Do It Yourself Debt Relief


With mounting bills and unforeseen hardships, you may be considering some form of debt relief. There are many options to help you, but the best may actually be you helping yourself. Here are some suggestions for starting debt relief and becoming more solvent.

First, don't stop communication. While it is a natural response to stop answering the phone and let the mail stack up unopened, this doesn't solve anything. Contact your creditors. Explain the situation to them. In many cases, they will work with you to reduce your debt by lowering the interest rate and waiving over-the-limit and late fees.

Second, stop using all your credit cards. Whether you file for bankruptcy or sign on with a credit counseling service or debt settlement, all of them will demand that you give up your credit cards. Do it yourself now.

Third, make getting out of debt a priority, and work toward debt relief as though you were with a credit counseling service. This is how credit counseling services work. You make one regular payment to them each month, and they disburse your money to the creditors. When one is paid off, the extra money is applied to the other creditors. If you have extra money one month, put it toward one of your bills. As soon as you have paid off that bill, take the money you would have spent on that one bill and apply that every month to another bill. By continually making larger payments than what is owed, the credit cards will be paid off faster.

Some companies will tell you that because you are not a professional negotiator, credit card companies will still take you for as much as they can. That is a possibility. If you are unsure about taking the above steps yourself, you can check into debt settlement, debt consolidation, or consumer credit counseling services. All of these options promise to reduce your debt by anywhere from 40-60% and to be debt free within 1-5 years. Be careful, though. Some will take an upfront fee of up to thousands of dollars, which doesn't get applied to your creditors. Others claim to be non-profit and will take a donation, but the donation may seem like just another bill to pay. Further, they may guarantee to protect your credit rating from bankruptcy, but that doesn't mean that your credit rating will come through cleanly because you are dealing with a debt relief service.

Do plenty of research before signing on with any of them for debt relief.

Timothy Gorman is a successful Webmaster and publisher of Debt-Relief-Solutions.com. He provides more debt consolidation, credit counseling, repair and free debt relief information that you can research in your pajamas on his website.


MORE RESOURCES:

BNET

FTC Unveils Law Banning Up-Front Fees From Some Debt-Relief Companies
Wall Street Journal
The law, which begins to take effect in September, would bar companies that sell debt-relief services over the phone from charging up-front fees. ...
FTC cracks down on debt-relief companiesWashington Post (blog)
FTC Bans Advance Fees at Debt Relief CompaniesBaltimore Sun (blog)
New FTC rule prohibits debt-relief companies from charging consumers advance feesPlain Dealer
PR Newswire (press release) -Connecticut Watchdog (blog) -eCreditDaily.com
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PBS (blog)

The Inception of New Debt Relief Programs Helps Consumers Get Out of Credit ...
Marketwire (press release)
LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - July 28, 2010) - Throughout history debt relief has evolved and recently the industry has undergone a dramatic change due to ...
Time to settle up? BewareTampabay.com
Debt Settlement and Consumer Credit Counseling – Which Is Your Best OptionSplash Press Release (press release)
Debt Settlement Negotiation Vs. Credit Counseling - Which Is The Best Debt ...I-Newswire.com (press release)
PR Web (press release)
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Marchant pulls support for medical debt relief bill
The Hill (blog)
Rep. Kenny Marchant (R-Texas) this week withdrew his support for legislation to prevent paid medical debts from ...



Survey: Many hospital patients in dark about debt-relief options
Indianapolis Business Journal
A survey of Marion County residents found that 80 percent of respondents owe money to a local hospital—and about half of them say they were never informed ...

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Bankrate.com

7 simple ways to defeat debt denial
Bankrate.com
A simple filing system ensures you pay your bills on time, suggests Kevin Gallegos, vice president of Freedom Debt Relief, a debt settlement company in ...

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The State

CONSUMER FINANCE: Auto Sales Are Top Consumer Complaint
Wall Street Journal
2 position from third place last year as more consumers faced troubles with mortgage-related fraud, debt-relief services, predatory lending and illegal or ...
Top Consumer Complaints in 2009New York Times (blog)
Financial woes overshadow list of top 10 consumer complaintsWalletPop (blog)
Consumer complaints surged in trying 2009Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Denver Post -KGO-TV
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Debt Consolidation Becomes Simpler in Burnaby
Online PR News (press release)
CCC plays an active role in providing debt relief to individuals. It offers different debt-relief options for individuals who are in financial trouble. ...




Attleboro Sun Chronicle

The Misperception of Credit Card Debt Relief and How Consumers Are Getting Out ...
Marketwire (press release)
LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - July 24, 2010) - It's hard not to notice all the advertisements and promotions for debt relief. Whether it is on TV, radio, ...
Too good to be trueAttleboro Sun Chronicle
Debt Solutions Available Today That Can Make A DifferenceOfficialWire (press release)

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Thinking About a Mortgage Default? Beware The Taxes Due
CBS MoneyWatch.com (blog)
That's the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act (otherwise known as “The Don't Kick 'Em When They're Down Act”). But it doesn't apply to every mortgage. ...


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