While millions of consumers continue to fall victim to identity theft each year, many are starting to fight back with new tools— credit alerts and credit freezes. Sounds effective, right? Though they are a great way to prevent thieves from opening new credit in your name, credit alerts and freezes are unfortunately not a total silver bullet. So, before you rush out to lock up your credit, read on to learn about these techniques, how they can prevent identity theft , and where they might fall short.

While it's not the most romantic topic of discussion, newlyweds should make it a top priority to openly discuss their individual credit histories. Of course, it's best to determine a credit strategy as a couple well before you say "I do". However, all too often the dreaded credit talk is avoided until it becomes an issue that can't be ignored any longer. Don't let this happen to you!

Roughly 50 million people in this country have no credit at all. No credit cards, student loans, auto loans, or mortgages. It's hard to believe, but it's true. Does this mean they are not credit-worthy consumers? Well, since they don't have a credit report or a FICO score, the answer you would get from any lender is yes. However, the truth is many of these individuals may be more credit worthy than those who actually exist in the "credit system".