what is the safest way to reduce credit card debt? we were approched by a debt company by phone how do you know if they are lagitiment

What is the best way to reduce credit card debt?

i would like to reduce my credit card debt what the best way to do this? I have 2 bank card that i am thing about mearing into one if I can find a low intrest rate. is this a good ideal? who are the best company to use for this.

Roll credit card debt into first-time home-buyer mortgage? I have about $9,000 in credit card debt (reduced from $16,000 just a year ago). I'm buying a house for the first time, is there some way to get $9,000 back from my lender to pay off that debt so I only have the mortgage payment every month? This would knock out the out of control interest rates on the credit cards and save us money in the long term. I'm getting a 15yr note.

I have nearly 10K in credit card debt at 18%, but can reduce it to 8% if I can dump the money somewhere, help If I can transfer the balance to another card then transfer it back with a purchase check that guarantees 8% APR for the life of the balance that will help a lot, but the problem is no credit card company will give me another card because of my debt compared to my income and I doubt a bank will lend me the money for the same reason, but I just need some way to get 10k quick and pay it back in a few days time, any suggestions?

What is the best way to handle delinquent credit card debt? Hi, I have several credit cards that have gone bad. I find debt consolidation isnt the best way to go. What can I do with collections in order to reduce the total amount I owe? How can I get each creditor to reduce the debt AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE before I start paying? Thanks

What is the best way to ask credit card creditors to help reduce the debt owed? I am going through a divorce. Well thank you for the information, I am feeling a lot of stress right now.

Consolidating Credit Card Debt? I'm 26 years old and I'm buried in credit card debt. I owe about $30,000. I just finished College and I'm leaving to the Air Force next week. I've been doing some research and I found a debt consolidating company that promised to reduced my credit card debt by 60%. They told me to stop paying my creditors and let my accounts go to deliquent status. Once in deliquent status, they will come and they will try to settle the accoutns at lower price. I have the following questions: 1) is this a good strategy? 2) How this will affect me in the long run? 3) Is there an alternative way? 4) Should I file for bankrupcy? Thanks

What is the best approach when trying to negotiate credit card debt? I have about $18000 in credit card debt. I always make my payments on time and i am in good standing with the companies. Although I am finding it hard to reduce the balance, I really just keep up with the interest. I am going to be coming into a lump sum of money, enough to pay it off, however i would like to negotiate it down. What is the best way to go about doing this. I live in ontario.

what is the best was to consolidate credit card debt? I'm 21 and have made some studip choices on getting credit cards and charging them up. I have $8000 in debt and am still in school. Is there any way to get this reduced or set up as one payment. I can't continue to keep making the payments due to living expenses. Thanks.

credit card debt.? hi im 28 and have $25000 credit card debt. i do make $4000 net income and paying $1200 rent ,$570 car, insurance 100,util 150 , gas 400,food 400, minimum card debt 600. now i'm married and have plan for baby. but can't save no money at all . because of debt. is calling bankruptcy can help? or is there any better way can reduce or avoid my credit card debt? i do make payment on time but minimum payment doesn't helps at all. can't pay more. please help. thank you.

My mom incurred approximately $20,000 in credit card debt using my name and SSN? My mom used my name to open 8 credit card accounts. Maxed them all out, totaling approx $20,000. It started when I was in high school, with two credit cards she said she would take care of it and pay for it to "help me build credit". young and naive, I trusted her, until I saw stuff in the mail with my name on it that I didnt know about. I confronted her, and she told me she transferred them to her SSN . Now I'm two years out of college, with loans - never had a late payment. I have one credit card through my bank that I use minimally and pay on time. 3 weeks ago I was informed by wellsfargo that they significantly reduced my credit line due to several delinquencies in my credit. There was no way that was me, so I got my report and discovered my mothers address and lots of debt, It has been emotionally distressing, but I need to do something about this. Please send any resources you know of, or any method of having this mediated? Is it too late or pointless to contact the police?

I have 10000 credit card debt, can I offer a lump some to each and say I can not pay the full? OPTIONS? I have 10000 credit card debt, I'm wandering whether it's best to get 5000 pound more debt so I can get an IVA and pay less, I'm not bothered about getting more credit. Or even get more and go bankrupt. Or is there a way I can offer a full and final payment to maybe half the debt on 2 of my debts to reduce the payments so I can keep up with them. I have an overdraft and somebody say's you can offer them say 30% an they will accept. I go away in 2 months to my summer job so it's hard balancing the books when I'm abroad, I need a solution before May 2009... Please offer me some clever advice... Some may think I'm bad but I was at rock bottom when I got this debt.. I want my head cleared as I have so much other stress on my plate... please help

I am a student with serious credit card debt. Will a debt settlement pro. bar me from getting Stafford loans? I am a student and I will be going back to school soon. I have FINALLY been offered this awesome financial aid package which includes grants, scholarships, and government loans. My only problem is that they require me to go to school full time. This will decrease my monthly income because I will not be able to work as much. I have having trouble making the monthly payments on my credit cards... but I am currently current. A debt settlement program says that it will mess up my credit in the short run, but that I will have better credit in the end once the balances have been paid in full. I need some way to reduce my monthly expenses... and negotiating myself means payments that I cannot afford! I just want to make sure that this would not bar me from obtaining new Stafford loans every year for school.

whats the best way for me to reduce my debt with my credit cards?

