As of March 1, 2005, all consumers in the midwest, including Wisconsin, have been eligible to get a credit report free of charge under a new amendment to the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

While you have to pay a fee to get your FICO credit score as part of the report, you can at least peruse your payment history with regards to loans, credit cards, and utilities and make any corrections. Mine looked in order except that I was reported to have worked for some employer I've never heard of. Upon seeing that, I promptly notified them and it should get corrected.

You can get your credit report online by going to www.annualcreditreport.com and then selecting your state and one of three vendors.

For those who would say I never give the president any credit, I will extend him kudos for signing this bill which gives more power to consumers over managing their credit. If you're curious, the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (H.R.2622 in the 108th Congress) passed the House and Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support.