Averages for finance credit debt among the nation’s households vary, but one thing is fundamentally true about it: it does not get any less. The trajectory of bad finance credit debt is always upwards and before one realizes it, neither one’s efforts or good intentions can bring it down if it is too late. The thing is bad finance credit debt can certainly be avoided. What the statistics do not show is how many people get into financial trouble through their own mistakes, habits and financial oversights.
Bad finance credit debt is but a symptom of a much greater failure to manage finances and resources sensibly. What it should spur you to do is effect some changes before it gets any worse, if it has not already. The first thing you should do is assess your financial situation. Update your credit report to see where you stand. Do not be tempted for quick fixes like credit-report cleaners and fixers because they do not work, period.
These promises of cleaning up credit records or terminating finance credit debt are scams plain and simple. The familiar pitch of these scam artists is this; they appeal to consumers such as you who not only have poor credit histories but with really bad credit debt as well. They claim they can clean your credit report, even remove notations of previously filed bankruptcies enabling you to get that new loan for a brand new SUV, insurance, a new job and even a home mortgage. The truth is that alterations to your credit report without due process (like proving that certain items are incorrect or outright errors) is a federal offense.
You can deal with finance credit debt yourself with more success than you think. Take the situation as a wake-up call and a genuine chance to take positive control of your finances. It should be the time when you acknowledge mistakes, find the strategies to correct these mistakes and find the courage as well as help in moving on past these mistakes and never repeating them again. After assessing your credit card history and knowing where you stand financially but confused on what to do, get a friend who knows about balancing and budgets to see if you can work out something on your own in terms of repaying your debts. Filing for Chapter 7 as a solution should be farthest from your mind. This should be your last resort as a poor means of wiping out bad credit debt. A bankruptcy might even worsen your credit standing because it stays on your credit history for at least 10 years and will always be considered when your apply for new credit or loans. If you want a more professional approach to dealing with finance credit debt, seek the services of a credit counseling group or organization. They can offer you not only advice, but concrete options on how to repay your debts. They can also offer more comprehensive information on other financing options such as debt consolidation. The credit counseling service can extend its services as far as talking with your creditors and putting into place, repayment schemes for your debts that you might have trouble doing on your own.