The 16 most critical times to view credit report!

When to view credit report? That, my friends, is a very important question. It pays to know when your credit report can raise its ugly little head and really screw up your financial life. Some of the instances below may surprise you. In this case, ignorance is not always bliss. For those of you the believe that forewarned is forearmed, below I outline the most important times to review your credit report:

The 16 most critical times to view credit report and to do a thorough credit report review!

1. About to buy a home? - Buying a home is one of the most important financial decisions you can make, so it pays to know whats on your credit report before starting out. I would advice that you don't wait until your mortgage advisor or bank pull up your information. I think it is important to get all three credit reports and review them yourself before actaully applying for a loan. Many people's credit reports contain errors that can be corrected.
2. About to buy a car? - Don't let the dealer educate you about your credit. A car saleman is definately not your best person to have to trust.
3. About to lease a car? - If you want to get the best possible terms on your lease, do a credit report review and make sure you get rid of any discrepencies.
4. About to rent an apartment? - Don't forget that your credit report can impact the deposit and whether you can even rent that fresh apartment you really want.
5. Applying for a new job? - More and more employers are checking credit reports when you apply for a job. Employers figure if you can't handle your finance, you probably will not handle your job responsibilities well.
6. Applying for a professional license? - Getting professionally licensed is a serious business and certain bodies will want to take a peak into your financial life. It is a good idea to know what they will see before it is to late.
7. Applying for security clearance? - Let's face it, anyone that is going to grant you security clearance wants to know that you are beyond reproach. Security clearance is an extension of trust and a credit report is a great indicator of trustworthiness.
8. About to join the military? - This one sort of follows with applying for a new job. Employers and the military want to know whom they are hiring. A credit report gives a real clear picture about who you really are.
9. Up for a job promotion? - This one may surprises some. Nowadays, employers don't just check when they hire you. Up for a big promotion? I think you better check that the information on your credit report is correct. Your employer might just use it to select the person to promote. Is yours better than the people you are competing against?
10. Getting married? - If you are getting married, you might want to view your credit report and the credit report of you soon to be spouse. What is one of the most cited reasons for divorce? Money and credit!
11. Getting divorced? - This is not the time to put your head in the sand and ignore a potential problem. This is the time to pull up your sleeves and to really understand how being married has impacted your credit and what you need to do to move forward.
12. Applying for new utilities? - Most ulitilies now use credit reports to figure out if and the amount of a deposit you have to pay to get their service.
13. Applying for insurance? - Insurance companies now seem to think that the worse your credit, the bigger potential problem you will be to them. This means that they will more than llikely want to charge you more that someone with better credit.
14. Not reviewed your credit report this year? - You should check your credit report at least once a year. Credit reports can change drastically from month to month, so at least once a year, do a credit report review.
15. Experiencing or about to experience credit problems? - Same as getting a divorce, when things are bad, it is not the time to take your eye off the credit ball. You need information to come up with a solid game plan and plan of action.
16. Just lost a job? - Almost the same as above. This is a time to be proactive and to figure out a forecast of where money will come from until you get another job. Should you sell a house? Should you move back home? These questions and many more need to be answered quickly to save a good credit score.

I have given you more ammunition. I hope you use it. View credit report now?