What are some great ways to reduce your monthly expenses? So, my wife and I are on a tight budget to try and eliminate some debt. We have a ton of student loans and worked up some credit card debt. They're not to the point where we feel like we're drowning, but we certainly want to get rid of them so we can put our money to use in other areas of life. What are some ways we can reduce the amount of money we spend on monthly expenses like groceries, utilities, gas, etc, etc.?

Credit Card Debt Question? While a student in college I made some bad financial decisions referring to credit card debt. I know what I did was dumb and now with a horrible credit score am attempting to work my way out of debt. I have 12 credit cards all with balances $1200 or less. Which comes up to about a $10,500 debt total. I went ahead and 6 months ago filed with a Credit Counseling Service (Allegro Law) and they did work to reduce my interest rates. My question is the following: -Would it be a better idea to cancel my subscription with them and attempt to settle my accounts, I have recently got a better paying job. -If so since my credit score is a mess would it be a good idea to let the cards default a few months, all the while saving up a bulk some to offer settlements? -Does paying settlements to them negatively affect my credit score more than having late balances all the time? -Or would it be better to continue paying with the Credit Counseling Service? It just seems like its going nowhere fast. Sorry for all the questions. I just want to get on the road to being debt free again.

Ignore credit card debt or file for Bancruptcy? I now live in a foreign country. I have around £18,000 credit card debt and a £14,000 unsecured loan in the UK. I am now unable to pay the minimum payments on my cards and when i call them to try set up reduced payment plans they tell me I need to speak to cccs before they would be able to reduce my payments and freeze interest and charges. I have talked to cccs and they say as i am living abroad there is nothing they can do to help. It feels rather pointless sending small payments (what i can afford) every month when the interest and charges way overweighs that. I have considered filing for bankruptcy but I think i would need to be in the UK to do so. The other option is to stop paying altogether. My friends tell me in 5 yrs the debt would get cleared. Is this true? I know i was an idiot to spend this money in the first place and wish that i hadnt. I just dont want to have this debt for the next 20yrs. Any advise?

Elderly Medical Problems with credit card debt & no assets? My grandmother owns her car, rents an apartment has a social security income only and no assets. She has $70,000 in credit card debt and spends all her money plus what I give her on food and medication and medical. Since her last doctor visit she can not even pay minimal payments. She is making payments on one credit card of $40.00 but is in collection for all the rest and can not pay them. We sent letters to reduce payments, but they are going to litigate and she is ill and scared to death. I told her they will not put her in jail, but she is old and ill and can not take the calls & letters. Is there a way to pay the credit card people $5 a month or do something so she will not have to go to court? If she does go to court and clearly does not have the ability to pay, can they lean or take her car? What are the options in the State of Florida for her - with her current health and medical bills, there is no financial way to even make 10% of payment (but now thousands are due)? Bankruptcy would be a great idea and she would qualify, but it costs $1500 she does not even have. Is there a cheap way to file bankruptcy or is this even a good option?

Credit card debt..Should I pay it all? Here’s my situation… I started a business early last year with a friend and I am now in $40,000 in credit card debit (three different cards: Citibank, capitol one, and chase). I have never missed a payment on any of the cards but received two letters from Chase, one stating that my $20,000 limit was being reduced to $14,000, the other stating that my $14,000 limit credit card was now being closed because I am suddenly so much of a risk. Both letters came the same day. The interest rate is only 10% variable so its not that bad. My friend is currently out of the country getting a loan (he can’t qualify here), so I will be able to pay off all of the debt at once. My question is should I pay the full amount for the chase card, which is $13,500 or call them and try to settle for a lower amount? I am assuming that my credit score is already lowered because they closed the account. Also, my home is under my name (along with my siblings), not the loan, but the title of the house. My family does not know of my debt and I want to keep it that way. I don’t want to put my home in any risk. Is the home or my car (which is paid off and in my name) considered one of my assets and can they take if away from me? Please help…

Years ago I maxed out all my credit cards and had to go through a debt management program? to pay them all off. I succeeded in getting them all paid off except for 1, which I'm still paying on. Now I want to get a new credit card for purposes of improving my credit (paying on time, etc.) Now that I've gone through credit counseling and a debt management program to reduce my debt, what is the best way to convince the major credit card companies to trust you again with a new card?

How can i reduce debt with just 1 creditor (bank)? I have a loan, credit card and a large overdraft which i am currently £1700 above my authorised limit. I have been looking at ways to reduce my debt but do options like IVAs require you to owe to more than 1 creditor? I owe approx £25000 and am on minimum wage. Any advice please?

