Every week, we reply cash questions from across the net on the NerdWallet app. Listed below are three of the trending questions from February.
How do I verify my credit score?
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Go to AnnualCreditReport.com to enter your data and request a report. You’ll be requested a number of safety inquiries to confirm your identification. (Be sure you go to the right web site and never a similar-sounding web site designed to trick guests.)
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Use the NerdWallet app to view your free credit score rating. It’s up to date weekly utilizing TransUnion knowledge and checking your rating doesn’t have a detrimental affect in your credit score.
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Test together with your monetary establishment. Log into your account on-line. Your financial institution or bank card supplier might present your credit score rating or report free of charge.
If there’s an error in your credit score report that’s dragging down your credit score rating, it may harm your possibilities of touchdown a low-interest mortgage. Credit score stories may also be utilized by landlords, utility suppliers and insurance coverage corporations to set charges and decide eligibility.
Credit score stories include the main points of your credit score utilization historical past, and credit score scores are numbers calculated from that data.
Given the significance of credit score scores in your monetary life, checking your full credit score report not less than every year — if no more usually — is a stable transfer.
Proceed to watch your credit score report and credit score rating for adjustments. A brand new account that you just don’t acknowledge is usually one of many first indicators of identification theft.
Ought to I file my taxes early?
The tax deadline is April 15, 2026, however the IRS is accepting 2025 tax returns now. The company estimates that if you happen to file electronically, then you would obtain your refund in about three weeks.
There’s one other huge cause to file early: to keep away from identification theft. One tax rip-off is when somebody information faux W-2s together with your Social Safety quantity after which receives your refund, resulting in your official return being rejected.
Get forward of the scammers. File your return now, so it’s accepted earlier than a fraudulent one is submitted in your title.
Just a few extra helpful tax tricks to notice:
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The IRS provides sure taxpayers choices to file free of charge via the Free File program.
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You’ll be able to file for an extension if you happen to’re going to overlook the tax deadline. An extension provides you extra time to file, no more time to pay. Should you owe cash, you’ll have to make a fee by April 15 or face late charges.
What are enjoyable methods to have a good time love for much less?
Valentine’s Day is likely to be over, but it surely’s at all times enjoyable to have a good time love in artistic ways in which aren’t too costly.
The excellent news is that there are many methods to spend much less — or nothing in any respect — whereas nonetheless celebrating your companion and different family members.
Listed below are some concepts:
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Attend a free occasion. Nothing’s extra romantic than spending high quality time collectively, so take into account checking for native free occasions. Maybe there’s a live performance, museum exhibit or different native taking place you can get pleasure from.
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Plan a hike, city stroll or stroll round city. Should you’re experiencing temperate climate, having fun with the nice open air is one other solution to recognize one another with out spending something.
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Cook dinner a meal. It’s important to buy the components, however cooking a meal on your romantic companion can present them you care whereas avoiding the upper value of a restaurant. You would possibly even be capable of use some components — like spices or pantry staples like rice — that you have already got.
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Get artistic. Write a poem that displays your love. Put collectively a playlist. Adorn a photograph body. These can all present your love whereas skipping an enormous expense. Yow will discover extra inspiration on-line.
You may additionally use a date evening to encourage an sincere dialog about cash.
Discussing one another’s cash historical past, credit score rating, debt, financial savings and investments may not sound romantic, but it surely might deliver you nearer. The aim is to speak overtly and actually about how you can obtain your joint monetary targets.
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