Start by doing a credit checkup — you can monitor your credit yourself by requesting a free report once a year from each of the credit bureaus through www.annualcreditreport.com but the free report won’t include your credit score, you’ll pay about $8 to get the credit bureau’s proprietary number.

When it comes to retail store credit cards, the advantages are often outweighed by the disadvantages. However, the best store credit cards offer some exceptions to the status quo. Some come with rewards and benefits worth pursuing, if you shop a lot at their stores.

Identity theft may be used to facilitate or fund other crimes including illegal immigration, terrorism, phishing and espionage. There are cases of identity cloning to attack payment systems, including online credit card processing and medical insurance. Sources such as the non-profit Identity Theft Resource Center sub-divide identity theft into five categories.

One of the pre-filing requirements involves obtaining a certificate of successful completion of credit counseling with a government approved counseling agency. The counseling can take place up to six months prior to filing. If time is of the essence in filing for bankruptcy protection and you have not completed the counseling sessions, this can cause delays and problems so don’t wait until the last minute.

If you have debt, chances are you’ll have to deal with a debt collector at some point, at least until you pay off the debt. Even if you’ve hired a debt settlement company to help you negotiate down your debt, debt collectors may still contact you for payment. Here are some tips for dealing with debt collectors, even when they get rude.