Your credit history is important. That’s why the 18th tip is to:

Regularly check your credit report.

Look for inaccuracies and take the steps to fix mistakes on your credit report. You are entitled to a free credit report each year from each of the three major credit bureaus.

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You probably know how important it is to regularly check your credit report. And, if you know how to work it, you can get a free credit report every four months (one from each credit bureau once a year). But what about those other sites? The ones that offer a free credit report? Well, watch out. The credit report may be “free,” but the services you sign up for when you view your credit report aren’t.

Did you inadvertently sign up for a credit monitoring service?

It’s one of the biggest gimmicks out there. Get something “free” if you sign up for something that costs…more. And it applies to the free credit report. Many Web sites automatically sign you up for a credit monitoring service when you go to view your credit report. That’s why they’ve asked for a credit card. It is automatically charged to your card to the tune of between $7.95 and $14.95 per month. And some of these services even charge a “per item” fee. You give them permission to automatically dispute a negative item on your credit report, and you are charged per item. And because it’s automatic, even if the information is accurate it is disputed. Which means you just wasted your money.

Do you need a credit monitoring service?

You really don’t need a credit monitoring service, if you keep on top of your credit report. But if you must have one, go ahead and sign up through your credit card. Many cards offer credit monitoring for a cost of a small percentage of your balance. So if you have no balance each month, then you get the credit monitoring for free.

And remember: the only authorized site to get a truly free credit report is www.AnnualCreditReport.com.

One of the big threats to your financial stability and foundation is identity theft. This is a growing crime, and you are quite likely to, at some point in your life, experience firsthand the effects of identity theft or fraud. Therefore, it is of great importance to your personal financial situation to ensure that you do your best to stunt the effects of identity theft. Here are some ways you can protect yourself.

Catch identity theft quickly

You may not be able to entirely prevent identity theft, but one of the keys to limiting its financial impact on you is to catch it quickly. Here are some things you can do:

Check all of your statements carefully. Balance them all — bank, credit card, etc. — each month and check the charges and debits.

Check your credit report regularly. You get one free credit report a year from the major credit bureaus. If you plan it out right, you can check your report once every four months to remain in the loop.

Investigate spurious and suspicious charges to your account.

When you do see a discrepency, report it immediately. You need to alert your bank or credit card, the credit bureaus and law enforcement officials. The sooner you act, the less liability you have.

Reduce your chances of becoming an identity theft victim

There is probably no way to completely immunize yourself to identity theft. However, you can reduce your chances of becoming a victim:

Do not send personal information (account numbers, passcodes, etc.) in response to an email request, or give it in chat rooms.

Make sure that your online transactions are secure (look for the “s” after the http in the address bar).

Use online security features to create a firewall that makes it harder for others to see what you are doing online. Also, protect your computer from spyware.

Verify the authenticity of links sent to you from email. Phishing is a technique that sends you to a dummy site through a link in your email in order to get your information.

Find out why you need to give your Social Security number when asked for it. Ask if there is another means of identification you can use when calling and speaking on official business on the phone.