
Hello, I am the The Polite Investor, a polite Englishman that has been
living in the US for 10 years.

Although I have always been interested
in personal finance and investing, once my employer enrolled me in
their retirement plan, I thought it was time to
get serious and figure out how the American financial system works to
make sound investment choices. 

I started this site to document my financial
journey and offer my opinions to help others. Perhaps you might learn something from
my experiences and together we can all try to lead better financial
lives.

I believe the key to building wealth is disiplined saving
and investing coupled with a somewhat minimalist lifestyle. You don't
need stuff and you should have a healthy skepticism towards activities
your peers engage in: mortgages, expensive cars, expensive vacations.
You'll find a little bit of my personal philosophy peppered throughout
the site.



I hope you feel welcome here. Take what you find useful and leave the
rest. Pass on what you’ve learned to your friends. May you find the
financial success you deserve.

Want to say hello?  [Email me](mailto:hello@politeinvestor.com).


Antony Holmes

Polite Investor, CEO, CTO, employee #1, whatever

Freezing your credit is a simple process and stops unauthorized credit pulls and accounts being opened in your name. I'll show you how.



## What Information Do I Need To Provide?

- Name(s)
- Address
- Date of birth
- Social Security Number

## Which credit bureaus should I freeze my credit at?

There are lots of credit bureaus, but these are the 4 main ones where you should freeze your credit reports.

<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
    <td style="font-weight: bold"><a href="https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html">Experian</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
    <td>888-397-3742</td>
</tr>
<tr>
    <td>Experian Security Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013</td>
</tr>
<tr>
    <td style="font-weight: bold"><a href="https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze/">Equifax</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
    <td>888-298-0045</td>
</tr>
<tr>
    <td>Equifax Information Services, LLC, P.O. Box 105788, Atlanta, GA 30348</td>
</tr>
<tr>
    <td style="font-weight: bold"><a href="https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze">TransUnion</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
    <td>888-909-8872</td>
</tr>
<tr>
    <td>TransUnion, P.O. Box 160, Woodlyn, PA 19094</td>
</tr>
<tr>
    <td style="font-weight: bold"><a href="https://www.chexsystems.com/web/chexsystems/consumerdebit/page/securityfreeze/placefreeze/">Chex systems</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
    <td>800-887-7652</td>
</tr>
<tr>
    <td>Chex Systems, Inc., Attn: Security Freeze Department, 7805 Hudson Road, Suite 100, Woodbury, MN 55125</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

## Are Credit Freezes Free?

Yes, you should not have to pay to freeze and unfreeze your credit. Some bureaus offer similar services and monitoring tools that do
cost money, but you don't need to buy these.

## How Long Does It Take For A Credit Freeze To Activate?

If you freeze your credit online, bureaus are required to activate the freeze within one business day. In practice it is generally instantaneous so you can lock and unlock your credit files as needed.

If requested by phone, it must be done within three business days, according to the FTC. Likewise, applying by mail will take longer. I recommend always using the online method.

# Does Freezing Hurt My Credit Score?

No, it simply stops hard pulls on your account so you cannot open new credit lines. It's perfectly safe.

# Can I Apply For Loans And Credit Cards?

No, you must unfreeze your credit before applying for a new credit line, but it's easy to freeze and temporarily unfreeze your card when you need to.

Tag

Credit

Credit, on the rocks