When was the last time you checked your credit reports? Did you ever? Did you know that you can check your credit reports free once a year from the three big agencies—Equifax, Experian and TransUnion—directly online or from AnnualCreditReport.com?

Why do you check? To find out if there are charges against you, loans made in your name, charge accounts that you never opened or other disparities from your records. These unknown and unacknowledged debts can seriously affect your credit score and count against you when you need to get credit yourself.

The first time you check, it’s wise to get reports from all three of the agencies. They don’t share information so you’ll want to spot and dispute any possible problems on all the reports. After that, wait a year until the reports are free again, then check one report every four months. Or contact the agencies to alert them to possible fraud using your name.

For nearly 30 years, Mike Nickerson has owned and managed a small, full-service accounting practice in the Midcoast. He holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from University of Southern Main and a master's degree in financial planning from Bentley University.

He is a past board member and president of the Maine Society of Certified Public Accountants and currently serves on the Maine Board of Accountancy.

An aged rock musician, Nickerson now finds musical enjoyment playing upright and electric bass in a variety of bands spanning folk to jazz music genres. He and his wife have three grown children, and they enjoy their free time hiking, kayaking, golfing, bicycling and motorcycling.

http://www.nickersonpa.com/