Good way to reduce credit? Our credit rating isn't wonderful, and we are working on paying off credit cards. We have about 7000 in credit debt. Is it better to just make extra payments or look to find sometime of financing to pay it off despite not having a good credit rating?

What is the best way to improve my credit score? I have 40k in credit card debt. Luckily I have about 60k in the bank. I am ready to pay off all my debt but I wanted to know else I should do to improve my credit score. Should I keep all of these accounts open? Close some? Reduce balances? I'm planning on paying it all off this week, would love your tips. Any insights you have would be wonderful.

Credit Card Help Please? While a student in college I made some bad financial decisions referring to credit card debt. I know what I did was dumb and now with a horrible credit score am attempting to work my way out of debt. I have 12 credit cards all with balances $1200 or less. Which comes up to about a $10,500 debt total. I went ahead and 6 months ago filed with a Credit Counseling Service (Allegro Law) and they did work to reduce my interest rates. My question is the following: -Would it be a better idea to cancel my subscription with them and attempt to settle my accounts, I have recently got a better paying job. -If so since my credit score is a mess would it be a good idea to let the cards default a few months, all the while saving up a bulk some to offer settlements? -Does paying settlements to them negatively affect my credit score more than having late balances all the time? -Or would it be better to continue paying with the Credit Counseling Service? It just seems like its going nowhere fast. Sorry for all the questions. I just want to get on the road to being debt free again.

Who thinks they should ban police sirens & cell phone rings in adds on the radio? If not ALL DAY then at least in the morning&late at night when people are driving tired…I have actually stopped listening to a radio station all together(in AZ)because every other add they played for their station had a VERY LOUD Police Siren in it and I would be driving down the freeway&it would make me jump…Which isn’t good when your going100mph! I called them one night on the way home from work&told them that they had lost a listener IN TOTAL because they almost caused me to get into an accident with their freaking sirens on their commercials!&cell phone rings?Here in IL the rest of the add may be low&hard to hear but then they just THROW IN EXTREMELY LOUD CELL PHONE RINGS for no reason! Like 5x the volume of the talking&music! This happened today…5:00am…I’m tired&just trying to get to the yard when*RING RING*in the middle of an add for Reducing Credit Card Debt! WTF? That wasn’t necessary! It made me jump&startling someone when they are driving is never positive…

Why does the government not control the interest rates and charges the credit card companies charge? Credit card companies are allowed to increase interest rates to over 30% if they want. They also determine that the consumer is a poor credit risk if they have high balances on loans without looking at the fact that payments have been made in excess of amount billed and on a timely basis. It also seems that when a person nears retirement age, most companies increase the interest rate to the extent that it cannot be paid by a person on a reduced budget. This forces the older person to either go to a debt consolidation company (which charges for their services also) or quit paying, with the risk of loosing any assets that they have accumulated. Either way, embarrassing, harrassing phone calls have to be dealt with. A younger person with no home can file bankruptcy and they have no permanent consequence to this action. I am 62, have paid my bills all my life and now all interest rates increased and I can't make payments, even with debt consolidation. HELP-PUT LIMITS ON CREDIT CO.

What are some good get out of debt companies? I am getting way out of control with credit cards. I have a 17 month old and about to have another baby next month. I cannot work due to health problems so we are living off of my boyfriends income. I am also taking online college classes. We have been having to use credit cards to pay for groceries because all of our money goes to bills and paying credit cards. How can I ever get out of debt if I have to keep using them to buy what I need because I take all the money I have to pay bills to them? We cannot get on any assistance because we make $100 too much. I am looking for a legit company that will work with me to reduce credit card debt. I have around $5,000 in debt, I am not for sure on the accurate number. Any advice or legit companies is welcome.

Anyway to beat those stupid credit card companies? lower interest or lower my debt? I had one coteacher tell me to show them I am boss, aka that I won't allow them to walk on me, and another teacher said to threaten to report them. So I just tried both methods with Chase and got no where. Long story short somehow our mailbox was opened and I never received a bill for last month. So I went online at work to check on it, and paid it, although unfortunately it was late. Now they are charging me double (which is fine) and a $39 late fee. I have never been late with them and they refuse to rid of my late fee, even when I told them I won't be able to pay it, and they won't get their money. Are there any good strategies and/or tips for any creditor on ways to reduce my APR or even the debt I owe them? I never get anywhere when I call anyone and this is so frustrating because I primarily used my cards for dental and school, and some medical. I can't pay them and I don't want to do bankruptcy. I am so FRUSTRATED!

