Credit Repair and Debt

Credit Problems and Your Consumer Rights
by FTC
A good credit rating is very important. Businesses inspect your credit history when they evaluate your applications for credit, insurance, employment, and even leases. They can use it when they choose to give or deny you credit or insurance, provided you

Before You File for Personal Bankruptcy
by FTC
A pre-bankruptcy counseling session with an approved credit counseling organization should include an evaluation of your personal financial situation, a discussion of alternatives to bankruptcy, and a personal budget plan.

What To Do About Debt Collection
by FTC
There's no doubt about it: you are responsible for your debts. If you fall behind in paying your creditors - or if you dispute the legitimacy of a debt - a debt collector may contact you.

Ads Promising Debt Relief May Be About Bankruptcy
by FTC
Debt got you down? You're not alone. Consumer debt is at an alltime high. What's more, record numbers of consumers - more than 1.5 million in 2004 - are filing for bankruptcy. Whether your debt dilemma is the result of an illness, unemployment, or simply

Tales of Life and Debt
Pay It Down! : From Debt to Wealth on $10 a Day
by Jean Chatzky
In January 2004, I announced on the Today show that later in the year, I would be doing a series on getting out of debt. We would follow - and help - two families in their quest to become debt-free. Then I asked for volunteers.

Is Debt Getting in the Way of Your Future?
Pay It Down! : From Debt to Wealth on $10 a Day
by Jean Chatzky
That's how often we use our credit cards in this country. That's how often we whip out our slim pieces of plastic, slide them through the little electronic slots or hand them over to the cashier.

How's Being Broke Working for You?
Good Debt, Bad Debt: Knowing the Difference Can Save Your Financial Life
by Jon Hanson
For merchants who are armed with psychologists, sociologists, surveys, and ad agencies, the typical consumer is no more than a cow being milked by his or her emotions. When you no longer produce the milk - uh, the payments for your excesses

For Whom Am I Working?
Good Debt, Bad Debt: Knowing the Difference Can Save Your Financial Life
by Jon Hanson
Many people work hard to have luxuries - only to become slaves to those luxuries. In The Art of Money Getting, P. T. Barnum wrote, 'Debt robs a man of his self-respect and makes him almost despise himself.'

From Success to Significance
Good Debt, Bad Debt: Knowing the Difference Can Save Your Financial Life
by Jon Hanson
Suppose you wish to change careers? If you have a high debt-to-income ratio, debt will certainly be a deciding factor. Following your passion and moving from success to significance careerwise may depend on whether you can downshift from corporate

The Debt Effects: The Invisible Hand of Debt
Good Debt, Bad Debt: Knowing the Difference Can Save Your Financial Life
by Jon Hanson
In America you will not be singled out or made fun of for wasting your resources. In fact, you will have many cheerleaders, although most of the cheerleaders will be people who profit by selling you trinkets and assorted junk.

My Objectives for Good Debt, Bad Debt
Good Debt, Bad Debt: Knowing the Difference Can Save Your Financial Life
by Jon Hanson
No quick-fix temporary solutions. No optimistic taffy to soothe your ego. Good Debt, Bad Debt is about embracing the reality of where you are at and working to improve your position. You won't find specific to-do lists and forms to fill out.

Debt Philosophy
Good Debt, Bad Debt: Knowing the Difference Can Save Your Financial Life
by Jon Hanson
Many financial books present supplemental, not fundamental, principles. Financial failure begins in the thinking process before the actual spending. George Orwell said, 'People can't write clearly because they can't think clearly.'

A Matter of Life and Debt
Good Debt, Bad Debt: Knowing the Difference Can Save Your Financial Life
by Jon Hanson
In America we have both enjoyed and abused the privileges of our society. Yet many are experiencing an implosion of insecurity and vagueness of purpose that leaves them vulnerable to clever merchants seeking to plunder their infant wealth.

A 13-Step Action Plan to Get Out of Credit Card Debt
The Finish Rich Workbook: Creating a Personalized Plan for a Richer Future
by David Bach
When it comes to debt, there aren't any simple rules or formulas. The guideline you should use is how you feel about your situation. So how do you feel? To begin with, get out all your credit cards and all your credit-card statements and put them on the