Day in and day out, we all get asked for personal information – when we apply for credit, rent an apartment or buy a home, seek new employment, apply for insurance or even enroll in classes at the local college. Generally, we give little thought to the fact that our credit scores and files are often accessed at these times too.

The reality is that computers have increasingly replaced human beings in making decisions about important things in our lives. With today’s technology, credit scores can be used day and night to make an instant assessment of your creditworthiness, then used to make yes/no decisions or to determine the terms of credit offered to you. With so much depending on your credit, it makes good sense to understand credit and your credit score.