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6. Affiliated with a member organization that requires their counselors to be trained and certified debt experts

My most important advice is that you find a nonprofit credit counseling organization that is affiliated with one of two major credit counseling membership organizations. These two member organizations will refer you to a credit counselor in your area that you can work with. Both organizations worked with millions of people last year, so trust me, they have seen it all.

National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies What a Good Nonprofit Credit Counselor Won't Do

Any nonprofit credit counselor who is honest and worth trusting won't do the following:

  • He won't pressure you to sign up.
  • He won't charge you a huge sign-up fee. In most cases, the sign-up cost for a nonprofit credit counseling organization is $75 (and maybe less).
  • He won't charge you a huge fee each month. In most cases, the monthly fee for a nonprofit consumer counselor is $50 or less.
  • He won't tell you to stop paying your credit card debt or other debt so he can negotiate a better deal for you.
  • He won't tell you he can sue the credit card company on your behalf.
  • He won't recommend a DMP first, before he really looks at your overall financial picture.
I hope this information has helped you. Again, remember, what I'm talking about here today is "nonprofit" credit counseling, not "debt settlement" for-profit companies. Don't let any company confuse you with the facts; they either are a nonprofit or they aren't. the easiest way to find one is use one of the two member organizations listed above! Good luck.

The 8 steps to get out of debt

Find more free financial help in David book Start Over, Finish Rich
Published 06/23/2010

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