Finding Help

If you are new to this blog you may want to go back to the beginning and catch up. Since this is a new blog itself catching up will not take that much time. As we go on I will remind everyone that this Blog is a guide to services and not one professional wanting you to look only into one service. For some of you may just want to clear up some nagging debt, while others may have a serious debt situation. The only reference point I want to bring up is that this blog contains referenced material to help you come to an educated decision with more than one option. There is no easier way to this than to bring the information to you in one place.

Thirteen years ago after starting a small contracting firm I was falling into debt after having problems getting paid from contractors I had completed work for. I should have known that working for contractors was a slow pay industry and they were borrowing the money from me instead of a bank. At first this was great money but it was seasonal work. Between the seasonal work, start up costs every year and the slow pay the good money eventually turned to debt and after a while it was not even a living anymore, while making it a struggle to pay all the bills that came due. To finalize everything when I had turned forty I was diagnosed with Glaucoma, and twenty days later I was declared legally blind. At that point I knew I would never drive a car let alone a truck or operate equipment again. With the help of a friend I liquidated my equipment but I still could not pay off a large some of the unsecured debt and all I had was a part time job. The part time job was all I could keep if I was to receive disability. I was declared legally blind in October twelve years ago, and my disability benefits did not start until the following April.

At this point I had contacted Consumer Credit Counseling. We worked out my budget and the counselor had determined it would be impossible for me to pay the payments they had set for me. Then I explained that my wife was working and we had worked on our own budget and shown the counselor a copy of the budget. With the Counselors figures we came down with a different determination and I had managed to get into the program.

You can easily see with my situation, how you may have gotten into your situation. We all have good intents of repaying the money but circumstances can alter your plans. This does not mean you are a dead beat or any other thought a debt collector may have. But you have to accept the fact that you signed a contract and that is where they have you when you cannot fulfill the obligation. What we all have to take home from my situation is that situation could have been avoided by better use of unsecured credit. The bottom line is that no matter what credit you use, you have to follow a plan to pay back your debt and stick to it. You will always in one way or another be held accountable for what you borrowed. It took me a little less than five years but I did pay the debt back with the help of Consumer Credit Counseling.

You would expect after completing my obligation to endorse Consumer Credit Counseling. It may work for you but this is where you have to decide. When I started with Consumer Credit Counseling it was a free service all I had to do is send the payment. The payment had to be a cashier’s check or a money order only they did not accept automatic payments or debit cards. That did not seem to be a big obstacle; however by the time I completed my payments Consumer Credit Counseling had added a processing fee to my payments. They also say they are not for profit. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t have expenses they have to pay. This just means they have pay their expenses like office space, stationary, advertising, employees and the executives. When you figure the costs in operating anything even a nonprofit agency, you still need to look at your options to make sure you are doing what is right for you. Just because Consumer Credit Counseling is nonprofit does not mean they have the best product or service for you. The last issue I would like to bring up about Consumer Credit Counseling is, for almost five years I had paid every payment on time and the credit rating I had was only a fair credit rating because I had used that service according to the Credit Bureaus. I thought I should have gotten a better rating for being faithful to the obligation. However if you feel you can’t afford or do not want to pay upfront fees for help this could be a good resource for help. You will pay a fee for processing your payment as you go and that may end up more expensive than paying an upfront fee.

There are companies out there that specialize in debt management, credit repair, loan modification, and mortgage solutions. It is not a bad idea to look into these companies. For more information go to help with - debt rights and you will find the companies we endorse. D W Scott Financial is a company with debt and insurance resources as well as investments and financial planning. D W Scott Financial also has a very comprehensive website with good information about them as a company and how they can help you. MACs is another source to look into. MACs stands for Mortgage and Credit Solutions. In this site you can find different programs to help you with your Mortgage and Credit Solutions. As an extra feature in the MACs website there are other programs to help you rebuild your life as well as your credit report and credit score. Both programs are well worth your time in checking into. There is a third company and they offer just debt relief. Without all the bells and whistles of the other two debt settlement companies just to keep it simple Empire Debt Relief may be another option. There is one point we need you to remember, Empire Debt Relief only settles credit card debt. Lets face it dealing with debt is agonizing and keeping it simple with Empire Debt Relief may be right for you at this time. All three services have free consultations.

Now saving the best for last in our research we stumbled over this gem that we believe will work best for those of you that have a debt issue instead of a debt problem. This program, which is an online debt service that helps you personally settle your debt. Debt Goal is more of a membership site that helps you settle your debt faster without affecting your credit rating. They do this by making your money work to your advantage in paying down your debt. Debt Goal is true do it yourself debt management. To me Debt Goal is as good of a product as the Debt To Wealth Series or would work well with other debt management e-books and credit repair services, in helping you rebuild your credit score faster. Self-management means that you can leave an emergency credit line open while you are paying off your debt. Just remember that is an emergency account only or you are defeating your own cause! All these e-Books, services, and memberships are offered in help with - debt rights.

Before we end this entry, it is Important to remember as you do your research you have to figure in all the factors in your situation. How it will affect your credit score and report? And what will it take to get my credit score and report back to acceptable once I have taken action? You have to consider that almost anything you do these days is dependent of your credit rating and report even when it comes to your career or in some instances auto insurance and other services you may need. Unfortunately you could be misjudged in getting a job, the job you may want or be qualified for with a bad credit rating and report. The most non-evasive way to deal with your debt is if you can settle your debt yourself. That is why I strongly recommend The Debt to Wealth Series, The Debt Solution and /or Debt Goal. If you have a good credit score and you are not overwhelmed by debt these might be the best solutions for you. There are other helpful e-Books in help with - debt rights look though the ads and see which may suit you. If you have a good credit score you may just want to seek a debt consolidation loan first. It can’t hurt and you may be surprised with a good result. America One maybe a good source you can check into for a debt consolidation loan. America One is a multy listing financing source. If you are just plain overwhelmed with a falling credit score some kind of debt settlement may be in order. If you have the threat of wage garnishment and so on, bankruptcy may be your only way out. Bankruptcy should always be your last option and we will talk about that next week.

In the next blog we will be looking at harassing phone calls and mail and how to deal with the issue. We will also get into bankruptcy the pros and the cons. As this blog builds we will also talk specifically, blog by blog on the different ways to pay off your debt along with the A to Zs about getting back on your feet. Lastly to get a credit report and monitor your credit scores you can go to Free Credit Score or My FICO Score available in help with - debt rights. With a little research and if you need it some help, you will see we can become Financially FreeTogether Forever.