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Debt Management
At times of severe financial crisis Debt Management Plan (DMP) helps you to manage your funds and also protects you from the
humiliation of debt struck conditions. The famous American author Washington Irving in ‘Wolfert’s Roost’ addressed...
Debt Settlement
What is debt settlement? Debt Settlement is a process to settle your debts with the creditors. With debt settlement, a third party or you yourself negotiate with your creditors to come up with a reduced debt that you agree to pay. The reduction...
How Can I Become Debt Free?
1. You must change. You have to change your spending habits and spend less than you make no matter what. Its good for everyone. Especially if you are in debt. I know it’s hard to do with our current lifestyle of keeping up, but when you are debt...
How To Get Out Of Debt In 10 Steps
Over the years I've evaluated many debt elimination systems. The best one I've ever seen is also one of the simplest. So let me introduce you to...
The Best Iron-Clad, No-Holds-Barred, Fool-Proof, No-Fine-Print, Debt Elimination System Ever...
Pay Off Debt - Get Out Of Debt And Lower Your Monthly Payments
Debt consolidation can be confusing, especially if you have never considered contacting a debt consolidation company before. A debt consolidation company can give you free advice on reducing your monthly payments and show you the path to becoming...
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Debt Consolidation -- Choose Your Credit Counselor Carefully
Recently passed by Congress, the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 will require people who are filing for bankruptcy to first undergo mandatory credit counseling.
This is probably not a bad idea; after all, many people with problem debt could probably benefit from credit counseling. A good credit counselor can assist clients with problem debts in establishing a repayment schedule, creating a personal budget, and learning how to avoid debt and credit problems in the future.
The problem is that with the estimated one and a half million additional people seeking credit counseling each year, there will undoubtedly be more credit "counselors" entering the market, and many of them are only interested in reaping huge profits at the expense of their clients. There are already a number of credit counseling firms working in the marketplace that advertise themselves as "nonprofit", when they actually are closely tied to for-profit debt consolidation firms. These agencies will strongly encourage their clients to consolidate debt through their partner company, and the result may be a long-term loan for the client that doesn't help them at all, but reaps huge profits for the consolidation firm. How can someone who is genuinely seeking legitimate, helpful credit counseling choose a counseling agency wisely?
*Counselors should listen. If they start pitching a solution to you during the first fifteen minutes you are there, you should be suspicious. A credit counselor should be gathering information about you in order to determine how best to help you. They can’t possibly know how to help if they don’t understand your problem. Unless, of course, they don’t care about your problem and only want to sell generic “solutions.”
*Watch out for firms that want excessive fees up front. Be particularly wary of
nonprofit agencies that ask for fees or “voluntary contributions” or nonprofit agencies that tell you that they cannot help you if you do not pay a fee upfront.
*Beware of firms that ask for a sizeable fee to obtain a copy of your credit report. Such agencies should be able to obtain your report at no charge, and you are entitled to one report per year for free.
*Sometimes, bankruptcy is unavoidable. Watch out if the agency doesn’t mention bankruptcy at all, or if they change the subject if you bring up the topic. Debt consoldators cannot make any money on bankruptcy cases, but sometimes, that’s your only option.
*Shop around. Talk to several different agencies and compare what they tell you. Any agency that differs dramatically from what the other agencies are telling you should probably be avoided.
*Check with your local Better Business Bureau, and ask if they’ve had any complaints about the agency.
*Watch out for firms that offer quick solutions to your problems. You didn’t get into financial trouble overnight, and you won’t get out of financial trouble overnight. Any competent debt or credit counselor will know this and will undoubtedly tell you that working your way out of debt takes time.
*See if the agency belongs to the National Foundation for Credit Counseling or Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies. Many do.
By taking a few simple precautions before agreeing to work with a credit counselor, you may save yourself a lot of grief and a lot of money later.
About the Author
©Copyright 2005 by Retro Marketing. Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm devoted to informational Websites, including http://www.End-Your-Debt.com/ and http://www.HomeEquityHelp.net/
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| Advertisements Promising Debt Relief May Be Offering Bankruptcy |
| Cautions consumers about ads in newspaper, magazine and telephone directories that offer quick fixes for debt problems. |
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| Special report: debt relief | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited |
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| www.guardian.co.uk |
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| Economic Policy and Debt - The Enhanced HIPC Initiative |
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| www.worldbank.org |
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| Debt relief - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
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| Debt Analyzer, Debt Reduction Software, Home Page |
| Debt Elimination at its best! Potential savings of hundreds or thousands of dollars! Build debt reduction, timed elimination or consolidation schedules. |
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| www.globalpolicy.org |
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| What debt relief means for Africa | csmonitor.com |
| This weekend's $40 billion debt cancellation deal could spark major improvements in the lives of the world's poorest people. |
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