Once a year, you can pull your credit report for free from each of the three credit bureaus. So why not pull your credit reports before the end of the year? Just go to www.annualcreditreport.com. It's important to check all three credit reports regularly to make sure they don't contain incorrect information. For instance, one of mine says I'm Cara Kemper, formerly known as Kara Patterson and that I was born in Maryland. This actually created a problem when I was opening my ING Direct account because one of the security questions they asked me was, "Where were you born?" I told them Indiana, and they insisted that wasn't correct.

Although the credit reports are free, you do have to pay $7 or so for your credit *score.* But the reports are the important part; they're what contain the information.

Here's a fun fact: Dave Ramsey doesn't have a credit score. A couple days ago, he said that he recently tried to pull his Fico score and received an error message telling him they didn't have enough financial information to calculate one for him. (In part, they look at recently-opened credit accounts and recent debt payments.) If I understand correctly, this basically means his credit score is 0. This is a man who pays cash for houses. Maybe he should finance a car to build his credit. :)

I'm in a great mood. Tomorrow is Friday, and I might get to leave work early. Also, I have a soccer game on Sunday, as usual, and I can't wait to play. And, although I have to calculate life insurance for a hypothetical couple next week, I've completed most of this week's homework already (due Monday night).

Okay, I'm in a contrary mood. I've just spent time on my college's message board discussing the problem of young people and debt. It's disheartening. It's discouraging. It makes me ill. I don't think it will ever end.

WHY DON'T PEOPLE BUDGET? That's what I want to know. Is it because they think they don't need to or just because it takes a lot of effort? If people will simply write down how much money they have coming in each month and then write down where it will all go, they can avoid spending more than they earn. It doesn't have to be complicated. A person could even just write down a dollar amount for saving and dollar amounts for bills, and then a dollar amount for spending (food, clothing, CDs, movies, ANYTHING THE PERSON WANTS, as long as he doesn't spend more than that dollar amount). The cash for the dollar amount designated for spending can be kept in an envelope in a person's underwear drawer (where I like to keep stashes of cash) and $40 or so of it can be kept in the person's wallet so he always has spending money. He could stop using any form of plastic, and voila! He's gained control of his money.

In our classroom discussion board tonight, I read a suggestion from a classmate about further regulating the credit industry so people aren't constantly bombarded with credit card offers. I really don't like that idea. We can't simply punish businesses because people are using their products. This notion just really bothers me, and I'm no big supporter of the credit industry! Granted, we aren't ASKING for the product to be mailed to our doors without our permission. But it's not that big a deal. You take the envelope and throw it in the trash. It takes about 5 seconds.

Dave Ramsey will be on Oprah on Tuesday. The show's title will be "Total Money Makeovers." Check your local listings for time and channel.

I know it's Oprah, but you should watch it anyway!

Tomorrow (Sunday), 60 Minutes will show a profile on Dave Ramsey.

I think it will be on at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (and Arizona time) and 6:00 Central. But check your local listings.