Find your way out of debt with non-profit credit counseling services
If you’re living with overwhelming debt, you’re not alone. Millions of Americans find they owe more money than they ever would have expected, and many can’t see a way forward.
Fortunately, non-profit credit counseling services can help. A credit counselor can help you get a clear picture of your situation and recommend options that can put you on the path to paying off your debt. With the right credit/debt counseling agency, you can find the strategies, tools, and knowledge you need to take control of your financial situation.
At American Consumer Credit Counseling (ACCC), we offer non-profit credit counseling services that help consumers regain control of their financial lives. With help from ACCC, you can pay off your debt in a few years and learn how to avoid debt in the future.
Why choose non-profit over for-profit credit counseling?
When you’re choosing a credit counseling service, there are important differences between non-profit and for-profit agencies.
For-profit agencies – also known as debt settlement companies or debt relief agencies – earn their money by taking a hefty cut of the payments you make to creditors. To help you settle your debts, they typically ask you to stop paying your creditors and make payments to an escrow account instead. Once the escrow account is large enough, the for-profit agency will make settlement offers to your creditors. There is no guarantee these offers will be accepted. Additionally, because you stopped paying on your debts, you may face additional fees, visits from collection agencies, legal action, and damage to your credit rating.
In contrast, non-profit credit counseling services charge little or nothing for their services. Your first credit counseling session is typically free. Non-profit credit counselors will work with you to establish a plan for paying off your debts while contacting your creditors to seek reductions in interest rates, late fees, and over-limit fees. Non-profit credit counseling services will also help you figure out how you got into debt in the first place, and how you can make changes in your money management habits to live debt-free in the future.
Non-profit credit counseling services from ACCC
Since 1991, ACCC has been offering non-profit credit counseling services to help individuals and families take control of their financial future. Our free credit counseling and debt management services can help you achieve your financial goals. Our highly trained and certified counselors are experts at helping you evaluate your financial situation, identify potential options, and choose a plan that will best fit your needs. With ACCC, you can be assured you will receive the highest level of care and accessibility to the services we offer.
ACCC services include:
- Free credit counseling to determine the best way to approach your financial situation
- Debt management programs where, for a low monthly cost, we can simplify your monthly unsecured debt obligations, consolidate payments, and disburse funds to your creditors on your behalf
- Bankruptcy counseling, including the mandated pre-filing bankruptcy counseling session to help you and your legal counsel make well-informed decisions
- Housing counseling, including foreclosure counseling, homebuyer education and certification, and reverse mortgage counseling
What to expect from your free credit counseling session
When you choose ACCC for consumer credit counseling, you can meet with a non-profit credit counselor in person or by phone to discuss your situation. Our counselors will first help you evaluate your current situation by looking at your income, assets, and expenses. Next, your counselor will show you all the options available to you for dealing with your debt, including personalized options and debt advice based on your financial goals. Finally, you’ll receive a recommendation from your credit counselor for the best way to proceed. At that point, depending on the plan you choose, your counselor can help you create a budget that you can live with and make a plan to pay off your debt – usually within 3 to 5 years.
Your credit counselor may also share free educational materials and resources with you that can help you develop strong money management habits, improve your understanding of financial matters, and manage your finances more effectively.
With non-profit credit counseling services from ACCC, you’ll feel good knowing there are options available for managing your debt and eventually living debt-free. Regardless of your financial situation, there is always help available to you from ACCC.
Why come to ACCC?
When you choose non-profit credit counseling services from ACCC, you can count on:
- Credit counseling that is offered free of charge
- Free educational materials and financial tools to help with budgeting, planning for retirement, saving for college, managing student loans, dealing with tax debt, improving your credit rating, and many other subjects
- Help from ACCC’s counselors to potentially reduce your interest rates and prevent late fees and over-the-limit fees
- A plan to pay off your debt within five years, in most cases
FAQs: What are non-profit credit counseling services?
What is credit counseling?
Credit counseling is a service provided to consumers who need help managing debt, repairing or improving credit, dealing with student loans, navigating bankruptcy, or managing housing and mortgage issues. Credit counseling agencies can help consumers understand their financial situation, review available options, and make a plan to get out of debt.
What are non-profit credit counseling services?
Non-profit credit counseling agencies offer free credit counselling services and low-cost debt management plans. These firms are dedicated to helping consumers address their financial issues while charging little to nothing for their services. Non-profit credit counseling services also help consumers build healthy credit and money management habits and provide a variety of educational services and materials as well.
