Many people avoid checking their credit score because they fear damaging it. This single belief keeps millions from tracking their financial health.
Checking your own credit score or credit report is a soft inquiry. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau confirms that soft inquiries carry zero point penalty. You can check your report every week without affecting your score.
A hard inquiry occurs when a lender reviews your file for a loan application. These inquiries typically cost fewer than five points. Their impact fades from scoring models within twelve months, though they remain listed for twenty-four months.
Looking at your own numbers gives you control without any cost to your score.
How long has it been since you last looked at yours?
