When You Should Start To Worry.

By Carl Flannery

Sometimes in life, whether or not you know of your finance problem, you may have to hear from a creditor. Don't panic! This isn't the end of the world. Even though it may seem like a disaster, you'll recover in time from any amount of debt. Thus the first step is: don't panic. At this point, it's time to step back and remember that you have many rights, as a citizen and as a person in debt.

Those rights are the first thing that you need to learn. You should learn them forward and backward. For example, a debt collector is not allowed to call you after nine in the evening. You also have the right to request a written notice of your debts from your creditors; the clock doesn't start until you receive it. Make sure you request written notice to avoid being the victim of a phone scam.

Although bankruptcy will naturally be the first solution that comes to mind, you have some choices for a bankruptcy alternative. Some of these alternatives will be described later in this article, but you should do a large amount of research before coming to a decision.

At this point, it may seem like too little too late, but you should look into debt management strategies. It may be entirely possible for you to rebudget your income, and pay down your debt over time without drastic measures which are almost always detrimental to your credit. You should contact your bank for some strategies for determining a budget.

The next thing you should do is work with your bank and your debtors to create a debt payment plan. If you try to avoid this step, they may do it without you. Nothing is worse than having your wages garnished. It's also worse for your credit if you don't come up with a voluntary debt payment plan.

Debt relief is the next more drastic step. Another name for this is a debt settlement. Although this may seem like a good way out (some creditors will settle for pennies on the dollar), it will hurt your credit for the rest of your life. However, if worse comes to worst, make sure that you shop around for a good plan from a reputable provider.

All in all, you have to remember that this isn't the end of life. Even in the worst case scenario, you'll be problem free in seven years. At the end of the day, the most important piece of advice is to take time to do research. Select a great plan with a reputable company. - 31380

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