When trying to repair credit scores quickly, think of the 5 main components which influence credit scores in the following proportions -
Payment history: late payments, bankruptcies, collections, judgments – 35%
Debt utilization: the ratio of revolving balances to total revolving credit – 30%
Credit history length: how long the accounts have been open – 15%
Type of credit: credit cards vs. installment loans – 10%
Hard inquiries: applications for new credit – 10%
These proportions, however, may change depending on the type of loan the consumer is looking for.  If you must repair credit …

Smart Credit allows you to control all aspects of your credit – from one safe and convenient console.

Experian FICO is no longer available, so financial institutions are offering Experian Advanced Risk Score 2.0, which belongs to the FICO NextGen scores. The Advanced Risk Score 2.0 range is from 150 to 950 points, leading to further confusion among consumers on how just to interpret this credit score.

In short, every 3 months for someone who is really concerned (regarding identity theft, etc.) or at least twice a year for others (those looking to improve their credit, or just for general check ups).
There are several resources where you can order your credit report for free, and since all you want is to proof-read it against potential identity theft, you do not need to buy credit scores.  For starters, you should get a free annual credit report once a year.  There are several good services that offer protection against …

FICO buckets are used to group consumers with similar profiles and credit histories. Basically it is done so that the FICO algorithm compares apples with apples, not apples with oranges.  While the FICO scoring formula takes into account many variables, the bucketing concept makes sure that consumers with similar variables, e.g, length of credit history, revolving utilization, number of late payments, number of collections, etc., are compared against each other.  That way you are not compared with someone who is in a completely different credit situation.
Apparently there are several …