Released: January 01, 2007

Four nearly painless financial resolutions

Source: Sandra Block, USA Today

Every year around this time, some folks resolve to get more exercise, organize their closets and read serious books. Others have more modest goals for the new year. They resolve to remember their mother’s birthday, pay the phone bill before the line goes dead and stay out of jail.

Getting your personal finances in order sounds like a task best left to the closet organizers. But there are many ways you can improve your financial security without exerting much effort, or even spending much money. Here are some no-sweat resolutions for 2007:

Order your free credit reports. Checking your credit reports periodically is a good way to protect yourself against identity theft. It will also alert you to errors that could hurt your credit score.

You’re entitled to one free credit report every 12 months from the three main credit-reporting agencies, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. To request your free credit reports, go to www.annualcreditreport.com.

Don’t be misled by similar-sounding websites that claim to offer “free” credit reports. They’re usually a backdoor effort to sell you a credit-monitoring service or other product.

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