What’s great is that credit counseling involves a professional counselor negotiating with your creditors to create a money management plan that will work for you. In fact, counseling is a solution that can help you get rid of not only credit cards, but also car loans, payday loans, medical bills and even, believe it or not, some utilities.

Now, credit counseling does not involve you getting a loan or even filing for bankruptcy. And it is not the same as debt consolidation.

This counseling is all about you learning to manage your money.

Your free professional consumer credit counselor will offer you advice on how to deal with your debts better and avoid negative items showing up on your credit report.

First a good Christian counseling service will help you figure out how much debt you owe. Secondly, your counseling agency will help to bring any delinquent accounts current while at the same time negotiating down you interest rates. And then, they will teach you how to manage your debts in the future.

Here is the sad thing, the main factor holding most consumers back from getting started today is that they assume that the amount of debt they have relative to their income (the debt to income ratio) would disqualify them from getting help. And so they go farther into debt because they are afraid to enroll in a reputable credit counseling plan.

And the truth is that the best credit counseling services are there to help people just like that. People who are behind on their debts, but desperately want to get back on their feet

And for the Christian who is concerned about “stealing” from their lenders, debt relief through consumer credit counseling can be the absolutely best route to take, especially if you have no idea on how to move forward on your own.

You really do get the best of both worlds (so to speak). You get relief that allows you to “afford” your monthly payments, while at the same time, you are paying back your full debts in a way that completely satisfies your lenders.

The nice thing is that everything can be done right over the phone, so there is no need to “come face to face” with any one. It will just be you and a counselor who is willing to teach you everything you need to know about getting and living debt free!

Are you ready to learn? Do you want to get the late payments, the over the limit fees and the harassing calls behind you? Most importantly do you want someone to take you by the hand, lead you out of debt and teach you how to never find yourself in a financial mess again?

Then you might want to sign up for free debt counseling today.  I mean, why wait?

If you do, please let me know how it goes for you!

Chad

You know the signs that it is time to call for credit counseling help, right? But do you know how to maximize the help that your counselor can offer you?

If not, here you go.

There are 5 key pieces of information you need to gather before you talk to your professional consumer credit counselor. All are easy to get and you can even make your appointment and have plenty of time to pull these things together.

1. You need to know your total debt amount.  This doesn’t have to be exact, but a close approximation is fine. When your counseling service is contacting your credit card companies they will be able to get the exact amounts.

2. You need to know your interest rates. The closer you are here the better, so grab those bills that you have piling up and go ahead open them up and take a look.  If you are anything like me, it isn’t too uncommon to have a couple from each company laying around. Last month’s that I was just getting ready to pay and another one that came too soon for this month.

3. While you have those bills open, make note of your minimum payment. Not necessarily your current minimum payment because it might include late fees and over the limit fees, but what is the payment if you were up to date.

4. You will need to know your other bills, payments and financial obligations that you have. This will be vital in determining your budget and also deciding how much you can afford to pay.

5. And lastly, how much do you make. Take into your total income, but be conservative. There is no use in trying to impress anyone here. If anything you want to go in a little low so that you build a cushion into your budget.

And that’s it.

The 5 pieces of information are enough to help a professional counselor do their thing.

And when they do their thing, you end up debt free. Ahhh… and debt free is good.

Do you have questions?

Drop them in the comments or use the page above. I am glad to hear from you.

Chad

But how do you know when your situation requires a professional consumer counselor to help you with your credit card debt?

Here are 10 warning signs that you may need to get help from the Christian debt counseling services that are available to you.

#1 You are spending too much each month trying to keep up with your bills. In general, if you are spending more than 20% (excluding your housing costs) of your take home pay… it is time to find a credit counselor to get things back into balance.

#2 You are behind more than one month on your mortgage or rent payment.

#3 You can’t even pay the minimum payments each month. This was when I knew I was too deep.  That first month that I didn’t have enough money to “move around” from one card to the other.

#4 Your electric, water or other utilities have been shut off.

#5 You and your partner are fighting over money. Normal disagreements happen in all long term relationships, but if the fighting continues month after month, it might be time to get professional help.

