“Dear Steve, I’m 27 year old single guy, currently working in an IT company, however these past few months has been a depressing experience, the first few months were fine and assuming that I will stay with the company, I bought a new car. The commute is almost 2 hours (one way). To cut it short, I hate the job, ... Read More »

“Dear Steve, I am a college graduate with $30,878 in Stafford Loans and $50,932 in private loans. Now I went to a for profit college and I also do admit that I didn’t take as much time as I should have in researching schools. I went to school for a degree in recording arts. Looking back I take full responsibility ... Read More »

“Dear Steve, The past three years have been difficult for me; I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder after a depressive episode that made me unable to attend school or work. Subsequent attempts to return to school were unsuccessful, as were attempts to treat my illness– I would start a semester hopeful, but sooner or later my illness would catch ... Read More »

People with problem debt are likely to be depressed. My own study in 2001 found that of those people who reached out for help 39.71% were clinically depressed and another 9.56% identified themselves as moderately depressed. Women tended to be more likely to show symptoms of depression than men. You can read more about this study at Survey Finds Debt ... Read More »

We commonly think that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is something that only combat troops face. It’s thought of as an effect only of war. But that’s not the whole story. Through news reports and media coverage we are also aware of the ripples and problems PTSD can create in the lives of many brave military members after they return home. ... Read More »

“Dear Steve, I’ve been in custody battles for my stepchildren for the last 6 years. We finally got full custody of the kids last April, after 3 attorneys and about $30,000.00. We still owe about $20,000 to them. When we first started the court process we had no money and I made a withdrawal from my 401k (TSP – I’m ... Read More »

Now here is a point many in the debt world get totally wrong. They assume that the debt someone has is the problem. That’s not true. In fact the debt is the byproduct of another event and like losing partial vision in one eye, it’s the symptom of a greater underlying issue. If the focus is on the debt itself ... Read More »

“Dear Steve, I am a small business owner and last year I didn’t get paid for one of the project we were working, generating a debt of 180k liable to my business. I have a lawyer working on my case, but it may take a while till all this is solved. I had to let go all my employees in ... Read More »

“Dear Steve, — 30 Years old, unmarried, live with partner. — Sold car last year to pay off debts, but ended up having to use the extra cash for emergency expenses. — About $22,000 in unsecured credit card debt. Have been working on it about 10 years, but it has only grown. — Approximately $43,000 in student loans (Federal, not ... Read More »

Many years ago I wrote my original Seven Stages of Debt, as modified from the Five Stages of Death and Dying by Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. Both experiencing the emotional loss of a loved one and the emotional loss of your financial life are similar in some distinct ways. However, the emotional stages of debt also have two additional components that ... Read More »

My husband suffers from severe depression and has lost 2 jobs in the last 2 years leaving me financially vulnerable. I need to plan my finances as if I were the only one bringing in an income. I have 2 children…1 in college with tuition costing me $25,000/year. I currently own a home worth $330,000 with an outstanding mortgage of ... Read More »

I was out of work for almost a year and I also had an online smoking accessory company. Mostly lighters, ashtrays and cigar/cigarette cases but that went out of business this summer. My credit card debt went pretty high because of the trying to maintain the smal business and living day to day while I was looking for work. I’m ... Read More »

“Dear Steve, My son just returned from Afghanistan, and he is very messed up w/ PTSD! He was on the frontlines for 9 months, and now he is home and up to his ass in debt, the US Government does not care about these kids, how do i get him help, he is depressed and I really want to help ... Read More »

“Dear Steve, Began 1 of 2 attempts at medical school 20 years ago. Am soon going to be 54 yo. After roughly 2-3 years of trying to make it work, I was dismissed due to poor grades. I was battling something… but didn’t know what. One Dr said depression, another said ADD. In 2004, the court in lower Manhattan, NY, ... Read More »