Find A Credit Counselor

Losing a job, getting hit with unexpected emergency medical expenses, getting a divorce, or simply not managing your money well can all result in credit difficulties.

Are you facing any of these situations?

• Inability to pay your bills on time and paying late fees.
• Difficulty deciding which bills to pay each month.
• Using credit for purchases you used to make with cash.
• Putting day-to-day living expenses, like groceries on credit cards, because you don't have the cash.
• Borrowing money to make loan payments.
• Close to or maxing out your credit cards.
• Making only minimum payments on your credit cards.
• Putting off necessary things like visits to the doctor because you don't have enough money.
• Thinking your financial condition is beyond help.

If so, you should talk to a credit counselor. Credit counselors offer confidential budget and debt counseling. They can also teach you about debt repayment programs and money management. A reputable counselor is trained to help you develop a plan to help you with your current financial difficulties and prevent future ones.

One of the biggest mistakes people make is ignoring the problem and hoping it will go away. If you take control early and seek help you may be able to prevent small credit problems from becoming big ones.

Beware of organizations that promote "easy" debt consolidation programs or offer to "repair" your credit report for a fee. No one can fix your credit but you – over time, with smart financial decisions.

To help ensure you are working with a reputable credit counseling agency, ask the following questions:

• Is the agency affiliated with the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) or other national organization?
• Is the agency a non-profit with 201(c)3 status?
• Is the agency accredited by a third party? Make sure it is not self accredited.
• What are the agencies services and any fees associated with those services?

More credit counseling tips can be found at www.nfcc.org.