Should I sign up for a credit card right now? If so, from where? [more inside]
posted on Mar 14, 2008 - 32 answers

How can I reduce my debt? Does anyone have experience with debt reduction companies? [more inside]
posted on Mar 8, 2008 - 10 answers

Creditors are starting to harass me again for old debt that I don't believe I'm responsible for. [more inside]
posted on Feb 29, 2008 - 9 answers

Paying US back-taxes: should I go for an installment plan or pay it all now, and pay off the credit card companies instead? [more inside]
posted on Feb 26, 2008 - 8 answers

Debt/collection agency help: I want to pay off my $1600 debt. What is the best way to go about doing this? [more inside]
posted on Feb 15, 2008 - 4 answers

Background: I am in a serious relationship. The woman I am dating currently has what I would consider significant financial problems. What are her best options? [more inside]
posted on Feb 4, 2008 - 22 answers

I have managed to run my once-great credit into the ground. What now? How screwed am I, and for how long? [more inside]
posted on Jan 30, 2008 - 10 answers

Is a company required to make a good faith effort to collect on a debt before reporting it as charged off? Do I have any recourse for my credit report? [more inside]
posted on Jan 7, 2008 - 4 answers

So do we just stop paying our credit cards? [more inside]
posted on Dec 20, 2007 - 36 answers

How long will it actually take me to pay off this debt!?! [more inside]
posted on Nov 19, 2007 - 17 answers

What is the best option as far as credit counseling/debt management/loan options? [more inside]
posted on Nov 6, 2007 - 8 answers

Succumbing to Extortion Filter: How should I pay back a debt I don't really owe, to a collection agency that's been hounding me for years, to make sure it doesn't appear on my record? More inside. [more inside]
posted on Oct 1, 2007 - 9 answers

How do I best pay off a small debt to a collection agency? [more inside]
posted on Sep 21, 2007 - 15 answers

I am using extra student loan money at 6.8% (mostly unsubsidized) interest rate to pay off my credit cards (about 25K) worth. What should I do when I get a bunch of other cash? Pay off loans or invest? [more inside]
posted on Sep 12, 2007 - 12 answers

I spent the first several months of this year ill to the point of being unable to work—which, being an independent contractor, meant that I was not billing, which meant that eventually I had no money coming in after a couple of months and ran up a lot of credit card debt as a result—which payments I have not been able to make for the last 2-3 months. How badly will this affect my life, credit-wise? [more inside]
posted on Jun 19, 2007 - 9 answers

Repaying Stafford college loans that disappeared from my credit report (due to age), but still collect all tax refunds - what kind of hit might I expect on my credit, reactivating the account by a full-payoff? More importantly, what kind of deal can I propose to avoid all the interest? Anyone have experience with this? [more inside]
posted on May 17, 2007 - 4 answers

An old debt has found it's way back to me. Should I pay it? If not, is there an optimal strategy for not paying it? [more inside]
posted on Mar 26, 2007 - 32 answers

HELOC or 2nd mortgage (fixed interest) to consolidate credit card debt in order to improve FICO score? [more inside]
posted on Mar 15, 2007 - 5 answers

I'd welcome hearing of Mefites who have had experiences with the Prosper website as a borrower. (Or, if no one can help me on that, recommendations for Chicago or national credit unions accessible to most anyone.) [more inside]
posted on Mar 7, 2007 - 6 answers

Does consolidating your credit card debt wreck your credit history or kill your credit score (FICO)? [more inside]
posted on Feb 22, 2007 - 25 answers

Cheap Money Filter: I've got a moderate amount of credit card debt right now ($15k), at reasonable but not great rates (13-18%). I'll be making more money in the upcoming year, and the debt load is manageable, but I want to explore trading these loans with an unsecured line-of-credit type loan or some other loan. Advice? Suggestions on where to get a good rate (i.e. got any good junk mail lately)? [more inside]
posted on Jan 10, 2007 - 15 answers

Why would I need $80,000 in credit? [more inside]
posted on Jan 6, 2007 - 27 answers

How can a young attorney who is clueless about personal finance conquer the credit card debt dragon??? [more inside]
posted on Dec 7, 2006 - 18 answers

I've got around $8000 in credit card debts, my minimum payments are costing me as much as my rent, and the interest rates are so high that I'm not gaining any ground. Help! [more inside]
posted on Oct 18, 2006 - 30 answers

Like most Americans, my wife and I are struggling with debts. I thought of a great way to eliminate them, but my wife does not agree. What do you think? [more inside]
posted on Oct 3, 2006 - 42 answers

Suppose you have a terminal illness, and only have a few months to live. What's to keep you from running up huge credit card bills. Can the creditors make the next of kin pay up?
posted on Jul 17, 2006 - 31 answers