Is shopping at malls and outlet stores ending and being replaced by thrift shopping? Will all the malls...? Shopping centers, and other places close and be replaced by thrift stores? Is thrift shopping a national trend and going to become dominant? Will buying used become the only way to shop? Here's an article covering this: Frugal living more about priorities than sacrifice * Story Highlights * Frugal strategies include buying foods in season, shopping for used clothing * "America's Cheapest Family": To achieve frugality you need a spending plan * Careful spending in one area can free cash for things that matter to you more * Next Article in Living » Decrease font Decrease font Enlarge font Enlarge font NEW YORK (AP) -- When mathematics professor Annalisa Crannell needs new clothes, she doesn't head for the mall or outlet stores or even discount stores. art.crannell.ap.jpg Annalisa Crannell holds a blanket she made from old shirts and an old sheet. Crannell is an aficionado of Goodwill Industries shops. And she'll pass by the racks with $7 blue jeans and head for the bins where the jeans sell for $1. She's also happy to take friends' castoffs. "Am I the biggest tightwad on the planet?" asks Crannell, a resident of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. "No. But I'm more frugal than most of the people I know." A lot of people could learn from Crannell, who teaches at Franklin & Marshall College, and others who have adopted thrifty habits that they feel are both ecologically sound and help them cope with the rapidly rising costs of food, fuel and other necessities. The word "frugal" might sound a bit old-fashioned, but the concept is as modern as today, says New York financial planner Stacy Francis. "Keeping track of where your money goes is the most important financial task you can undertake," she said. "It really doesn't matter what you make. It matters what you spend." Don't Miss * Extreme recycling: Food, furniture, diapers * 23 surprising things you can get for free * In Depth: Right On Your Money She said many people didn't worry much about money when the stock market was rising, home values were soaring and the job market was solid. Those conditions have changed, and "when cash is tight, spending needs to get tighter, too," Francis said. Some people have turned frugality into a lifestyle. Annette and Steve Economides of Scottsdale, Arizona, try to live the life they describe in their book, "America's Cheapest Family Gets you Right on the Money." The Economides, who don't use credit cards, believe consumers need to avoid debt, spend less than they earn and embrace a thrifty lifestyle. "It's not about sacrifice, it's about priorities," Annette Economides says. The couple suggests people start on the road to frugality by making a spending plan. "Some people think 'budget' is a four letter word," Steve Economides said. "It's not. And it's not a noun either. It's a verb. And it's an action verb." Budgeting requires a family to estimate future spending, based on what has happened in the past, and to set aside money to cover what a family considers important, he said. What if it doesn't look like the money will go far enough? That's where frugality comes in. Take grocery shopping. The average American family of four spends between $800 and $900 a month on food, Steve Economides said. By shopping more carefully, a family can cut that in half, he said. The Economides, who have four children, watch the store circulars and ads so they can stock up when items they use frequently are on sale. "Around Thanksgiving, when turkey goes on sale for 35 to 40 cents a pound, we buy several," she said. They limit meals out in restaurants, plan menus in advance to take advantage of seasonal -- and thus cheaper -- produce, and use coupons to hold down food costs even further. They shop just once a month, to reduce the time they have to spend in stores -- and the gasoline they use to get to and from the supermarket. For Crannell, frugal spending in some areas, like clothing, frees up money to be spent on things she cares more about. She and her husband, Neil Gussman, invested in energy-efficient windows for their home several years ago. She walks to work, but when she does drive it's behind the wheel of a Toyota Prius Hybrid car, which runs on gas and electricity. Crannell likes yard sales, especially those where an entire neighborhood cooperates because there's a bigger selection. She shops at a local farmers market and sometimes makes vegetarian meals, partly because she believes they're healthy and partly to cut down on high-cost meat. Crannell also believes in teaching her children the fine art of thrift shopping. "Nigel, my 8-year-old, loves to go to yard sales with me," she said. "He can get toys for a quarter at yard sales. In fact, he's so cute that he can get things for free. "He has more toys than he knows what to do with." E-mail to a friend E-mail to a friend Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Debt Questions...Credit Cards!!? I make 50K a year, I got mortgage, car payments, the normal bills.. right. I have no problems paying all my bills and even pay a little more than the minimum payments on my credit cards.. I ask this.. I hear radio ads about if you have 10 k or more that they can do negoataions with the CC companies to settle or reduce amount owed.. is this for people who are late/deliquent/collection accounts? I feel burdoned by this 20k in CC debt.. what is best way to chop this crap down. I hate making a $200 payment and half of it goes to interest... Right now i am making min payments on the lower 4 interest baring card.. and the highest one I am making like 3 times the min payment. How can one get approved for a DEBT consolidation loan.. i have my balances maxed, credit score is like 650, and I feel i make great money but have a really strict budget and no room for anything. Any advice..helpful words, experience, resources.. Help guys! Thanks community

I paid off 2 credit cards in 2007, can I deduct the money as spent doing this on my taxes? I paid approx $4000 to pay off two credit cards in 2007 , could this be considered a "large purchase", or is there another way to deduct money that was used to reduce debt?

What is the best way to reduce credit card debt?

Do debt consolidation companies really help that much? My husband and I are WAY in debt and I have been trying to talk him into doing debt consolidation cause at the rate we are going, we won't be able to buy a house until our kids are all out of the house!! The thing is, he doesn't believe they actually help all that much and that we would be better off paying it off ourselves. Is it true that they can work with credit card companies to reduce or even remove APR from the debt amount and can give you an estimate of when you can be debt free? We have four credit cards that equal about $25,000 and we've got to the point where we are making payments just so we can get food and gas. Any debt consolidation advice is greatly appreciated!

