Debt counseling can be a valuable service, but before you get that far, there are some things you need to do. First, you will need to acknowledge that you have debt and or financial problems. Next, you will need to find the debt counseling service that works for you. Third, you use your debt counselor to get you back on your feet and out from under the strain of debt troubles.
A service that can help you understand your debt and make future financial plans, debt counseling can help you first recover from a debt crises you may be experiencing. Take a look at yourself and your financial situation. Are you constantly worrying about that next payment? Are you falling behind on bills or making only the minimum payments on your credit card? If so, then you are likely in debt trouble and could really benefit from debt counseling. Once you have admitted you need the help, get ready to start your search for freedom from debt problems.
Now that you have decided that you do need debt counseling, you may have some concerns. The biggest worry you may have is that visiting a debt counselor may hurt your credit rating. The truth of the matter is that most of the agencies do not report your visit to the credit bureau. However, even if they do, you have to realize that the credit hit you take for your visit to a debt counselor will likely be less than the multiple hits you will take for being late on payments and falling behind in your debts.
You should know going in to the process of getting a debt counseling service to help you that even though they often advertise as non-profit, there are people making money. However, if they are helping you get out of your debt problems, don’t they deserve a little something? For the most part, in terms of how good they are, most debt counselors are about the same. The cost of using them, though, may vary quite a bit. Generally it takes a debt counselor about 6 months to get your proposal out and accepted by your creditors. The counselor usually gets his money during this process, but he is still motivated to help you. If he can’t get the creditors to accept the proposals, he may get no money at all.
You may be wondering if this is something you can do yourself: calling up creditors and negotiating lower payments, interest rates, and overall settlements. The answer is yes. However, it will be a huge time commitment and you are not trained to know who to talk to, what to ask for, and how to get the best settlement. That is why it is likely more than worth it for you to use a debt counseling service to settle your debt.
It is difficult for anyone to admit they are having financial troubles. However, it is important that you acknowledge it quickly to that you can get help before things get even worse. Once you have admitted a problem, you will need to seek out solutions. One of the most common and perhaps best ways to help yourself is to contact a debt counseling service. By making use of debt counselors, you will be able to get your debt under control and learn to keep yourself out of similar situations in the future.
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