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I’m Struggling on Disability Income. Is American Consumer Credit Counseling Reputable?

Question: Dear Steve, I’m living on permanent disability and dealing with credit card minimum payments that are eating most of my monthly income. I have been told that ACCC American Consumer Credit Counseling (the nonprofit organization) is great at reducing interest rates and monthly payments by 50%. Is this true? Are they reputable? What could …

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What Debt Relief Companies Get Horribly Wrong When Helping Seniors

Almost half of seniors have incomes within 200% of the poverty line. They are classified as economically vulnerable and retire owing more debt than ever before. It is natural then that seniors with financial problems would search for someone to help them. Before the internet, communities had a local Consumer Credit Counseling Agency that would …

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When Bad Debt Advice Hides Behind Good Advice

I just saw a Houston Texas TV story about Suzanne Black, an elderly 70 years old woman involved with a nonprofit debt management company, Money Management International. She paid $63,000 over the last five years with their help to get out of debt. While this may sound all fine and good on the surface, I …

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We’ve Been to Credit Counseling But Should We File For Bankruptcy?

Dear Steve Hi! I am a piano teacher, and due to the bad economy have very few students, even though I am used to having plenty. We just moved because we could no longer afford where we lived. We gave up our house in a deed in lieu of foreclosure. My husband took a cut …

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Debt Management Plan Providers Need Budget Advice to Stay in Business

We are creeping up on nearly two decades of account fee restrictions for nonprofit debt management plan providers. The counseling groups fought hard and heavy in the early 2000s to limit the fees they could charge consumers for budget advice and debt management plans. For example, in 2003, the State of Maryland enacted The Debt …

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Debt Settlement Kind of Wins Over Credit Counseling in CFPB Analysis

Let's say a prayer for credit counseling to survive against debt settlement

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) just released a CFPB Report on Debt Settlement and Credit Counseling that is partially helpful. The issues surrounding debt settlement and credit counseling have so many nuances and facets that general look at trends in the two solutions is nearly always inaccurate. If you focus on just the debt …

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Why Would My Credit Card Company Rather Have Me File Bankruptcy Than Work With Me?

Question: Dear Steve, I owe a lot of cc debt but have never missed or been late. I’m probably their most profitable client! I’ve asked for reduced rates, but been declined, leaving me few alternatives. Why would an issuer rather force me into bankruptcy rather than offering this relief? Karen Answer: Dear Karen, Yes. Logic …

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The Ultimate Consumer Guide to Checking Out a Debt Relief Company Before You Sign On the Line

It’s probably a bad idea to start with a negative, but here it is, people in the debt relief industry will hate this article. Even friends of mine in the industry will be bummed. And why? Because this article will tell you everything you need to look for when checking out a debt relief company …

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Inside Scoop From Creditors on Debt Relief Plans Like Credit Counseling and Debt Settlement

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a very interesting report that paints a very different position on debt settlement than you might hear from say a credit counseling agency. While non-profit credit counseling agencies may talk down for-profit debt settlement companies, creditors seem to be embracing them. According to the CFPB, it appears a …

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