Is this a good way to pay off PART of my college loan...? I am a single Mom, making about $56k, with 2 kids and a house payment. I have 22k in student loan debt, at 9% interest. At this rate, I'll end up paying 35k+ [until the year 2017]... However, I can pay off PART of it ($16k) NOW on a credit card, with a 3.99% FIXED rate APR, until the balnce is paid off. This credit card currently has a zero balance. It will be set up as an AUTO-PAY (so I will NEVER be late w. any payments), and the 3.99% is FIXED RATE until the balance is paid off (for 4 years). <----- I called the CC comapny and got the details. No matter how long it takes me to pay off this credit card, the APR will never go above 3.99%. {estimated time: 4+ years, vs. 9 w. the college loan} I'll still have about $6k left to pay off on the student loan, BUT it will significantly REDUCE the INTEREST [$12k in interest] I will be paying on it. Do you think this is a good idea? Bad idea ?? Why or why not ?? Thanks!

Whats up with the low minimum balance of credit cards? I cannot believe that people are required to pay like 4% of their balance for each statement. I think that is too low, no wonder people use their credit cards like its a debit card. I think the government wants people to buy things they do not need so that they can get more tax revenue since they know most people are not even going to pay back a quarter of their balance each month. I think it would be nice if the minimum balance was like 20-25% of your balance that way people would only use their credit cards for things they need but they cant afford right now and it would reduce personal debt. At the end of the day its up to the individual to responsible with their spending but the government isn't helping by regulating such a low minimum payment.

My ex wants to reduce his child support....should I let him? My ex pays child support directly to me at $100.00 a week. He earns around $550.00 a week and lives at home with his father. As far as I'm aware the only debt he has is a credit card which he used to take a trip overseas to visit his home-wrecker gf. His physical posessions include a motorbike and computer system. He also has approximately $20,000.00 in retirement savings he can cash in when he retires in 30 years time. Meanwhile, I drive a $2,000.00 car and have no savings of my own. I'm also heavily in debt but managing to work my way out of it. Should I give him a break? Thanks to all :-) PS He left me when he inherited money from his grandfather. While I stuck by him and gave him everything I had (including supporting his unemployed *** while I kept working). I had to keep working right up until I had our child because he gave me no choice but to. PS He also has a drinking problem and is fond of drugs (weed, E, u name it)

Credit card loans? I am thinking of paying my credit cards back and the quick way, which i can think of, is through IVA. They will reduce the debt to half and i will have 60 months to pay the other half back. Do you think i can talk directly to the banks so that they can reduce the loan to half and i can pay the rest back. Is it possible? I am already paying them no interest and very less payment, its through cccs. please help if you know

My husband & I R trying 2 find the best way 2 clean our credit...? so we can B in position 2 consider home ownership in @ 3 years tops. We have a combined total debt of @ 20K, which includes @6K I owe 2 my mom 4 helping me through college w/ her credit card over 2005-06. Our monthly, non-negotiable costs are @ $3200. These costs include everything from routine bills 2 groceries & gas 2 $ paid to my moms card so she don't have bad credit & a repo my husband recently reached a disposition on from 10 years ago. All other credit card bills have not been paid on in @ 16-18 months at all. Our monthly income is @ $3600. We also faithfully tithe 10%, so @ 360.00 a month. That leaves $40.00 a month 2 pay toward extra debt. There is nothing I can reduce. We dont have cable, cells, other things that we can live w/o. Can we declare bankruptsy w/ only technically having @ 14K of our own debt? Is it worth it? I dont ever see us getting squared away paying only 40.00 a month. Thats not even 1 monthly payment.

What you guys think about debt Settlement/Negotiation Programs? I have like 40K credit card bills and want an easy and quick way out of them. I also need to keep my credit in a good shape so i am looking for a program to work with to help me to get red of debts. I interviewed a few debt settlement companies ( http://www.cydebt.com/home/homepage.shtm) and they told me that they can reduce my debts to 15K and wouldn't mark my credit. So what is the disadvantage of these companies and why everybody thinks that they're rip off. I also can't understand one part... what's will my creditors do if i don't make any payment?

Paying off credit cards? Let's say you owe $50,000 in credit card debt. With the way the economy is AND the fact that most of these banks got stimilus money, is there a way to dicker with them to reduce the amount you owe SO YOU CAN PAY IT OFF IMMEDIATELY and NOT have it effect your credit negatively?

What should I do? Fianacial woos? but not really that bad.? I got some money in the bank(shorty what you think?) but really i have enough money in the bank. I just paid the balance of one of my credit cards off. I have two more that have outstanding balaces of way too high but this is all my debt exect for some school loans and a motocycle payment. My car payment as you could say is on one of those cards with reasonable interest. Moving costs and College loans is also on there as well and some other things i cant remember so well as to why I purchased them and so on life happens. well anyhow do you think i should reduce my extra money that i dont need setting in an account doing little for me and make more huge payments on debts, save and put in a money market or IRA or put a good chunck of it on payments on higher interest cards, or play the stock-mutual market as something that I want to do anyhow? which one should i do? which would you do?

