Credit & Debt Counseling Services

Today, with more obligations and an often overwhelming number of options, managing your personal finances may seem difficult and confusing.

Why should I participate in Credit Counseling? There are many reasons and personal benefits to utilizing credit counseling services, you can view a list of them by clicking here. What should I expect from Credit Counseling? It's important to understand what to expect from credit counseling and this section outlines what you can expect to experience.

Credit Counseling is not the same as debt consolidation. It's about education, making informed decisions and planning for your future. It's not just about managing your money responsibly, it’s about reducing your stress and enjoying your life.

Our financial education services—including workshops and counseling—can help you take control of your finances and relieve the stress caused by debt, bills and planning for the future.

Our financial education and counseling programs work to provide the best information, resources and support available to help individuals gain the knowledge and confidence to make smart financial decisions. We have helped hundreds of people bounce back from debt, successfully manage credit and work to achieve financial well-being.

Everyone’s debt situation is different. Our credit counseling services are tailored to the specific needs and circumstances on an individual basis. Your confidential counseling session will consist of the following steps:

You should consider speaking with a Credit Counselor if you:

• having difficulty paying only the minimum (or not even the minimum) on your credit cards.
• have already spoken with your credit card issuer without an effective resolution to your problems
• hide the credit card bill from your spouse or significant other.
• juggling credit card balances and interest rates just to lengthen the time in which you have to pay, just to keep the "day of reckoning" at bay.
• habitually buying and returning merchandise. (Buy-and-returners often purchase things they don't keep because of compulsive spending, and they can't deal with the impulse without acting. Once they're home, they realize they can't afford the purchase and return it.)
• respond to a negative mood by shopping.
• unsuccessfully try to stop compulsive spending but can't.

What can I expect during the initial counseling session?

In confidential sessions, our counselors will review your current situation and work with you to determine the best possible financial strategies. They will perform a thorough analysis of your income, living expenses and debt to help create a plan to avoid or reduce debt. You receive advice for developing and balancing budgets, managing money, using credit wisely and building a savings plan. They will help you develop your own plan so that you can do more with what you have. During your counseling session, you and your counselor complete the following steps:

• Obtain and verify personal information and all income amounts;
• Review budget and discuss spending recommendations;
• Determine if income covers essential monthly expenses;
• Review assets and liabilities;
• Obtain debt account statements;
• Review your options based on your individual financial circumstance;
• Create an appropriate action plan.

Positive impacts associated with financial counseling:

• Significantly improved credit profiles
• Lower borrowing costs and increased access to financial products and services
• Significantly fewer delinquent accounts
• Decrease in the total number of overlimit accounts
• Improvement in overall health/sleeping patterns

We provide the options, you make the choice.

Referrals
Counselors may provide specific and appropriate referrals to social service organizations for appropriate support services when they identify problems such as unemployment, lack of training, substance abuse, literacy or psychological issues.

Credit Counseling helps.......

Creditors with fewer losses due to collection and to individual bankruptcies.

Employers through improved job performance and attitude of employees when personal money problems are under control and collection calls cease.

It’s amazing to see a person's facial expression before and after the initial counseling session. Even after their first financial counseling session they appear more confident and secure knowing there is a solution to solving their financial situation. One of the most common phrases we hear from people is, "Wow, I never thought it would be that easy." But only you can take the first step in making the change!

If you‘re experiencing financial problems we strongly encourage you to take control of your finances and speak with a financial Counselor immediately. We can help you avoid going further into debt by providing sound advice tailored to fit your circumstances. We have helped thousands of people learn to live debt free only because of practicing what the credit counselor advised them to do.