SketchyDebtCollectionsFilter: Someone calling and demanding payment on a credit card that was paid off and cancelled in 2002. Fraud? Error? What can be done? [more inside]
posted on Jul 6, 2006 - 16 answers

Which is a "worse" type of debt - credit card debt or car loan? [more inside]
posted on Jun 27, 2006 - 28 answers

Should I cash in my IRAs to pay off debt? Explanation after the jump... [more inside]
posted on May 3, 2006 - 28 answers

DebtFilter: Anyone heard of Superior Debt Services, Inc.?? They're a debt settlement company. Website: http://superiordebt.com/ [more inside]
posted on Mar 14, 2006 - 10 answers

Credit cards are a trap. My partner and I have been digging out for the last 2 years w/ a Debt Management Plan from a Consumer Credit Counseling Service. We're having a kid and will suffer about 6 months of reduced income as a result. We're already at bare bones to make the huge monthly DMP payment and have no assets. The CCCS had very little to offer - the only real suggestion being that I pull out of the DMP and request a hardship repayment plan from each credit card individually(there are 5). Can anyone share experience of trying this? A consolidation loan is unlikely w/out super-high rates and the total debt is over 30k...
posted on Feb 20, 2006 - 15 answers

I am considering signing up for a prepaid debit card and would like some advice as I don't know anyone who's gone down this path before... [more inside]
posted on Feb 18, 2006 - 13 answers

Can a collection agency reopen a nine year-old unpaid debt? [more inside]
posted on Oct 12, 2005 - 13 answers

A friend of mine has just taken on a large amount of debt since splitting with his girlfriend. What can he do to keep on top of it? [more inside]
posted on Aug 8, 2005 - 20 answers

I just graduated college with a little debt. I have large amount of money coming my way next year. How do I keep payments and interest at a minimum and just pay everything off next year? [more inside]
posted on Jul 18, 2005 - 5 answers

Should I ask my credit card company not to raise my limit? [more inside]
posted on Jun 1, 2005 - 6 answers

Enrolling in a debt counseling program automatically cancels credit cards without warning. This is unacceptable. Is it possible to back out of the program and restore the credit card accounts? If not, does the debt program block the ability to get new credit cards? This is not an issue of wanting to live on credit cards, but instead to have a safety cushion in times of emergency fiscal need.
posted on Apr 28, 2005 - 15 answers

Do you have experience, good or bad, with a credit counselor or consolidation firm that you'd like to share? [more inside]
posted on Feb 17, 2005 - 16 answers

I'm in college in the U.S., and have a few state student loans. They were under a forebearance that I once requested, which ended four months ago. I didn't realize this, and ignored the mail that was sent about it because I thought it was the usual mail they send me about how I have a loan and ads for consolidation. I just recently got this fixed and the forebearance backdated so it will have another year from when it ended. But I now have two 60-day late marks on my otherwise good credit report. Anything I can do to get rid of them?
posted on Jan 8, 2005 - 5 answers

I've got two credit cards with interest rates of 21.24% and 23% - both with balances over $5K. Both banks have sent me convenience checks - one with 3.99% fixed APR for life of balance - the other with 0% through August (then 17% after). Can I 'swap' the debt from one card to the other by using a convenience checks to pay the balance and getting lower interest rates? I'm paying my debt off every month - but if I can get it to grow slower, I thought this would be a way to do that.
posted on Jan 4, 2005 - 16 answers

CreditFilter: Two years ago, not really understanding the importance of good credit behavior, I let a department store card slide for 180 days, twice (I KNOW!). This impacted my credit history greatly. I had previously had 4 years of good payment on two credit cards. Over the past year, to help recover and instill good habits, I pay my credit cards in full every month (read: no personal debt) and added a paid off car loan to my reports (15K). My CC limits have slowly increased but my score has remained somewhat the same (10 pt increase).

What can I do to get out of this rut? Some collegues I know have a sizable CC debt (around 15-20K) with less income than me but have great scores and could buy a house tommorrow with no problems. What am I missing and no, credit-fixing agencies are NOT an option.
posted on Dec 12, 2004 - 11 answers

How should I repair my bad credit? I'm 26, my income ($53k) exceeds my expenses and I have only $1.5k debt, but I was awful about paying bills on time until the last year or so. Now I'm finding it difficult to secure a car loan. I haven't even gotten a credit report because I'm afraid to look at it. I will probably end up talking to a credit counselor, but I thought I'd ask for advice before I do. College kids, don't wait until the utility bill is yellow to pay it. Trust me.
posted on Nov 10, 2004 - 13 answers