Credit Counselling

Managing your debt with credit counselling

Debt can feel like a terrible burden. When your credit card balances are too high, your bills are piling up or you’re drowning in student loans, it can be hard to see a way out of your financial predicament.

Credit counselling services can help. Certified credit counselors are financial professionals dedicated to helping people just like you take control of their finances and make a plan to get out of debt for good. Non-profit credit counseling agencies specialize in free counseling sessions, low-cost services and free educational resources that provide the knowledge and tools you need to deal with your debt once and for all.

American Consumer Credit Counseling (ACCC) is a nonprofit credit counselling firm providing services to consumers nationwide. With ACCC, you can finally get the help you need to work your way out of debt and live debt-free in the future

One benefit of credit counselling: a debt management plan

When you seek the help of a nonprofit credit counseling service, you’ll likely hear about a debt management plan as a possible option for dealing with your financial situation. Debt management plans are designed to pay down your debt over time by creating a budget that lets you set aside money each month for debt reduction.

Under a debt management plan, you won’t pay your creditors directly. Rather, you’ll send the money to your credit counseling agency who will disburse the funds to your creditors on your behalf. The credit counselling agency may also work with your creditors to re-age your accounts, giving you more time to pay off your debt or lowering your monthly payment. Additionally, your credit counselor may contact your creditors to try to lower your interest rates and eliminate fees like late charges and finance charges, further reducing the amount you owe.

The benefits of a debt management plan include:

• Less financial stress. Your financial life will be simpler, with just one payment to make each month. And you’ll feel less stress knowing you’re taking positive action to deal with your debt.
• On-time payments. Your credit counselling agency will make sure your creditors are paid on time, helping to rebuild your credit rating.
• Reductions in the amount you owed. If your credit counselor can successfully reduce your interest rates and eliminate some fees, you’ll end up owing less money so you can pay off your debt faster.

Credit counselling with ACCC

ACCC has been providing credit counselling and financial education to consumers since 1991. Our credit counselors are highly trained and independently certified professionals who understand credit and debt problems and all the strategies to resolve them. As a nonprofit organization, we are dedicated to providing free counseling services and low-cost debt management programs. We also offer a wealth of educational materials and financial tools that can help you learn more about money management, plan for your financial future and develop the financial habits that will let you live life debt-free.

Our services include:

• Credit counselling. In a free credit counselling session, you’ll get a clear understanding of your financial situation and how you got there, as well as the strategies that can help you find your way out of debt.
• Debt management plans. Our debt management programs can simplify your financial life by consolidating your payments, relieving your stress and potentially reducing things like interest rates and finance charges.
• Student loan counseling. We’ll help you explore your options for paying off student loans – regardless of your loan status and how much you owe.
• Housing counseling. We can assist you in all aspects of your housing needs, from reverse mortgage counseling and foreclosure counseling to homebuyer education and certification.
• Bankruptcy counseling. We offer the mandated pre-filing bankruptcy counseling session that enables you and your legal counsel to make well-informed decisions.

How credit counselling works

Here’s what you can expect when you contact ACCC for credit counselling.

1. You’ll get a free counseling session in person or by phone, meeting with one of our certified and highly trained counselors.
2. Working with your counselor, you’ll take a good, clear look at your financial situation.
3. Your counselor will work up a detailed review of your income, expenses, assets, and debts.
4. We’ll help you prepare a budget that you can reasonably live on while you allocate money toward paying down debt.
5. Your counselor will show you all the options available to you and talk about the pros and cons of each. Our counselors can offer information about debt consolidation, debt settlement, bankruptcy, debt management, and other common strategies for paying off debt.
6. You’ll receive personalized options based on your goals, including the possibility of a debt management plan.
7. If you determine with that a debt management plan is your best option, your counselor will provide you with all the information about the program.

When you leave your counseling session, you’ll have taken the first step toward getting out of debt. And you’ll feel great knowing ACCC can help and support you on every step of that journey.

Why choose ACCC?

When you choose credit counselling with ACCC, you’ll discover why thousands of individuals and families have successfully managed their way out of debt with our help.

• We have extensive experience in the credit counselling industry, with three decades of service to consumers just like you.
• Our credit and debt counselors are certified, highly trained, and trusted financial professionals who know the world of credit and debt inside out.
• We offer free credit counselling sessions with no strings attached where you can explore all your options for paying off your debt.
• We provide very affordable services. Our debt management programs have the lowest effective fee structure in the industry. And we are committed to helping regardless of your ability to pay.
• Our free educational materials and financial tools help consumers to gain the knowledge, skills, and habits required to manage money more effectively and live debt-free.
• We provide convenient services, with counseling offered face-to-face and over the phone. Bilingual services are available to the Spanish-speaking community. And our online chat feature makes it easy to get your questions answered quickly and confidentially.
• Our customer service is second to none. Our team is available to assist you six days each week.
• We are a highly reputable credit counselling agency. We have a Certificate of Authority in all 50 states and we are licensed in all 32 states that require it. We are accredited through the Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating. And we are a member of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC).

FAQs: What is credit counselling?

What is credit counselling?

Credit counselling is a service offered by non-profit agencies to help consumers take back control of their finances. Credit counselors are certified financial professionals with expertise in helping consumers understand their financial situation, how they got there and what the options are for improving their financial lives.

What are the benefits of credit counselling?

When you seek credit counselling through a nonprofit agency or a credit card counseling service, the services offered will typically be available free of charge or at very low rates. Non-profit credit counselling can help you take stock of your finances and make a plan for getting out of debt or repairing your credit. Credit counselling agencies may also offer access to educational materials and financial tools that can help you learn more about credit, debt, and managing money, and about developing the financial habits that can help you avoid debt in the future.