Credit counseling is a touchy subject, no one wants to admit that they have a problem with anything, especially something as personal and important as one’s finances. With the average American having over 5,000 dollars in credit card debt it is obvious that many people have a problem with either understanding how to use credit, a discipline problem with regards to using credit or both. Can credit card counseling service really help someone in a bad financial situation?
Credit card counseling service is not going to magically raise your credit score 100 points overnight or vanish your credit card debt in the blink of an eye. However credit counseling does give you a chance to talk with someone with decades of personal finance experience that is actually looking out for your best interest. Most credit counseling opportunities you will find work for non-profit companies, this does not necessarily mean they work for free, but they will not charge you more than a reasonable amount of money to meet with you and at the end of the day all they are trying to do is “break even” financially while they can help as many people as they possibly can.
It is rare to be able to get free or very cheap “one on one time” with anyone in the finance industry. If you are struggling financially or just with credit card debt it would be great if you could talk to a financial planner, but they often charge hundreds of dollars an hour just to go over a few basic things here or there. You may be embarrassed about the choices you have made financially but you would be foolish to turn down the chance to talk about your personal situation with someone who is an expert in the field. The internet is a great place to gather free information, I’d like to think that this website is a great place to get information about credit cards and whatnot, but nothing can replace one on one time with someone who is looking out for your best interest at little to no cost to you!
It is clear that credit card counseling service can help you if you are in a poor financial situation, what steps should you take if you are interested in credit counseling?
1. The first thing you need to do is make sure you are serious about turning your financial situation around. You can talk to a dozen different financial gurus about your problems but it will not matter if you are not committed to turning your situation around. As long as you know you are ready to turn things around for yourself everything else will fall into place.
2. Once you have decided that you are ready to turn your financial situation around, you should check out American Consumer Credit Counseling website (ConsumerCredit.com). This is an excellent, independent source of information with regards to choosing a credit counseling agency. Their guidelines are clear and concise, it will not be difficult for you to know whether or not a counseling agency meets their specifications.
3. Choose an agency that satisfies the guidelines set out in step number two and turn your life around. Remember that credit counseling can go a long way towards helping you realize the severity of your situation and helping you take the right steps towards turning your situation around, however in the end it all comes down to you and the decisions that you make. You are in control of your own destiny financially and it is not too late to turn things around!
5/10/2011