When served with civil lawsuit by credit card company lawyers, do we need to engage an attorney? My wife was served with civil lawsuit for a $23,000 debt on a credit card in her name. She had opened the card in her name for her brother who had poor credit, and he ran up the charge. He has been negotiating with the creditor to reduce the settlement to $15,000 and had gotten the creditor to propose $17,000. But now that they have served papers, we have 30 days to respond to the court. Does this change our situation and what should be or next step? (settle for ~$17K; engage a lawyer to represent us). What is the cheapest, fastest way to resolve this to settle the black mark on her credit?

OK, an entirely different credit question.? I have one credit card which is not the main source source of my debt. My problem is Dr. bills from my wife's illness'. a few of them have gone to the AG's (Attorney Generals office) and some to collections. I need to figure out a way to reduce my outstanding non credit debt with out bankruptcy. Any clues? I have searched around the internet to no avail. Please help. I realized that I was not completely clear (sorry about that), I do not own my home (currently in a lease option), mine and my wifes credit score are both in the tank due to these darn things so consolidation will not work. And do to my wifes illness' we are living paycheck to paycheck (she is getting better, nothing life threatening but bad enough to inconpasitate her for a short time. I know that if we could 'consolidate' we would be better off but places like CCCS will not even look at us dut to the nature of the debt. Thanks for your help.

How do I reduce monthly payments? I am (financially) on a crumbling brick wall. Yes, I make my payments every month, but I am real close to starting to pay things late. (I have a tenant in my home and he is moving out-therefore I ma loosing $700 a month) I have my home for sale and I can not get a new tenant becasue no one wants short term rental (if home sells. For months, we have been trying to get our credit card debts paid off with a new mortgage, but no one will do that. We have perfect credit rating, but the way the economic future looks, no one wants to deal with us. We paid 415K for our home and took on 50K plus in credit card debt fixing home up (which was not a smart thing to do now looking back.) How can I get a new mortgage to combine all my debt so I will not loose my home?

How should I send the payment? I can no longer pay my credit cards.? I have had them for many years and never been late but due to my lower income and the higher interest rates (they keep raising them and now I have 29.9% interest although I have never missed a payment or been late. There is no money to send them. No way to cut anything as I live bare bones right now and I have no assets, no car, etc. I heard that if I send them 5 dollars a month they can't do anything to me. However the interest on the cards is about 200 a month and with a late fee and over the limit fees that will begin to accumulate, the 5 dollars will really do nothing to reduce my debt. I know that but want to avoid them suing me as long as possible (although I have nothing of value for them to take and only make 700 month and have a dependent. My question is do I send the 5 dollars with the regular payment voucher or do I send a letter explaining my situation and the 5 dollars to the customer service address? I have no money or time to file bankruptcy.

Should I stay or should I go? I need some advice from impartial people so I am posting this here. I am from the USA and have been in Ankara, Turkey since August 2007. I am here on a teacher exchange program. I am teaching at a private high school here. A Turkish teacher from the school here is taking my place back in the US, where I teach ESL at a public high school. The exchange program is just for the 2007-08 school year and we will return to our own jobs in the fall. To make a long story as short as possible, I am miserable teaching here. The students at this private school are horrible. They are by far the worst I have ever encountered in my 13 years of teaching. I cannot teach, but am just a babysitter, and a very ineffective one at that. To make matters worse, I have a horrendous schedule. I teach 25 hours a week, 5 different levels, and 10 different classes of students. Although most of the other English teachers at the school here have about as many teaching hours, nobody teaches as many levels or classes of students as I do. I guess they wanted as many students as possible to "benefit" from a native speaker. Back in early November, I had tearfully told my department chair here how unhappy I am. She said she would think about what could be done to help me. I have discussed my problems with her at least twice more since our initial conversation. Well, nothing was ever done. I had thought she would set up a meeting with the principal to discuss my issues, but no. I had also talked with S., the person in charge at the exchange program's office here about my terrible schedule back in September, and she said I would get used to it. Then a few weeks later in October, when I went to the office again to pick up some reimbursement money, I was hoping to discuss my problems with S. but she left as soon as I came. (She had known I was coming that day, by the way.) Then on December 14, I went to the office again to participate in interviewing the Turkish candidates for next year's exchange program. I told S. everything and how I was thinking about terminating the exchange and going home. She said that she would arrange a meeting with my department chair and principal to discuss all the problems and see about getting my teaching load reduced for the second term. Well, five weeks have passed and still no meeting has been held. This past Thursday was really the breaking point for me. I'm ashamed to admit that one class got me so upset that I cried in front of them. In thirteen years of teaching, students have never made me cry in front of them before. I went home Thursday afternoon and cried some more, and stayed home Friday and cried even more. I think I've been having a nervous breakdown! And I'm ashamed to go back to school next week after crying in front of students there. Since I have not received the support I need from either the school or the exchange program's office here in Turkey, I have been contemplating terminating the exchange, since the first semester here is just about over, and returning to my job and home in the US. Thursday night I contacted the exchange program's office in the US and they told me to think it over this weekend and be sure it's really what I want to do. Since it is an exchange, my exchange partner in the US would most likely have to return here, and I'm almost positive she won't want to do that. I had set up things very well for her at the American school, finding many people to support her. Unfortunately she did not reciprocate for me here. I also want to stress that homesickness is not the issue. I have lived abroad before, both studying in France and also volunteering in sub-Saharan Africa for two years. I like Turkey well enough, but the teaching conditions here are awful. I'm normally not a quitter, but I really am overwhelmed and don't know if staying here through June would be good for my mental health when I have been feeling so miserable ever since I started teaching here. The one benefit of finshing the exchange and staying here through June would be saving some money. I get paid my US salary from my home school. But here I do not have to pay rent, as the school provides me with a (not very nice) apartment and they take care of utilities too, except phone and Internet. My exchange partner is living in my apartment in the States, and we had agreed to split the rent for it and she pays the utilities there. I'm definitely not spending as much in Turkey as I would at home, and have been paying off my credit card debt. I'm almost finished with that and would be able to save up some money during the last few months here. But, the question I ask myself, is saving up some moeny worth the crap I have to deal with here and what it's doing to my mental health? Thank you so much for reading this. I wanted the opinions of people who don't have a personal interest in either keeping me here or having me come home.

