Debt management and credit counseling are very popular in the States today. With the credit card crisis on the rise, the credit counseling services are becoming indispensable. Goingt o a Credit counseling service is a good choice for managing personal and commercial debts properly. With the increased demand for credit counseling, many debt management firms have popped up through the recent years. You can find a debt management firm easily.
However, when it comes to finding the best, there are several factors that have to be considered. You will be well aware of the fact that all the credit counseling programs function based on the basic principle of help the borrowers to settle their debts with smaller monthly payments. However, today with huge competition out there, the debt management firms are offering various advanced services. It is very much necessary to know the facts about the modern credit counseling services. In this article we have presented the 3 must know facts about modern credit counseling and debt management programs.
1. The Many Services Offered by the Debt Management Firms
As already said, huge competition in debt management sector has forced firms to provide unique credit counseling services. Today, services ranging from small budget counseling to debt management training for corporate companies are available with debt management firms. Hence it is always good to look for an organization that provides the ranges of credit counseling services that best fit your needs.
2. Checkout the credit counseling laws in your State
The huge demand for the credit counseling services created a sudden outbreak of a large number of scammy debt management firms. These fraudsters used to charge huge fees from the clients by offering false promises. To prevent these fraudulent companies from swindling the people money, the Government has made it mandatory to get the licensing for providing credit counseling in the States.
Separate licenses have to be obtained for different credit Counseling services. For example, if a firm provides credit counseling and Pre Filing Bankruptcy Counseling, they should have the license for both the services. Advantageccs is a debt management firm which holds the license to provide Pre Filing Bankruptcy Counseling in Alaska Arkansas, California Florida, Hawaii Indiana, Kentucky Louisiana, Nevada New Mexico, New York Ohio, Pennsylvania South Dakota, Tennessee Texas, Utah Washington and West Virginia Wyoming.
3. There are many free counseling service providers too
Most of the debt management firms offer free counseling services today. These firms offer free counseling once you join some of their debt management plans. The fac that the counseling is free doesn’t mean that it is useless. Due to the tough competition in the field, the debt management firms are providing the very best free counseling to the clients.
Debt management has seen lots of changes through the recent years. Keeping a track of the changes will help you to find the best debt management program.
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3 Important Facts About Credit Counseling & Debt management
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No Comments »Best Debt Relief Programs ? What about Non Profit Companies?
In recent years, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has slapped fines on numerous fraudulent companies masquerading as nonprofit debt negotiation and debt relief organizations.
The promises these companies make are tempting…but consumers who fall for it, hook, line, and sinker, are in for a disappointment.
Claims Made by “Nonprofit” Debt Relief CompaniesNonprofit Services – These organizations make a big show of helping you out of the goodness of their hearts.
Hector Milla Editor of the “Best Debt Relief Programs” website — http://www.BestDebtReliefPrograms.net — pointed out;
“…Reduce Debt – No matter what type of debt you’ve incurred, these organizations are willing to promise they can reduce the amount of debt by a certain percentage (approximately 10 to 50%)…”
Better than Bankruptcy – Using frame psychology, these organizations give consumers the choice between do-or-die alternatives: work with them or risk bankruptcy.
No Impact on Credit Rating – Working with a nonprofit debt relief company will supposedly have zero impact at all on an individual’s consumer rating.
What They’ll Ask You to Do
In return, these companies will ask you to pay a specific amount of fee for periodic intervals. For that fee, you can ignore your bills and stop paying your creditors. For that fee, you’ll let them do all the worrying.
The Truth about Nonprofit Debt Relief CompaniesTake a step back and ponder carefully on the claims made by these companies. Do they ring true? Do they sound too good to be true? If so, they probably are. These companies might be nonprofit on paper but that doesn’t mean they’re not earning from their clients. They can just as easily overstate their operating expenses to make their balance sheets reflect illusionary break-even margins.
An Example of a Fraudulent Nonprofit Debt Relief Company
Early in 2005, the FTC had filed a complaint against the National Consumer Council, a front group of debt relief and negotiation companies, for deceiving almost 45,000 customers seeking instant freedom from debt. Under the NCC umbrella were other companies with nice-sounding names like London Financial Group and Financial Rescue Services. Falsely claiming that all their clients’ debt problems would be solved simply by depositing money into their accounts and getting their services aggravated the debt situation of their clients instead.
Are There Truly Legitimate Nonprofit Debt Relief Companies?
“…Yes, although they’re very rare. The best way to personally determine whether a debt relief company’s for real or not is to ask for information from the Better Business Bureau and other similar institutions. They’ll be able to tell you if there are already consumer complaints filed against the debt relief company you plan to transact with…” added H. Milla.
Further Information about the best debt relief programs and services available By Visiting; http://www.BestDebtReliefPrograms.net
What You Should Know About Credit Card Jargon Buster
Credit cards, as part of the financial industry, use a massive array of jargon. You can’t be expected to recognise all these technical terms, and some of them are quite important – so here’s a quick guide, in alphabetical order.
Affinity card. This is a credit card that gives a certain amount to a charity of your choice, depending on how much you spend. It is generally best to avoid any charity that wants you to sign up for such a card – don’t let guilt lead you to a high interest rate.
APR. Annual Percentage Rate. This is your overall interest rate, calculated yearly, and given as a percentage of your balance.
ATM. Automated Teller Machine. A cash machine. It will give you money when you put your credit card in, but will probably charge an extra fee.
Balance transfer. This is when you transfer your debt (‘balance’) from one credit card to another. The usual reason for this is to try and keep as much debt as possible on a lower-interest card.
Credit limit. Your credit limit is the maximum amount you can spend or withdraw from your card. Going over your credit limit will result in your card no longer being accepted, and you being charged an over-limit fee.
Fixed rate. A fixed rate card is one where you are given a rate when you sign up for the card and that rate, at least in theory, stays the same for the whole time you have the card. In practice, though, interest rates can be changed for almost any reason.
Grace period. Your grace period is the amount of time between when you spend money and when you start paying interest on it. Good cards can have a grace period of up to two months – bad ones might not have one at all.
Minimum payment. A minimum payment is the absolute lowest amount you can pay back to the credit card company each month – you should pay more, but you don’t have to. Minimum payments are usually around 2% of your balance.
Sub-prime. This is a phrase used in the industry to describe customers who are a bad credit risk, but are seen as worth lending to anyway. If you are identified as sub-prime, you’ll start getting offers for loans secured on your property – they know that if you can’t pay, they’ll get their money anyway.
Teaser rate. A ‘special offer’ low rate, usually written in enormous letters. You will see many offers with “LOW 4.9% APR” in inch-high letters, followed by “for first six months, 21.9% thereafter” in microscopic ones. Teaser offers can sometimes be worth taking, but not if they tie you in for longer than the period of the offer.
Variable rate. This is an interest rate that is worked out by adding a certain amount to the current base rate. Taking this option will allow your credit card to be affected by changes in national interest rates – a good idea if you think they might go down, and a bad [...]
