Time lapse of downtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA at night

Twenty, twenty-one, twenty – what??

2022… that’s right, we are starting 2022! Just yesterday we were celebrating the holiday’s in 2019, then blink, here we are. Two years blended and passed in the matter of what felt to most like “a couple of months.” Without recounting the major events, it’s sufficient to say that the world has been through a lot, politically, economically, emotionally, the list goes on. Some navigated more than others but all of us have been impacted.

In this blog post I want to give a quick financial tip and a reminder to carry going into the New Year.

Financial tip: Freeze your credit. If you are not currently applying for a new loan, consider freezing your credit. This is a free service provided by the three credit bureaus–Equifax, Transunion and Experian–to protect you from fraudulent credit inquiries using your information.

To freeze your credit, you must go online or contact each of the three bureaus (separately) and request a freeze. You will complete their process and create a custom PIN allowing you to freeze and unfreeze (thaw) your credit when appropriate. This way, even if your identity has been stolen and someone has your date of birth and Social Security number, they will not be able to access or apply for credit as if they were you.

When you need to access your credit after freezing it, simply go online or contact the bureau(s) and use your PIN to thaw your credit. If, for example, you are applying for a new loan and you know that the lender is going to check your credit via Experian, you can contact Experian specifically to thaw your credit, while maintaining the freeze at the other two bureaus. To re-freeze, you can set up an auto freeze after a certain number of days or manually freeze your credit following the same process as before.

There are no eligibility requirements to freeze your credit. Under Federal law, anyone can freeze (and thaw) their credit, whenever they want, at no cost. If you’re interested in doing this, contact our office and we can send you the step-by-step process.

For more financial tips at the beginning of the year, check out Claire’s blog post on revamping your financial checklist in the New Year. 

 

As for the reminder: Life is busy and we all have responsibilities competing for our attention. It’s up to you to make time for the things that matter most. I want to share quotes from Harvay MacKay and C.S. Lewis, respectively that I found thought provoking. These words ring true for all regardless of where you come from, what you believe, how old you are, or your tax bracket:

  • “Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it, you can never get it back.” ~Harvay MacKay
  • “The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.” ~ C.S. Lewis

 

We wish you a Happy New Year filled with time well spent with people you love pursuing dreams that inspire you!

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