How can I reduce my income tax? I'm a single 23 year old female with no dependents (unless there's a way to get creative). I make barely over $29,000 a year before taxes. Between state (CA), federal, and social security, I'm getting hit with about $500 in taxes per paycheck. It's insane! I pay about $289 to the fed, $60 to the state, and almost $150 in soc sec. That turns a $2447 monthly check into $1797 (the extra is benefits and such). I haven't claimed any allowances of any kind, as I just can't think of any that apply to me. I've got no assets and a whole bunch of credit card debt I could be paying off with that money. Anyone got any ideas?

Is there a faster way out ? We have a credit card debt management company who is helping reduce interest rates and all of that, but they say it's a 4 year ride on the payment train. Anyone know of a faster way than debt consolidation.

Concepts of return on investment, debit card, life insurance? you explain - the concepts of return on investment - and risk - the concepts of simple interest - compound interest - how these affected the results of your investment exercise the ADvantages and DISadvantages of a) common stocks b) mutual funds c) life insurance d) a certificate of deposit (CD) e) a savings account or U.S. savings bond -what a loan is what interest is how APR mesaures the true cost of a loan - different ways to borrow money - debit card -credit card - what are costs and pitfalls of using these financial tools? -credit reports EXPLAIN - how personal responsibility affects credit report ways to reduce or eliminate debt.

Whch should I stop paying: the mortgage or the credit cards? I've been divorced for 1 1/2 years, our house remains on the market and I've paid most of the mortgage since then. It was 2 months behind then went in "reduced payment" for the past 3 months. The lender now wants the regular full payment plus installments on the overdue amount. At this point I must either stop paying my personal debts, all currently in perfect standing, including credit cards w/$30,000+ balance and $800 in minimums, or give up on the mortgage. This may seem like a no-brainer ("avoid foreclosure") but then there is the matter of my ex having obligated herself in our divorce agreement to fully pay the mortgage in exchange for what she expected would be "full proceeds" on our home's sale. Obviously that backfired, but since my name is on the mortgage, I'm still on the hook. So, which way do I benefit most or suffer least? Give up on personal debts or let the mortgage go? I've already had a couple lenders extend courtesies to me after documenting that agreemen My ex has nothing to recuperate in court. She can't even afford to pay for food and heat. My only benefit to taking her to court is an order that will effectively change nothing, and I'm out $100+ in filing fees, etc.

Can someone answer this fucking retarded question please? Question 11. Maria has just applied for a credit card. She is an 18 year old high school graduate with few valuable possessions and no credit history. If Maria is granted a credit card, which of the following is the most likely way that the credit card company will reduce its risk? A. It will charge Maria twice the finance charge rate it charges older cardholders B. It will start Maria out with a small line of credit to see how she handles the account. C. It will require Maria to have both parents co-sign for the card D. It will make Maria's parents pledge their home to repay Maria's credit card debt.

Where to START? DEEPLY IN DEBT.? this is so embarassing, but i need help with my finances. we are earning a pretty decent income to start with, but for some reason we were not able to say NO to all the help asks from us (we're like a Robinhood, using the credit cards "huh!huh!huh!)and now the nightmare is here. We can't keep up with the monthly bills we have and the monthly credit cards payments we need to pay and all our credit cards are maxxed out. i've never behind in my payments except for this month and its way over my head. we've been living a on "cash basis" on all our purchases since we are starting to reduce our debts but its so hard... i don't have anymore money to cover up the patches. I need help on how to "manipulate" our finances. Making ends meet is no longer meeting.. Any advise is appreciated.

