Finding A Credit Counselor
You’ve decided that you need guidance to help get you out of your current financial situation. Begin by congratulating yourself. Asking for help is a powerful step in the right direction. Now it’s time to make sure you find the right guide. The two most important factors are checking agencies’ backgrounds and asking plenty of questions. Like most businesses, you can encounter outstanding representatives, as well as those who are incompetent, unethical, or both.
Once you’ve secured the names of a few prospects, invest some time in a background check. Reach out to consumer advocate offices and websites, look for complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau or the attorney general’s office. Find out if the firm is accredited and its counselors have had certified training. It may seem a little extreme, but it’s important to have a qualified ally in your corner at this critical time.
Next, make time to ask the important questions of your candidates. A good agency will resist a “one size fits all” approach. If you sense that their entire focus is to get your into a debt management plan without taking time to understand your unique situation, you should consider another firm. Ideally you want to work with a firm that can offer you budget counseling and can cite specific occasions when their services went beyond packaging up a client’s debt.
Make sure you understand the mission of the agency and scope and cost of the services they’ll provide. It’s possible to pay more for a non-profit agency than a commercial firm and there’s also no way to routinely assume that one type of company will be more motivated on your behalf than the other.
Securing a credit counselor is an important step in helping you climb out of a financial hole. Take the time to make sure you’ve chosen your teammate wisely. For more information on choosing a counseling firm, read over this article from bankrate.com.