Solve your financial woes with credit and debt counseling
When you are in a difficult financial situation, it can be hard to see a way out. Debt can snowball and create more stress in your life with each passing month. If you’re carrying an overwhelming amount of debt, you’re certainly not alone. The average American household has around $8,000 in credit card debt, and many consumers don’t feel they have the tools to solve their financial issues themselves.
Credit and debt counseling services can help. When you contact a not-for-profit credit counseling agency like American Consumer Credit Counseling (ACCC), you can take advantage of free counseling services to better understand your situation and how you can get out of it. From exploring all your options to creating a plan for a debt-free future, we offer answers and assistance that can help you solve your most difficult financial troubles.
How to choose a credit and debt counseling agency
Finding reputable credit counseling services isn’t hard – if you know what to look for. The right agency will:
- Be a nonprofit organization that’s dedicated to serving your best interests.
- Offer free counseling and reasonable fees (not more than $50/month) for debt management programs. The right agency should be able to also waive fees if you cannot afford them.
- Be in business for at least 7 to 10 years.
- Employ certified and highly trained credit counselors.
- Be licensed and bonded to do business in your state.
- Have a strong rating with the Better Business Bureau.
- Be accredited by the International Standards Organization (ISO) or by the Council on Accreditation (COA).
- Be a member of one of the credit counseling trade associations such as the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) or the Financial Counseling Association of America (FCAA).
- Spend at least one hour on your initial consultation and budgeting session.
- Provide a written budget based on your personal financial situation.
- Offer a range of free educational materials and financial tools to help you improve your knowledge of money management and develop healthy financial habits.
Nonprofit credit and debt counseling from ACCC
Founded in 1991, ACCC is a nonprofit organization that provides everything you need from a credit and debt counseling service. We are dedicated to helping people take back control of their finances and learn to live debt-free. Our certified and professionally trained counselors can assist you with all your financial needs and help you develop a plan of action to address your financial situation.
When you come to ACCC for your first free credit counseling session, our counselors will take time to get a clear view of your financial picture and show you all the options for paying down your debt. We’ll talk about the pros and cons of each approach and provide you with personalized options based on your financial goals. We’ll also provide you with information about low-cost debt management plans, and with educational materials that can help you learn more about managing money to avoid debt in the future.
What is a debt management plan?
In your free credit and debt counseling session with ACCC, you may be presented with the option of enrolling in a debt management plan. Here’s how this strategy works.
Your credit counselor will work with you to look at your current financial situation. Together, you’ll create a budget that lets you dedicate money each month toward paying down your debt. Instead of sending that money to your creditors, you’ll send it to us, and we’ll take care of paying your creditors. That means you’ll have just one payment to make each month, simplifying your finances and making it easier to pay on time.
Additionally, we’ll approach each of your creditors to explore possible reductions in your interest rates, finance charges, and other fees. This may help to reduce the amount you owe, lower your monthly payment, and help you get out of debt faster.
Throughout this process, you’ll receive support from our team along with educational materials that can help improve your money management skills, increase your financial awareness, and modify your financial habits to help you avoid debt in the future.
Why choose credit and debt counseling from ACCC?
With credit and debt counseling at ACCC, you can count on:
- Experience and expertise. We have a 30-year track record helping people just like you to find the best path out of debt.
- Free counseling and low-cost debt management plans. With ACCC, credit and debt counseling won’t add to your financial difficulties. Our credit counseling services are free and the fees for our debt management plans are among the lowest in the industry. We can also provide help regardless of your ability to pay.
- Convenient services. We offer counseling over the phone, and our online chat feature makes it easy to get your questions answered quickly and confidentially.
- A wealth of resources. In addition to the expertise of our certified credit counselors, you can take advantage of lots of free educational material and financial tools on our website. Learn more about everything from budgeting and student loans to saving for retirement and planning for college expenses.
- A reputable company. 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 and debt counseling?
What is credit and debt counseling?
Credit and debt counseling is a service that can help consumers regain control of their financial situation. Credit and debt counselors help individuals understand their financial situation and what they can do to improve it. Credit counseling agencies also help to educate consumers about healthy financial habits and provide tools and knowledge about managing money more effectively. Some credit and debt counseling services offer debt management plans that can help consumers to pay off their debts within 60 months or less, in most cases.
What are the benefits of credit and debt counseling?
With the help of a credit and debt counselor, consumers can get the assistance they need to make positive changes in their financial lives. Credit counseling can help consumers create a budget that allows them to pay down their debts over time, and to make adjustments in the way they handle money so they can live debt-free in the future.
