Should You Freeze Your Credit?

There have been so many data breaches in the last few years that it is safe to assume that your information could be out there. The recent Marriott/Starwood breach alone exposed a ton of personal identification and financial data on over a half billion guests. While there are countless ways that evildoers could attempt to steal your information, one easy way to prevent someone from opening new accounts in your name is by freezing your credit with the major credit bureaus. A credit freeze simply means that the no one sees your credit history and rating unless you want them to. It will not impact your credit score or interfere with any of your open lines of credit, however no one can open new accounts in your name. For the vast majority of us, it’s a great idea. By law, credit bureaus must freeze and unfreeze your records upon request. It’s free, and straight forward. You can do it by phone, letter, or most conveniently on line.