Working with a credit counsleor will help you pay off debt fast and manage your personal finances more efficiently. Our free credit advice is personalized to your unique situation.
The details on your credit report, like your credit score, directly impact your everyday financial well-being. Your credit score influences your ability to secure the best interest rates on loans, helps you qualify for housing, rentals or a mortgage, and even plays a role in obtaining employment for certain types of positions.
Your credit report can influence your ability to find housing, employment and secure a loan. Knowing your score and understanding your report are the first steps towards your financial health. Our certified financial counselors will guide you through your credit report, answer questions, and give personalized guidance towards improving your score.
Learn about the process of getting a bank account with BankOn. Learn all there is to know about opening a bank account and the responsible usage of the bank account.
Speak with a Debt Coach to review all your options and discuss the best strategies for getting debt relief. We’ll point you in the right direction, whether that’s DIY debt relief or a debt program, like Debt Management Plans or Debt Settlement.
Debt is common and manageable. Our certified financial counselors are standing by ready to answer your questions, provide guidance, and help you reach your financial goals. Speaking to one of our certified debt counselors is completely free. Our counselors will be able to review all of your options for getting out of debt and guide you toward the best path forward.
A financial counselor will help you determine whether a Debt Management Plan is your best path toward effectively managing debt levels. Once you enroll in a plan, we become your personal advocates, working closely with you and your creditors to pay off debt in a timely fashion.
Debt settlement is a process that allows you to pay off debt by paying a single lump sum that is lower than the total amount you owe. Settlements are achieved through negotiation between lenders and consumers or a third-party debt settlement company. Our counselors will help you assess if debt settlement is the best debt relief option for you.
Credit.org is an Executive Office for United States Trustees ‘EOUST‘ approved agency. Our experienced financial counselors work with people in all stages of their financial life, including the challenging decision of bankruptcy. Our cousnelors can help you obtain the certificate you need to file for bankruptcy or discharge debts in bankruptcy.
Credit.org offers expert student loan counseling to help you manage your education debt. Our certified counselors guide you through loan repayment options, consolidation, and strategies to alleviate student loan stress. Get personalized assistance to navigate your student loan journey and find the best solutions for your financial goals.
Whether you are current on your mortgage payments, experiencing a financial hardship, or ready to begin your homeownership journey, take action and reach out to a HUD Certified Housing Counselor today!
Work with our HUD Certified Counselors who will assess your current mortgage needs and help guide you to the options that are best suited for your specific situation.
If you are 62 or older, have equity in your home, and are considering a Reverse Mortgage loan, it is important to speak with one of our HUD Certified Counselors to understand the benefits and risk of this product.
Our award-winning counselors are here to help prepare you to own a home. We provide education, resources, and guidance to make your home buying process efficient, stress-free, and rewarding.
Don’t start your home buying journey without getting the facts first! Whether you’re a first-time home buyer or someone looking to get back into home ownership, you will need a well laid plan. Our HUD-approved Home Buyer Classes will help you navigate the home buying process and equip you with useful tools & resources for purchasing a home.
If you are seeking guidance regarding renting, call us to speak with one of our financial counselors who will help you develop a budget, create a detailed action plan, and who can provide you with local, statewide, and national resources.
Community Affordable Loan Solution™ is designed to create homeownership access for clients who have never envisioned themselves as a homeowner. Credit.org has partnered with Bank of America to assist first-time homebuyers with pre-purchase counseling and homebuyer education.
Credit.org has partnered with Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta to provide your pre-purchase or owner-occupied credit counseling.
Helping San Diego County, Riverside County & San Bernardino County residents CLIMB to financial freedom!
In honor of Women’s History Month, we recently wrote about natural advantages women have that can help them manage personal finances.
Today we’re talking about the other side of the coin—disadvantages that women need to be aware of when dealing with money matters.
Like we wrote before, we don’t want to stereotype anyone, and every woman is unique, but these general statistical trends are important things to be on the lookout for.
Wage Gap– on average, women earn less than men. Why that gap exists is a matter of often-heated debate, but the fact of its existence isn’t disputed.
What to do– While the wage gap is a subject for society as a whole to address, in the short term, individual women need to focus on budgeting. We talked in last week’s article about how women are more likely to keep a written journal, and that’s the place to start. Track spending in writing and use that data to create a new written budget.
Price Gap– products designed exclusively for women are more expensive than those meant for men, women’s clothing is more likely to need dry cleaning, and women have to purchase things like cosmetics that men don’t use. All of these expenses add up to a hefty price gap between the genders. Studies have also shown that women’s health care is more expensive than men’s, even when exhibiting the same symptoms.
What to do– Again, budgeting is essential. Comparison shopping is also a must. We’ve learned that the number one form of overspending isn’t buying on impulse, it’s paying too much for things. So look at your necessary spending and see if there’s anything you’re paying too much for that can be bought cheaper from another source, or in bulk.
Long-Term Care– some of these categories seem especially unfair, in that they represent admirable qualities that nevertheless result in financial challenges for women. A Princeton study found that women are twice as likely as their male siblings to end up caring for an elderly parent. And a study from the Journal of Applied Gerontology found that women are more likely to be displaced from the workforce when providing long-term care.
What to do– The best solution is to plan well ahead and get some kind of long-term care insurance to meet this need when the time comes. Every family situation is different, but if you think this kind of situation is likely, that insurance is more likely to be worth it. And your whole family needs to come together and decide if they are going to buck the trend and share caregiving responsibilities equally among siblings.
Charity– another category that turns a positive into a challenge; women are more likely to give to charity than men, and on average they donate more.
What to do– Donating to worthy charities is great, so we’d only caution you to make charitable giving part of your written spending plan so you don’t go overboard. Think of when you’re on an airplane; they tell you in an emergency to put the breathing mask on yourself first, before helping the kid sitting next to you. The same principle applies here. You’re no good to charities or the needy if you can’t make ends meet yourself. Check out our article on Charitable Giving On A Budget.
Education– yet another positive trend that ends up costing women more money. These days, women are more likely to attend college than men. That’s good—it’s part of how society is addressing the wage gap—but with tuition costs skyrocketing in recent decades, today’s graduates are left with hefty student loan debt.
What to do– Student loans are a huge headache for graduates everywhere, men and women alike. We offer StudentDebt.org for individual assistance. Also, check out our student loan articles here on the blog.
Melinda Opperman is an exceptional educator who lives and breathes the creation and implementation of innovative ways to motivate and educate community members and students about financial literacy. Melinda joined credit.org in 2003 and has over two decades of experience in the industry.