Should Credit Reports Be Ordered At Same Time Or Spread Out Over 12 Months?

One good question found at the www.AnnualCreditReport.com website revolves around timing to pull all 3 credit scores:

Great question: I've always wanted to get a "snapshot" of my credit all at the same time to compare the different reports. There could be a blemish in one report which isn't showing up in the other two credit reports, and there's no way to know it until you've applied ... and gotten turned down ... for a new loan. Then it's a pain to tackle restoring that credit report. Wasted time.
My take: better to order all three major credit reports at the same time. Review the reports for accuracy. If you find errors or outdated entries, take steps to dispute the credit reports.
More free tips can be found at http://www.findhow2.com/repair-credit.html
Amazon.com has this unique title available:

Free Credit Report: Credit Reporting Agencies and Credit Repair

Q: Should I order all my credit reports at one time or space them out over 12 months?

A: You are entitled to receive one free credit report every 12 months from each of the nationwide consumer credit reporting companies through the Central Source. It is entirely your choice whether you order all three credit reports at the same time or order one now and others later. The advantage of ordering all three at the same time is that you can compare them. (However, you will not be eligible for another free credit report from the Central Source for 12 months.) On the other hand, the advantage of ordering one now and others later (for example, one credit report every four months) is that you can keep track of any changes or new information that may appear on your credit report. Remember, you are entitled to receive one free credit report through the Central Source every 12 months from each of the nationwide consumer credit reporting companies – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion – so if you order from only one company today you can still order from the other two companies at a later date.

Importance of re-establishing credit

After you've gone through a spell of bad credit, whether it was due to bankruptcy or divorce or a business failure or a failure of good, sound financial judgment, it's important to re-establish your credit. It won't happen overnight. But today you can take the first step down the path toward better credit. Here are a number of tips to help you get started:

Do some soul searching to discover what happened. Put your finger on what went wrong. Accept responsibility, even if you have proof that it wasn't all your fault. That doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is getting on with repairing your finances. Be a leader. Take the blame. Then move on.

Take out a legal pad and write down your credit goals: a new unsecured credit card within 6-12 months. A business loan within 6 months. A new car loan without exhorbinant interest rates within 6 months. Write the goals down and review them daily. They will keep you on track. They will guide you to what you must do next. They will give you focus.

On the next page, make an inventory of where your money comes from and where it goes. If you get paid every other week and your bills are scattered throughout the month, plan for that. You cannot afford late payments, so you will need to use this income-outgo data go plan when to make payments so that you are never late again. Repeat after me: "I will never be late again paying a bill. Ever." Now keep your word. Pay your bills before they are due.

On the third page of this legal pad, write down your own personal plan to become debt free of all high-interest consumer debt within a specific amount of time. This will require that you know how much you owe on all your department store charge accounts and all your credit and loan accounts. Make a list of the total balance, the minimum monthly, the date due and the interest rate you're being charged. Important tip: don't leave anything out. Yes, put your house payment in there even if you've decided to exclude that debt from your debt-elimination plan for the time being. Tackle the smaller, monthly, high-interest bills first. You can always come back to pay off your home loan later. For now, tally up what you owe, then take the charge and credit cards out of your wallet or purse, lock them away at home, and don't leave home WITH them! Stop the credit accumulation. You're on a quest to get rid of debt, not add to it.

Repair your credit. Do it yourself. We have all the free tips listed on our website: http://www.findhow2.com/repair-credit.html. Bookmark that page and refresh your mind with those free tips at least once a week to make sure you're staying on track to fix your own credit. You'll find the free sites to download your credit reports to seek out outdated key derogatory marks and any errors that might have crept into your credit history by mistake. Plus, you'll find links to free sample letters on how you can dispute these credit report errors.

Fifth step: don't let anyone stop you. And don't stop yourself. You'll find plenty of friends and strangers who will make the time to discourage you, and tell you this can't be done. That only the passage of time will help you improve your credit rating. While time does heal most credit wounds, you've still got to take a pro-active role in re-establishing your own better credit score. But seeking out new loans and unsecured credit cards after you've got your debt loan under control, you'll open up new financial options for yourself. You'll short-circuit the credit restoration period from several years to 6-12 months. You don't need to listen to naysayers or those who perhaps unintentionally are rooting for your failure; you do need, however, to keep taking daily steps to restore your credit as you re-establish your ability to apply for and get credit in the future.

Here's some of our favorite books available from Amazon.com to help you stay on track re-establishing credit:

The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness

How To Achieve A Better Credit Score

Living Well with Bad Credit: Buy a House, Start a Business, and Even Take a VacationNo Matter How Low Your Credit Score

BestCredit: How to Win the Credit Game, 2nd Edition

Credit Scores Getting Squeezed

With the ongoing economic slump and the ensuing credit crisis facing those addicted to credit card usage, there's been a shift over the past 6-8 months that seems to only be getting worse: credit contraction.
People of all credit scores are seeing credit limits shrunk and credit card feed hiked.
Interest rates on credit card accounts are going through the roof.
Credit lines held in reserve are abruptly disappearing... sometimes without even notice to the account holder.
As a result, credit scores are taking a beating.
If you need help getting better credit, take heed of these changes credit card issuers are taking. Don't get caught off guard. Get credit help.
Check out http://www.FindHow2.com for free tips to help you dig out of debt.
We've put together a quick credit fix guide too at http://www.Fix-Bad-Credit.com that offers a handful of quick steps you must take to start repairing your own credit yourself.