We work with families and individuals who are struggling with debt. For some of our clients this may mean a couple payday loans or collection agencies with a total of $3,000 in debt, for others it means $200,000 in credit card debt. Some of our clients are current on their debt but living paycheck to paycheck others are being sued or facing garnishments. Most are somewhere in between. We have worked with over 70,000 creditors across the country. We ask them to reduce or eliminate interest, stop any fees they are adding, stop any collection activity, phone calls, if applicable, etc. 

Only if you want to! Our counselors want to work with you in the way you’re most comfortable. This can be over the phone, through email, online chat or even text! Most consumers start the process with our online free quote form which allows you to reach out without calling. On the form, we ask you to select how you’d like us to contact you. While most elect to work through things over email and text, some do prefer phone calls and we’re happy to do either or all! 

The Debt Management Program is a debt consolidation (or credit counseling) plan. It’s a comprehensive and straightforward way to get out of debt that, when done right, won’t destroy your credit like debt settlement or bankruptcy can. When you enroll in our program, we negotiate with your creditors to lower interest rates and stop late and over-limit fees so that you can focus more of your dollars on repaying the actual debt.

Debt repayment varies greatly from client to client. However, because we are usually able to reduce high interest rates, clients are often able to pay back their debt in an average time frame of five years from the start of their program. Your credit counselor will provide you with an estimated repayment date and our client services department can provide you with an updated payoff date at any time.

That is no problem at all. Creditors just want to be paid. Most creditors will bring your accounts current, stop late and over limit fees, stop collection calls and reduce or eliminate interest. This being said, the more proactive you are the better. Waiting until accounts get further and further behind only makes things harder.

Our budgeting sessions, reviewing your credit report, educational books and tools, and presentations are always free. We receive about half of our funding from the credit granting community, however, like many non-profit organizations (hospitals, credit unions, churches), we have many expenses (offices, payroll, computer systems, insurance, etc.) and therefore we receive financial support from the people we serve as well. Our fees are based on a sliding scale and there is never any charge unless you enroll in our Debt Management Program. Unlike some other credit counseling agencies, we have no hidden charges, there is a one-time account set up fee which averages $40 to help cover the cost of establishing your account and a monthly account administration fee which is on average $30 a month. However, you may be eligible for reduced or waived fees. We never allow our fees to get in the way of helping you. 

We work with almost any unsecured creditor (unsecured simply means nothing they can come and take like your home, car, etc.). While the vast majority of our clients are dealing with credit cards, we can also include personal loans, collection agencies, pay day loans, medical or veterinary bills, and many more in your debt consolidation plan. We have even worked with funeral homes, auto mechanics, and clients' family members.

Most of your creditors will mail you a letter confirming our new repayment terms, interest rate, etc. If they don’t they should continue to send you monthly statements which will reflect our payments being received by them as well as any updated terms.