Your credit report says a lot about you – particularly when you’re applying for a loan, a new job, an insurance policy or an apartment. So it only makes sense to know what’s in it.

Up until recently, the only way to find that out was by paying for it. But with the FACT Act (Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act), you can get a free copy of your credit report once a year from each of the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.