Credit Counseling & Debt Elimination : Fresh Financial Beginning

You have found yourself drowning in debt. Credit card debt mainly. It may or may not be comforting to know that you are not alone. Credit cards are too easy to obtain and use. Combine this with our "buy it now and pay for it later" society and you have a recipe for financial disaster.

When you don't know how to use credit wisely, you can quickly find yourself in a financial hole. A hole that is very difficult to climb out of. Like over-eating, excessive drinking or gambling, over-shopping can be hard to stop. Especially when it is so easy to have everything you want. Just swipe that plastic card at the checkout counter, and bring it all on home.

The need for Credit Counseling is similar to counseling needs for other addictions. You first must realize that you have a problem, and be willing to look for help.

Then do some research to find the counselor that is right for you. Some are non-profit, some are for-profit. Some are government approved, some are not. You can find them on the internet or your local yellow pages. A good place to start could be your local clerk of courts. They may have a division for bankruptcy cases which would have a list of counselors.

A good counselor may educate you on how to wisely use credit, and help you set a budget for yourself so that you do not outspend your income. But what about the debt burden you already have? If your current credit card debt is at least 75% of your annual salary, you will probably never ever be able to pay that off. No matter how good your counselor is.

The credit card companies help to ensure that you cannot pay off your debt by raising your interest rates to excessive amounts. Congress has discussed passing laws to keep credit card interest rates fixed for previously purchased items. But don't expect that to actually happen. It just makes for good PR for your local congressman.

You must also find a way to eliminate the debt you have. A good debt elimination program will allow you to legally discharge 100% of your credit card debt, without bankruptcy, consolidation, or refinancing. This can be a one-time fresh start on your financial future.

Debt elimination may not be for you. Other solutions may include debt settlement, consolidation, or refinancing your home. Once you have identified that you need a solution, then you need to find a program you are most comfortable with.

Credit counseling may help you learn to live within your means now, but will not help you eliminate the burden you have already taken on. You may combine both counseling and an elimination program to truly get your financial life back on track.

Like the alcoholic, drug addict, or compulsive gambler, nothing will improve your financial situation until you understand that you need help, and you take action to obtain that help. Just stopping the use of your cards is a good start. But the interest will keep building. So every day you wait is another day deeper in debt.