Are debt consolidation and credit repair services right for you?
When you have too much debt, and your credit rating has taken a hit, you’ll get lots of offers from debt consolidation and credit repair companies. From agencies offering “same-day” credit repair to debt consolidators offering “guaranteed” loans many of these proposals are questionable at best. While there are probably reputable debt consolidation and credit repair firms, it’s important to understand the limitations when seeking credit repair and debt consolidation help.
Credit repair isn’t something you can achieve overnight, and no one can take negative but accurate information off your credit report. There are ways to improve your credit, but you can implement many of these strategies on your own without paying a high fee to a credit repair counseling company.
Debt consolidation, on the other hand, can theoretically be helpful if you can find a low-interest loan to pay off multiple loans and debts. But often, people who try to consolidate debt or seek debt consolidation counseling wind up just as deeply in debt a few years later because they haven’t made a solid plan to get out of debt.
When considering debt consolidation and credit repair services, the consumer debt counselors at American Consumer Credit Counseling (ACCC) can offer helpful advice about the best way to get out of debt for good.
ACCC: another look at debt consolidation and credit repair.
As a nonprofit company, ACCC offers free credit counseling and low-cost debt management services to consumers nationwide. Our team of highly trained and certified credit counselors are experts at helping you get a clear picture of your financial situation and determine whether debt consolidation and credit repair services are right for you.
When you contact us by phone or in-person for a free credit counseling session, we’ll help you understand all the options available to you in addition to debt consolidation and credit repair. Most importantly, we’ll help you make a plan to pay off your debts and create a budget you can live with.
Choosing debt management over debt consolidation and credit repair.
For consumers considering debt consolidation and credit repair, we often recommend debt management as a more efficient solution. With a debt management program, you’ll consolidate monthly debt payments rather than taking out a new loan to consolidate debts. Each month, you’ll write one check to a special fund at ACCC, and our team will take care of paying all your creditors on time. We’ll also work with your creditors to try to lower finance charges and late fees or to re-age your accounts. The result: you’ll likely be able to pay off your debt within 60 months completely, and the regular payments toward your debt will help to improve your credit rating.
Learn more about alternatives to debt consolidation and credit repair.
