Credit Counseling: Is it Really Necessary?
Not everyone has a positive experience with credit counseling. Potential creditors often frown upon consumers who are going through credit counseling, denying them credit or sticking them with elevated interest rates on new lines of credit.
Some consumers, who have found themselves in this situation due to credit counseling, would tell you that you can accomplish the same things on your own. It is simply a matter of educating yourself on the inner workings of the creditor you are dealing with. Many who have dealt with the negative affects of being associated with a credit counseling company, wouldn't have pursued credit counseling at all, had they known how it would affect their overall credit in the long run.
Credit counseling companies, of course, will have you believe that you can't solve your financial problems without them. If credit counseling is your last stop before pulling into bankruptcy station, you may be surprised at how willing your creditors are to work with you in your time of financial hardship. Quite simply, they would rather collect something from you than have to write it off as bad debt and never see a dime from you. Credit counseling works on these principles and that is why it is so easy for credit counseling companies to negotiate with your creditors.
If you simply can not negotiate a satisfactory solution with your creditors, or you can't deal with the stress of trying, credit counseling may end up being the best solution for you after all. Just don't jump to that conclusion too quickly. Credit counseling has been a life saver for many consumers and a nightmare for others. You will need to personally weigh the pros and cons of using credit counseling as a means of reaching the level of financial freedom that you desire, and staying there.
Timothy Gorman is a successful webmaster and publisher of Debt-Relief-Solutions.com. He provides more debt relief, bankruptcy and free credit counseling information that you can research in your pajamas on his website.
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 Boston Globe | Credit cards: US authorities charge 11 in global identity theft racket guardian.co.uk, UK - American authorities have uncovered a global computer hacking and credit card fraud ring spanning the US, eastern Europe and Asia, officials said. ... Gang charged for theft of 41 million credit card numbers 11 charged in connection with credit card fraud SD agents help bust massive ID-theft ring |
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