Managing your credit -- you need to do it

One of the most important parts of maintaining good credit is regularly checking your credit reports and credit scores.

Buying a house or a car, even charging a vacation or dinner to pay for later, are privileges that come with good credit. Make sure that the credit reporting agencies are reporting your credit correctly. Checking your credit report at least once a year and knowing your approximate credit score are as critical as paying your bills on time.

Regularly checking your credit reports and credit scores is essential for consumers to do. If there are mistakes on credit reports, or if your score is low for some reason, it's going to be up to you to fix it.