$$$, Dos

I am such a novice at financial stuff. Prior to getting married, the only thing I worried about was having enough money in my checking account for fun stuff like shopping, eating out, and vacations. I only saved money when I felt like it. Unfortunately, it wasn't until recently that I started good financial habits.

Tonight, while ST and I were enjoying Kill Bill Volumes I and II on AMC, I decided to finally get started on reviewing and compiling our joint financial information.

I began by getting a free credit report (your dad already got his in late-2010, prior to our nuptials).



It's a good idea to get a free credit report every year. Do this so that you can check your credit report for any mistakes. Your dad has the same name as your Abuelo and when we were buying car insurance, we found that something on your Abuelo's record was put on your dad's by accident! So definitely check your report and dispute any errors.

Suze Orman recommends using annualcreditreport.com. A legit site will never ask you for credit card information.

Your grandparents and Abuelos are very hard-working people. They made sure we always had food, shelter, and clothing. They taught us the importance of saving, being frugal, not spending more money than you make and planning for the future. They didn't teach us about stuff like sound investments, good credit ratings, and interest rates. We had to learn a lot of this stuff ourselves. At 27, I'm just getting the hang of the organization and strategy that it takes to be financially sound. We hope our knowledge will make it easier for you to be financially independent in the future.