#6 A collection agency has turned your case over to the courts.

#7 Your car has been repossessed.  When they take your car that doesn’t eliminate your need to pay.  Once they sell your car at auction, they come after you from the balance.

#8 You’ve been turned down for credit.  If the guys whose job it is to make loans turn you down, there is a problem. You should get help to find relief.

#9 You have bounced checks. This could be a simple to correct problem like learning to balance your account. But it also could be a more serious problem that requires a credit counseling agency.

#10 You start to get those dreaded calls from several creditors. Being behind on one bill is relatively manageable, but the problem grows exponentially the more collectors who are demanding money.

So, if you are under the weight of any of these challenges, one simple and free credit counseling session is all that stands between you and the debt relief you deserve.

As the Bible says, when you don’t know how to do something… get help from those who do (Chad’s paraphrase of Proverbs 19:20 or 11:14).

So what is holding you back from getting the help you need?

Chad

There are tons of counseling services whose help can range from helping you completely restructure your debt, to reducing or even eliminating all of your late fees.

Here’s where it get’s tricky.

With all of the options you have, how can you guarantee that the service you are selecting has strong relationships with your credit card companies and actually know what they are doing so that they can help you negotiate a smart payment plan that puts you back on the road to financial health?

One way is to make sure you know the answers to the following 3 essential questions you must ask the Christian counseling company you are considering.

#1 Do they “front-load” their entire fee into your first payment to them?

• Why does this matter? Some companies will take their “service fee” out of you first payment to them.  When they do this, you will become automatically 1 month behind with all of your creditors.

#2 Are they a member of the Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies (AICCCA)?

• Why does this matter? This is a national organization dedicated to honesty and integrity in debt counseling services both online and off.

#3 Is your money problem about more than financial management? Is there anger, stress, anxiety or depression to go along with the bills?

• Why you should care. Dealing with the stress of money and all the problems that go along with too much financial strain may require professional help. A good counseling service should be able to help you uncover the roots of your money problems.

That’s not an exhaustive list of things you should know, but it will get you started in the right direction.

Your goal should be to find a service that will help you more than they are out to help themselves.

Knowing these three essentials will help you weed out the ones just looking to scam you out of a quick buck.

Good luck and let me know who you find!

Chad

The main benefit of Christian debt counseling is that the counselors are trained to know the ins and outs of getting you out of debt.

So How Do You Find One Of These Modern Day Saints?

Although there are many incredible websites that promise the world, you want to be careful to avoid agencies that overcharge, under deliver and in some cases damage your credit rating even further.

Here are 4 things every consumer should expect from a reputable Christian credit counseling service.

• First, they should take a at your entire financial picture. The good, bad and ugly as they say. From what they see, they should paint a realistic picture about were you really stand financially. From, not so bad to… maybe bankruptcy would be a better option than debt counseling.• Next, they should evaluate your budget (if you have one) in complete detail letting you know where you can cut expenses. No budget? Then they will help you establish one.

• Once they have your new budget, they will determine if you are a candidate for their debt management services or if you need to see a bankruptcy attorney. If you are accepted to their program, they will discuss the benefits and drawbacks of their plan as well as how much you will need to spend each month to eliminate your debt.

• And lastly, once you are on your way to debt freedom, a good Christian counseling service will continue to help you set financial goals as well as continue to educate you about managing your finances.

Avoid Credit Counselors Who Are Just Out To Make A Buck!

Like anything in life, if it sounds to good to be true… get out of there. You want to watch out for excessive fees or if an agency is pushing you too hard to get into their debt management service. They should spend time educating you to the point that you can become a savvy consumer and make an intelligent decision on your own.

One scam that you most need to be careful of is Debt Settlement Firms or debt negotiation firms. These are NOT credit counseling services despite the confusing language they use in their advertising.

No matter what the name of the website and how convincingly nonprofit it sounds, these companies are in the business of making money. And while they may help lower your debt, the chances are that they will also lower your credit score by damaging you credit.

Are You Ready To Find a Real Christian Credit Counseling Service You Can Trust?

Check out these websites to find an agency in your area. The National Foundation for Credit Counseling or try The Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies.

Chad