Chapter 3 – Take a Lap on the Gerbil Wheel of Debt Think of debt as that annoying squeak in the back seat that you hear as you drive alone in the car. The squeak distracts you from the beauty of the scenery, and before you know it, you are only worried about the squeak. I knew a guy that ... Read More »

Over the past few years debt settlement has been in the news, not always in a good way. Many consumers have complained about the services they’ve received while some have been very happy. Much of the disparity in the perception of the service is due to misconceptions about the process itself. So here are the top ten misconceptions I see ... Read More »

Clinton “Dear Steve, I am receiving social security disability insurance (SSDI) and got abandoned with a mortgage back in 2007 that went into foreclosure. I know I can’t get the foreclosure removed but I have been diligently trying to pay off all of my outstanding debt, charge-offs and the ones that report a zero balance but the collection agencies keep ... Read More »

“Dear Steve, I just can’t make ends meet anymore. We are trying to stretch our money but there just isn’t enough to make the minimum payments. How can I obtain a payment plan with credit card companies that I can afford? David” The Answer   Dear David, It is quite possible that you will not be able to come to ... Read More »

If you are concerned about the way credit card companies and other lenders do business, you will be pleased to discover a little known regulation enacted for your protection. Regulation Z, or the Truth in Lending Law, regulates certain credit card practices and helps you know the true cost of credit and achieve a fair and timely solution to credit ... Read More »

“Dear Steve, My husband and I own our own business but have been struggling lately. I work a 9-5 job while he stays at home to run the business. We owe a lot of debt in credit cards from working to get the business up and going – and we’re just a few hundred dollars a month from breaking even. ... Read More »

“Dear Steve, I have about 24000 in debt credit cards and loans. I was in a debt management plan about 5 months ago with a local company. I was off of work for a sort time. What I currently pay out now i have about $100 left each month to live on. If I decide to go with another company ... Read More »

“Dear Steve, I have been enrolled with a consumer law center that was working with my creditors on my outstanding credit cards. I was late on payments up to 4 months. I was told today that the law center is closing without helping to pay off my creditors. I was making payments to them at $200.00 per month and I ... Read More »

Deborah “Dear Steve, I have over $30,000 of debt. Most of this is credit card debt but almost as much is medical (doctors, emergency room, ambulance, nursing home, etc.) I thankfully had insurance that paid 80% of those bills. I am disabled now. I have just recently begun getting a disability check ($677.00/month) I have no job, no savings, no ... Read More »

Antoine writes in to the Get Out of Debt Squirrel and asks: I don’t have credit card dept of any kind. I’ve never filed bankruptcy. I have bills on my credit report some of them I’m unaware of and the others are overdue bills. How do I go about solving the problem to get it off my credit report? How ... Read More »

“Dear Steve, We need some way to figure out how to pay our debts off. We have credit card debt, car loan, a home equity loan that has a balloon next year, medical bills and owe a balance to my brother for his half of property we inherited jointly. We have two incomes and we should be able to live ... Read More »

A story by CNN today makes my article on How to Hide From Debt Collection, the Debt Collector and Creditors even more timely. After several years in which Americans were buying stuff on credit they couldn’t afford, a rapidly increasing number are complaining about getting harassed and abused by bill collectors. Nearly 71,000 people filed such complaints with the Federal ... Read More »

Mark wrote in about his financial situation. “Hi Steve, My wife and I need help. Since 2001 we’ve been living in the U.S. and we’ve just got our green cards. We moved to the U.S. from the UK and for years I’ve been struggling to pay back debt there using dollars to pay back British pounds. The conversion rate has ... Read More »

I could not help but notice the huge numbers of people searching for information for bad credit debt consolidation information. The phrase is almost an invitation for a bad outcome or maybe just an oxymoron. When you have bad credit it is not an invitation for a debt consolidation loan from a debt consolidation firm. People that lend money are ... Read More »

“Dear Steve, I have recently hired a bankruptcy attorney and am in the process of making payments to him to file my case, which unfortunately he cannot do until I make the last payment. I should have this taken care of by May, 2009. I am now just starting to become delinquent with my credit cards. Would it make sense ... Read More »