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Tech to-do: Get your free credit report and look for these mistakes
© Jittawit Tachakanjanapong | Dreamstime.com
The other night, I was out to dinner with a friend who works in medical billing. She shared a story that really stuck with me.
One of her coworkers forgot to include a patient’s disability status on a billing report. That disability status covered her medical treatments. When the bills came due, the patient didn’t pay — why would she? The medical office sent thousands of dollars to collections, and it tanked her credit.
Mistakes like these are a lot more common than we think, and they can do some serious damage. I’ll let you in on some of the most common credit report mistakes and what you can do to fix them.
Step 1: Get your free credit report
The three credit reporting agencies (TransUnion, Experian and Equifax) are required by law to provide you with one free credit report a year. Sweet. There are a few ways you can request a copy from each agency.
Online is the fastest route. If you submit a request via phone or mail, expect to wait two weeks after the paperwork is received.
- Online: www.AnnualCreditReport.com
- Phone: 877-FACTACT (877-322-8228)
- Mail: Download and complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form. Send it to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281
Pro tip: Grab your report from the fourth credit bureau, Innovis, too.
Step 2: Look for the most common mistakes
Typos or wrong info: Anything from your name spelled incorrectly to your address or your birth date off by one number. Tiny mistakes can mix up your credit with someone else’s.
Accounts you don’t recognize: If you see something you don’t recognize, don’t ignore it! This includes credit cards you never applied for, loans in your name or purchases you didn’t make.
Duplicates: It’s not normal to see a debt twice on a credit report. This includes things like the same collection account, transferred debts showing as separate accounts or paid-off debts still sitting there.
💻 Kids having tech tantrums? You’re not alone. A 12-week study points to three winning strategies: 1.) Tell kids how much screen time they have, 2.) Involve kids in activities inspired by their favorite shows, and 3.) Let kids decide on the duration of their screen time. Been there, done that. Good luck!
Use YouTube Premium? Buy through an iPhone or iPad, and it’s $18.99 per month. On the YouTube website, it’s $13.99 monthly. Yeah, cancel through your phone and buy it again.
It only takes a minute: Time to update all your devices. There are too many scary bugs out there to skip security patches. On a Windows PC, head to Settings > Windows Update. On a Mac, go to General > Software Update. Using an Android? Tap to Settings > System > Software. And for iPhones, you’ll find updates under Settings > General > Software Update.
🤖 AI tool of the day: Google’s NotebookLM lets you upload audio files, notes, documents or anything else, then search them, find citations (from your own docs) or produce a snazzy podcast you can listen to. It’s impressive. Reader Bob told me after he heard about it on my show, he used it to create training modules for his employees.
Please stop: On Reddit, you can opt out of political and religious ads. Log in from the app or your desktop, then head to this preferences page.
Hackers and scammers don’t want you to use EndpointLock: It stops them from capturing your keystrokes when you enter your user names, account numbers and passwords. If you bank on your phone or do anything else confidential, you need this. Hit this link for 10% off.
Calling back a random number? Hide yours first. Punch in star, 6 and 7, followed by the number you’re calling, and that’s it. The caller will see “Private” or “Blocked.” If you want your number hidden all the time, change the settings on your smartphone. On an iPhone, tap Settings > Phone > Show My Caller ID. Toggle it Off. On Android, the option is called Hide Number.
These aren’t your grandparents’ hearing aids: Today’s tech is small, discrete and powerful. Enjoy crystal-clear conversations and sound without big, bulky devices everyone will notice. See if you qualify for a 45-day free trial.
😎 Sweet deals: The USPS contracts with a website to auction off things postal workers can’t deliver. Go to GovDeals.com to browse everything from TVs to vehicles to kitchen appliances. Scroll down on the home page for an alphabetical list of categories.
Make an old laptop or PC work again: Install ChromeOS Flex, a free, cloud-based operating system. With processing done on Google’s servers and a bare-bones interface, you’ll get surprisingly good performance. Your PC needs to meet these minimum specs: x64 CPU, 4GB of RAM, 16GB of storage and a USB port for installation.
😵💫 That’s not quite right: You’re texting with your voice and it went all wrong. To delete the last word you dictated, say, “Delete the last word.” To delete the last sentence, say, “Clear sentence.” If you want to get rid of everything you just said, say, “Clear all.”
Must-know AI info for 2025: Download “The CFO’s Guide to AI and Machine Learning, free from NetSuite, no matter what you do. You need to know more about AI; it’s not going anywhere.
Start fresh: You can reset your browser’s settings to wipe out bugs and improve its performance. In Chrome, go to Settings > Reset settings. Look for a similar option in your browser of choice.
I hope you don’t need these: Reporting junk can help officials stop these creeps. Forward spam texts to the FCC at 7726 (that’s SPAM). For scam calls where you lost money or info, go to ReportFraud.ftc.gov. For quicker reporting, go to DoNotCall.gov.
🆓 Free magazines: With an Amazon Prime account, you get access to a rotating library of popular magazines for free. Check them out here. Now you can read the latest weird royal rumors without paying for the mag.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
Cash back on gas, groceries and dining out: No gimmicks — it just works! Download the free Upside app and use promo code Kim to get an extra 25 cents back for every gallon on your first tank of gas.
Game changer: Snap a pic with your phone’s camera, and you can copy, search or translate the text. On iPhone: Open the image in Photos. Tap and hold the text and select an option. On Android: Open a pic in Google Photos, then tap on the Lens icon. Select the text, then tap the action you want to take.
AI prompt of the day: Try this one with your chatbot of choice: “How can I make this better?” Then, add in anything you’ve written — a blog post, a travel plan, a resume or even a heartfelt email. This prompt works wonders for polishing your work and pointing out improvements — like a personal editor at your fingertips.
No fires, please: Power strips rock, but they’re not for everything. Stay safe and never, ever use one for a fridge, freezer, microwave or other small appliance, space heater, heating pad, hair dryer, or gaming console. They all draw too much power, and power strips aren’t built for that.