Resolutions 2016: Get the Financial Help You Need to Kick Your Debt in the Butt – Money Talks News

All financial counselors are not created equal. Here’s how to avoid scoundrels, get financial help and conquer your debts. 

This year will be different

Perhaps you’ve decided this is the year when you are going to turn your debt picture around. Money Talks News founder Stacy Johnson suggests that to make good on that resolution, you may benefit from expert help.

Unfortunately, the so-called debt settlement industry is poorly regulated and rife with problems. Some clients found that debt settlement companies not only did not help them find relief, they landed them in an even worse financial situation.

The federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau explains how to tell the difference between a credit counselor and a debt settlement company.

Find trustworthy help

The safest bet is to get financial counseling from nonprofit agencies like these:

The National Foundation for Credit Counseling, a national network of agencies vetted and accredited by the Council on Accreditation. The foundation’s agency locator shows trustworthy organizations near you that provide credit, debt and budget counseling in person, online or by phone.

The Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies represents independent nonprofit providers of credit counseling and debt help. These agencies also are accredited by the Council on Accreditation. Find a member agency here.

Other sources of help

The Federal Trade Commission says: Many universities, military bases, credit unions, housing authorities, and branches of the U.S. Cooperative Extension Service operate nonprofit credit counseling programs. Your financial institution, local consumer protection agency, and friends and family also may be good sources of information and referrals. All of these resources are available for you to get financial help and conquer your debts.

What to expect

Trustworthy credit counseling agencies will help you pay off debt and establish and keep good credit. Their counselors will sound like counselors, not salespeople. They’ll help you set up a budget. With debt management plans, you may even have fees waived and interest rates and monthly payments reduced. But they can’t reduce the balance (the total amount) of debt you owe.

ClearPoint Credit Counseling Solutions, a NFCC network member, explains:

It’s a systematic, step-by-step, personalized plan for paying off 100 percent of your debt. Participants make a single monthly payment to a consumer credit counseling service such as ClearPoint, and the agency distributes the funds to their creditors.

It may take three to five years to completely pay off your debts.

Be wary

Beware of companies promising to reduce how much debt you owe. The CFPB says to avoid companies that offer to pay off your debts with lump-sum payments that are less than the full amounts you owe. For example, for every $100 of a loan that a creditor agrees to forgive, the debt settlement company will charge you some portion in fees.

The NFCC explains in detail how to assess a debt-management plan and a credit counselor. Make sure any debt-management plan includes all of your debts, not just some, and that the company commits to providing you with regular reports on your accounts.

When shopping for help managing your debts, look for:

1. Free or low-cost counseling

Many nonprofit credit counseling services provide free advice about credit, debt and budgeting.

There’s no reason for an agency to charge consumers high fees, USA.gov says: “The cost of setting up this debt management plan is paid by the creditor, not you.”

For example, GreenPath Financial Wellness, an NFCC member, charges (on average) a one-time enrollment fee of $35 and a $28 monthly fee for a debt management program.

2. Straight talk about fees

The company should not give you the runaround when you inquire about costs.

3. Free information

There should be no charge for learning all the details you need about an agency and its debt management plans. Also, don’t surrender personal details to get information about a company or its fees.

4. Free help for serious hardships

Agencies should waive fees if you have a serious financial hardship. “If an organization won’t help you because you can’t afford to pay, go somewhere else for help,” advises USA.gov.

5. A variety of services

Stay away from businesses that only offer debt services and steer clear of companies offering debt reduction plans. Trustworthy agencies offer a variety of types of help, including:

Budget counseling, to help with managing money

Credit and debt counseling, to explain and help improve your credit score, dispute credit report errors, and analyze and prioritize debt payments

Debt management plans, which arrange for you to make a single payment to the agency, which in turn pays your creditors and helps you get debts under control and paid off

Nonprofits also may offer bankruptcy help, student loan counseling, housing counseling, and counseling on getting a mortgage or reverse mortgage.

6. Education

Trustworthy nonprofits typically offer free public classes and workshops on financial topics. “The absence of any true education offered to the general public is a red flag,” says the NFCC.

7. Professionalism

Back away if you’re feeling pressure or hearing unrealistic promises. Avoid “counselors” who push products, come on like salespeople or offer a one-size-fits-all solution.

8. A thorough interview

An agency should take an hour or more to get the details of your financial picture, including income and debts. Be prepared to bring copies of bills and credit card and bank statements and even bags of bills and statements you’ve been afraid to open.

9. No minimum debt size

You should be able to get help whether your debts are large or small. If a company requires a minimum amount of debt to help you, flee.

10. No black marks

Here’s how to check a counseling agency:

Learn if your state attorney general has received complaints about the agency. Find your state AG’s contact information by clicking your state on the map at the bottom of this page.

Find additional consumer protection resources in your state here, at USA.gov.