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Friday, September 4, 2009

Overwhelmed With Debt and Wondering if Credit Counseling is the Solution?

By Wendy Polisi

While there are many ways to improve your credit score or renegotiate existing debts, some people are not able to do this alone and some choose not to do it for themselves. Lack of time and patience can make this difficult, but too often people just do not know what to do to rebuild credit. Credit counseling services can do the work for you.

It is common for people to wait until they are already in financial trouble, once they are least able to afford an additional expense, before seeking counseling. This is generally a bad idea. As soon as an individual realizes that their current debt load may be too much, they should immediately begin the process. Many people wait until they are already missing payments, defaulting on loans, and being harassed by collection agents, but by this time many of the potential options have closed. Preemptively taking advantage of credit counseling may allow for more " and perhaps better " options to adjust the debt load before the situation becomes too dire.

A credit counseling service looks at a clients overall financial position and then develops a strategy to help the client better manage their debt load. Reputable credit counseling services will create a unique strategy based upon the clients individual situation and needs. The person seeking credit counseling should be wary of services offering pre-designed service packages because these services may not be appropriate for the clients particular situation.

A reputable counseling service will sit down and talk with you for free or for a nominal fee. After this initial meeting, the client will be told what the company can do to improve the financial situation, how much the service will cost, and how payment will be made. Since a client has to provide so much private information about the financial life it is vital to choose a credit counseling service very carefully. It is recommended to find a local provider that is suggested by a non-creditor bank and not found online. The online world is full of dishonest people that will take advantage of those in need. Find an established local business with real experts to help your finances.

In 2005, bankruptcy laws changed requiring that credit counseling be sought before filing for bankruptcy. Because of this credit counseling can impact an individuals credit score. Credit counseling is not used to determine a score, however the fact that a person is using credit counseling becomes a part of the credit report. This may have a negative effect on borrowing ability because lenders will not know if this is the last step before bankruptcy.

Since credit counseling can have an impact on borrowing ability, it should not be used by anyone that can do credit repair themselves. It should be reserved as the last step before bankruptcy.

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