2019ve had recently. If you see an address you\u2019ve never lived at, or a name that doesn\u2019t belong to you, that\u2019s a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Accounts<\/strong>: Every account lists whether it\u2019s open or closed, your balance and your payment history<\/a>. Most of it should look familiar. If something feels off \u2014 like a missed payment you know you didn\u2019t miss \u2014 flag it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Inquiries<\/strong>: These are the entities who\u2019ve been checking your credit. Soft inquiries don\u2019t impact your score, but hard checks do. These \u201chard pulls\u201d or \u201cchecks\u201d should only appear when you apply for a line of credit<\/a>. Write down any pulls you don\u2019t recognize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Public records<\/strong>: Not everyone has this section listed in their report. But if you\u2019ve filed bankruptcy, it\u2019ll be here. If you haven\u2019t and something still shows up, that\u2019s a red flag.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBreak Down Each Section<\/h2>\n\n\n\n