Simple Guide to Finding Your Credit Score

Finding my credit score used to be a confusing process for me.  Blog after blog has sent me in very different directions, and many links have pointed me in the direction of scam companies.  Getting your credit score should not be hard.  After much research, I have come to the conclusion that finding your credit score depends on what kind you’re looking for, as various websites provide you with a different type of report.

Here are the basics you should know.  A “credit report” is different than a “credit score.”  A credit report only details the state of your credit but does not give you an actual score in number format.  A credit score will provide you with a concrete number.

Here are the three types of paths you can take:

1-Credit Report. The federal government has mandated that every American can see their credit report free of charge once a year from the top 3 reporting companies.  Remember, only use AnnualCreditReport.com for this purpose.  All others are scam artists and a waste of time/money.

 

2-FAKO Scores. FAKO scores are estimates and do not represent your real credit score with 100% accuracy.  They are a rough resemblance of your actual credit score.  Go with CreditKarma.com for your FAKO score.

 

3-Real FICO Score. This is your actual FICO score calculated using the Fair Isaac algorithm method.  You do have to pay for this score, but is well worth the money one a year or so.

 

-JE