How much do you owe all together? And how do you do to lower your debt significantly? I'm going crazy. Four years ago I thought I was buried in debt because I had a credit card balance of $2500. Today it is $9k and a sunsidized student loan of $2750. I had no car payment before, I put my used car on a credit card. Now my husband bought me a new car and I just pay the insurance. He also owes 10k himself. With a part time job that only pays for school I can't make big payments, perhaps when I graduate in 6 mos I can have a real job and pay more. What's the best way to reduce my debt? And out of curiosity, how much do you owe?

Is there any relief for blind individuals or disabled people on Social Security Disability? The past year and a half has been a real financial battle for our family. My husband is blind and gets very little Social Security. I work full time but over the past year and a half I was laid off for several weeks and some weeks I did work didn't get 40 hours. Over that time we racked up a lot of credit card debt. We both have called the credit card company that we are most in debt to to reduce interest but they have told us no and another time told us to call a debt management company. I don't want to mare my credit anymore I'm trying to regain my high credit status. Is there any way we could get help because of our situation , because he is disabled? I've looked up all I can think of and haven't come across anything, a lot of stuff is for low income which we fall just above.

What are the positives and negatives of using a debt counseling company and consolidating my debt? I have a tremendous amount of debt. I do not want to declare banruptcy but the monthly payments are too high for me to manage. I have contacted the credit card companies but they will not reduce the interest rate or negotiate until my account goes to collections. My main concern is how this might affect my credit. Because debt consolidation companies negotiate a lower APR does this showup in any way on my credit or affect my score? My credit is good right now and I would like to figure out a way to keep it that way while paying off my debt. Any advise would be appreciated. Thank you.

My mom is paying off my debt!? Help? alright heres the deal basically i am young and stupid!! I am 22 and owe about 7 grand to different credit cards... only credit cards no car or house payments... My mom has excellent credit and I hope that she will be willing to take my debt over to one of her zero interest cards and combine it all together! she has done this before a few years ago but at the time it was only about 3 grand... I am going to ask becuase I would like to get a house and my credit is terrible right now! what would be the best way to do this! should i pay off all of the debt at once and make all my cards with a zero balance or should I maybe do one each month and then close the accounts.. I do not want any more credit cards I think Im going to save one but it only has a $300 dollar limit just for emergencies. will it improve my credit once they are all paid off? how long will it take? also if you have cards this sounds funny but will they reduce your credit line? maybe from a 1000 to 500 dollars? I just need to know the best way to go about this? also I belive that I will be an autorized user on the account will that make a difference will it hurt or help my credit! it will just be so much easier with only one payment a month and having a zero interest rate is awsome!

Credit cards gone to collections.....need advice...please!!!!? All my credit cards have gone to collection agencies. I had 5 credit cards & totaled they don't exceed 8K. I was out of work due to an auto accident but I am back to work now. I was researching ways to pay them but I get different answers. Some say "don't pay, it's already in collections, it won't help to pay it" Some say "negotiate a settlement for 25%" while others say "pay the whole thing but demand something in writing saying they agree to take it off my credit report" Ok...so I called a couple of the agencies & they will not take any less than 70% of the debt & they say they can not take it off my report. All they can do is state either "paid @ a reduced amount" or "paid in full" both I have heard still hurt you credit. I want to be able to clean up my credit & start over & I need to start somewhere...how should I handle the collection agencies? Also, they are all within the statue of limitation & the last time I paid on anything was Sept. 2007, some was April 2007. Thank you!

Im thinking about killing myself these debts are killing me.? I have a credit card debt and it 1100 I have a student loan debt 1900 and social security said they over paid me sevral month 4000 and Im working at a ok job it only 11 an hour 40 hour a week Im paying 200 a pay check for the credit card then when that paid off Im going to pay on the loan but ssi is threating me to a fedral court and it not my fault that they over paid me I reported to them that I got a job as soon I started working last year and they said ok and reduced the ssi to 260 from 620 and now they told me that they thought I only worked for one month and I said no I told you that I got a job and now I dont know what to do I think the best way now is to kill my self It stressing me I own a 12 ga shotgun so Im realy thinking about it and BTW Im only 20 if that helps

Best way to pay off my debts.....? this is my situation.Im 27 and I've accumulaterd about $15,000 (this includes late fees & finance charges) on 5 different cards,all credit cards. I could never afford to pay anything because of my low paying job. Now I am getting paid more, so I can put aside a few hundred dollars a month to start paying them off but since there with different agencies i feel this might be difficult. All these debts are now with collection agencies, its been exactly 2 years since I made my last payments on the credit cards, so they've been with the CA for about 1 year and a half. What is the best way for me to work this out? should i go to credit counseling and have them try to reduce my debt and be able to make one payment each month? should I try to contact the collection agencies and work with them? or perhaps contacting the credit card companies themselves and see if i can settle that way? Thanks for in advance.