Credit counseling service for credit card and unsecured debt.
Credit counseling and debt settlement services for credit card debt and other unsecured bills.
Can't pay the minimums on your credit cards?
Consistently late paying one or more of your regular bills?
Being hounded by creditors and collection agencies?
Can't reach reasonable repayment plans with creditors?
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Don't know if credit counseling or debt
settlement is the best option?
Credit counseling vs debt settlement benefits
Both programs offer consumers a way to repay their unsecured debt. To decide which program is best for you, apply for both and review each one's plan specifically designed for your unique circumstances. Read below to review the differences between debt settlement and credit counseling:
About debt settlement:
Debt settlement may impact your credit; however, if your credit is already bad and if you don't think you'll be able to endure the longer debt repayment plan of credit counseling, then debt settlement may be best for you.
About credit counseling:
With credit counseling, you have the opportunity to improve credit if you can stick with the program. Debt counseling typically takes longer to repay debt or has a much higher monthly repayment plan.
Questions to ask a credit counselor:
Is your organization nonprofit? Nonprofit agencies, by the nature of their financial status, are in business to help the public. You want to work with an agency that has demonstrated a concern with serving the public, not itself.
How are you funded? Organizations should be willing to disclose this information and all other information about their operations. Nonprofit credit counseling agencies are normally funded in-part by creditors. The agency receives a fair-share contribution from some of your creditors because by working with you the organization is helping the creditor get the money it is owed. It should work with all your creditors, regardless of whether they receive fair share or not.
Are your counselors certified? Independent certification is a sign that the organization is committed to adhering to quality standards set for the credit counseling profession.
How are funds dispersed to creditors? It is important to make sure that your payments will be disbursed to your creditors in a timely fashion.
What fees will I be charged? Do not work with an agency that charges a large upfront fee. Some will promise to allow you to earn back the fee over a certain time, but conditions and timing may make an earn-back unlikely.
Do you offer counseling in person over the Web and by phone? The option of meeting with a counselor the way you want should be available to you if you would prefer that option.
How long will counseling take? Anything less than 30 to 45 minutes will deal only with surface issues and help the agency sign you up more than it will help you set new goals, understand how you got into debt in the first place and how to stay out of it in the future.
What lifestyle changes will I need to make to be successful? To be successful in getting out of debt, you probably have to make changes in your spending habits. The organization you work with should have educational opportunities for you to learn how to budget, set financial goals and begin a savings program.
Contact your local Better Business Bureau or the Consumer Federation of America to see if the organization has any consumer complaints.
Get your finances under control without credit counseling:
Look through your checkbook, statements, and receipts. Start gathering information on where, and how much money you spend in various categories on a weekly or monthly basis.
Just knowing where your money goes is a terrific education in and of itself. You will be amazed, and learn things about yourself you didn't realize. And right away, you'll get some great ideas on how to curb spending. This is the first step towards do-it-yourself credit counseling.
Preview Debt Relief Offers and Apply Online
Get more information about debt, and read our articles related to credit counseling.
Debt
People
are seeking debt advice every day as they are buried in bills. There are some
tried and true methods to get out of debt, yet deciding on the one that is
right, can be difficult. The most important thing is to stick with a plan and
keep track of goals. Getting out of debt requires dedication once a plan is
implemented.
It
is so easy to become burdened with debts, yet almost impossible to escape from
it when thousands of dollars are owed. Unfortunately, some may wait too long to
try to tackle it. To be able to get control of it, it is necessary to understand
the types of debt. Some debts are unsecured, which means the debt is not attached to a piece of
property, like credit card debt. A mortgage payment is a secured debt, and if
the loan is not paid, there is a risk of losing the home.
Getting
control of bills needs to begin with a carefully prepared, written budget, and keeping
track of every dollar. It is a guide and may need adjusting from time to time.
That is ok, it helps to review it, adjust it, and, stick with what is written down.
Organize
all required monthly expenses. Begin with food expenses, the mortgage payment,
and utility bills. Consider looking over last years bills to get an estimate of
the total expenses for the year. For example, a utility bill may be higher
during hot months or cold months, and it may be necessary to set aside money to
prepare. Reviewing last years income and expenses can help you discover any
extra payments for insurances, taxes, etc.
Example
of Expenses Listed on a Budget:
*
Mortgage Payments
*
Utility bills
*
Phone bills
*
Child Care
*
Gifts, Birthdays, etc.
*
Gas, auto payments, repairs
*
Food, cook more, eat out less
*
Money deposited into a savings account.
The
list above is an example, make your own list and write a dollar amount by each
item. Consider things on the list that could be eliminated. For example, cell
phone plans could be reduced or home phones may not be needed. Notice that
entertainment is not on the list. By eliminating this expense, there could be
more money to use to pay down bills. If it is put on the budget, make sure to
set an amount that is reasonable and set limits. Entertainment expenses can take
a big bite out of the monthly income. Try to do more home activities for a
while.
First
time budgets can be a success, and it takes time for it to become a habit and
refined. It is a starting point, as many people never follow one, and later
wonder how they got into debt. The more it becomes a habit, the more you know
your expenses, and what you must plan to spend out of each paycheck. Keeping
bills paid on time can be huge stress relief.
Target
debts to pay every time a paycheck is received, spread it around to what is
necessary to pay first. After some weeks, you may find your finances in better
shape and feel some pride in getting debts well under control. Paying debts must
become a weekly target, to make progress and get bills paid. This also helps to
avoid any added expenses. Using a calendar as a reminder is a good tool to use.
When getting out of debt is not working, consider a free quote from a debt
counselor.
Auto Loan: Get free quotes and apply for a new or used auto loan or for auto refinancing.
Credit Card: Search for secured and unsecured credit card applications and apply online. Applications for all types of cards ranging from an instant approval bad credit card to no deposit cards, including platinum credit card rewards.
Credit Report: Free credit report help to fix credit report errors and improve credit score ratings. You are entitled to one free credit report annually.
Free Credit Offers: Get no obligation, free credit offers plus financial tips to help effectively manage your personal finances.
Home Loan: Free multiple quotes from mortgage lenders. Apply for a new home loan and start building your financial security.
Mortgage Refinancing: 2nd mortgage loan and other types of mortgage refinancing for home remodeling, equity cash out or a debt consolidation loan and more.
Payday Loan: Easy approval bad credit unsecured loan with no credit check, no deposit and no security.
Personal Loan: Submit a short or long term personal loan application (if available), or apply for other secured or unsecured loan offers.
Personal Finance: How to file bankruptcy plus free bankruptcy forms. Create a household personal budget, balance a checkbook register, track expenses and more.
Tip of the Day: To curb credit card charges, wrap your credit card in a sheet of paper and keep a log of purchases written on the paper, with a grand total of charges in view each time you reach for your card. Before swiping your card, figure out how many hours you'll have to work in order to payoff the charge and jot on the paper: "IOU #Hours of Work". Perhaps seeing how long you'll need to work to payoff the charge will help curb spending.
