I want to read general articles on Getting Out of Debt.

• “5 Ways To Dig Yourself Out Of Trouble” – Kiplinger’s
• “Tallying The True Costs Of Debt” – Bankrate
• “Credit Card Addiction: How To Break The Spending Cycle” – CreditCards.com
• “How Does A Credit Score Impact Your Ability To Get Credit?” - WalletPop
• “No Perfect Answer To The Question Of Whether To Save Money Or Pay Off Debt” – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

I want to read general articles on Credit Cards.

• “Credit Cards Help You Save, Cut Debt” – Wall Street Journal
• “7 Things Not To Do When You've Maxed Out Your Credit Cards” – CreditCards.com
• “Lower Credit Limits Can Hurt Consumers' Credit Scores” – CreditCards.com
• “Balancing Act” – MarketWatch
• “Store Credit Cards A Good Deal?” – Bankrate

I want to find helpful Non-Profit organizations.

• American Consumer Credit Counseling (ACCC) is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization offering confidential credit counseling and financial education services to consumers nationwide. ACCC is dedicated to helping people regain control of their finances and plan for a debt-free future.
• Consolidated Credit Counseling Services, Inc. ,is an industry leader in providing credit counseling and debt management programs throughout the United States.  Its mission is to help families end financial crisis and solve money management problems through education and professional counseling.
• DebtAdvice.org is designed to help consumers understand the wise use of credit and locate a trained, certified counselor if you are in need of assistance. DebtAdvice.org is a service provided by the members of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, (NFCC), most of them known as Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS).   The NFCC promotes the national agenda for financially responsible behavior and builds capacity for its members to deliver the highest quality financial education and counseling services.
• InCharge© Debt Solutions, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization specializing in personal finance education and credit counseling.
• Mind Your Finances™ is offered by the InCharge® Education Foundation, Inc., as a resource to enhance the financial wellness of the American public.  Mind Your Finances™ provides an extensive array of educational programs and products focused on guiding major sectors of the American public toward financial health.
• Myvesta Foundation is a global social enterprise that helps groups and organizations around the world to better assist people who are struggling with debt related issues. They provide solutions for consumer financial problems and partner with local organizations to create and manage kind and compassionate services and information. Our goal is to provide the consumer with the best possible assistance in the face of financial trouble or worry.
• The National Foundation for Credit Counseling promotes the national agenda for financially responsible behavior and builds capacity for its members to deliver the highest quality financial education and counseling services.  Many NFCC members are known as Consumer Credit Counseling Service ® ("CCCS").  With over 100 member agencies and more than 900 local offices throughout the country, the NFCC is the national voice for its members, which are nonprofit, mission driven, community-based agencies.
• Springboard is a non-profit agency with our more than 30 years of experience formed by business leaders and credit grantors. Its mission is simple, yet vital: To offer education on the wise use of credit.

I want to find helpful For-Profit organizations.

• AnnualCreditReport.com is a centralized service for consumers to request free annual credit reports. It was created by the three nationwide consumer credit reporting companies - Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.  AnnualCreditReport.com provides consumers with the secure means to request and obtain a free credit report once every 12 months from each of the three nationwide consumer credit reporting companies in accordance with the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACT Act).
• Bankrate is the Web's leading aggregator of financial rate information and provides original and objective personal finance stories to help consumers make informed financial decisions.
• CreditCards.com provides consumers with the largest variety of credit card offers online while enabling smart selection and use of cards by offering news, advice, features and tools.  The site is a free online resource where consumers can compare credit card offers by category, including low interest credit cards, credit cards with rewards programs, airline credit cards, cash back credit cards, small business credit cards, student credit cards, instant approval credit cards as well as prepaid debit cards.
• CreditorWeb™ is dedicated to assisting consumer’s compare credit card offers to find the best credit card for them. This site has published a number of articles as well as detailed reviews of every card with the goal to make sure consumers are well informed before applying for a credit card.
• Equifax is one of the three major national credit reporting agencies.  Equifax empowers individual consumers to manage their personal.
• Experian is one of the three major national credit reporting agencies.  Experian promotes greater financial health and opportunity among consumers by enabling them to understand, manage and protect their personal information.
• Kiplinger's Personal Finance offers advice and more, including: interactive calculators, up-to-the-minute business news, stock and mutual fund quotes, deposit account yields and credit rates. The Web-only columns offer timely insight into today's trends, a collection of tutorials and articles that introduce you to common financial concepts and show you how to get the best deals.
• myFICO® is the consumer division of Fair Isaac, the company that invented the FICO® credit risk score that lenders use. myFICO® offers informative credit-information products that help people understand actions they can take to achieve and protect their overall financial health. They are allied with national credit reporting agencies Equifax, TransUnion and Experian to create a new generation of credit information products that empower consumers to understand and protect their true credit standing.
• TransUnion is one of the three major national credit reporting agencies.  TransUnion has worked with businesses and consumers to gather, analyze and deliver the critical information needed to build strong economies throughout the world.

I want to find helpful Government organizations.

• Federal Citizens Information Center (FCIC) is focused on answering citizens’ questions about the Federal government and everyday consumer issues. FCIC watches emerging consumer issues and topics and regularly reviews new information coming from Federal agencies and consumer organizations.
• Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Money Smart program is a training program to help adults outside the financial mainstream enhance their money skills and create positive banking relationships.
• Federal Reserve System personal financial education website is dedicated to idea that there is a lot to learn about money.  All of the Fed websites, curriculum, newsletters, booklets and other resources are free.

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I want to find ideas for Managing my Debt.

• MindYourFinances.com - Getting out of debt
• About.com – Managing debt
• FTC.gov – Knee deep in debt
• InCharge.org – Do I need help?

I want to obtain My Free Credit Reports.

• AnnualCreditReport.com – Request free credit report

I want to understand My Credit History.

• ConsolidatedCredit.org – Credit basics
• MyFICO.com – Credit education center
• ConsumerCredit.com – Financial fitness center
• MindYourFinances.com – Credit scores and credit reports
• About.com – Credit reports & scores

I want to learn how to Get Help with my Debt.

• ConsolidatedCredit.org – Credit counseling
• DebtAdvice.org – Credit counseling
• ConsumerCredit.com – Credit counseling
• InCharge.org – Credit counseling
• DebtAdvice.org – Credit counseling checklist

I want to understand Bankruptcy.

• ConsolidatedCredit.org – Bankruptcy
• Consumercredit.com – Bankruptcy
• MindYourFinances.com – Bankruptcy
• InCharge.org – Bankruptcy
• About.com – Debt management solutions

I need to find helpful Debt Management Calculators.

• American Consumer Credit Counseling has compiled easy to use interactive tools to help you better assess your personal financial situation.  Their site offers multiple calculators including debt payoff, mortgage payoff, debt to income, and credit card interest.
• Bankrate credit card calculator compares the best credit card rates for you based on what type of card you want.
• Consolidated Credit Counseling Services debt to income ratio calculator will help you find out how much you're paying each month and whether your ratio of debt to income is acceptable or too high..
• CreditCards.com calculators compare credit card offers by category, including low interest credit cards, credit cards with rewards programs, airline credit cards, cash back credit cards, small business credit cards, student credit cards, instant approval credit cards as well as prepaid debit cards.
• CreditorWeb™ credit card payoff calculator determines the minimum monthly payment to pay off your card in the desired number of months, or determines how many months it will take to pay off a card at a set payment of your choice.
• InCharge® Debt Solutions, Inc. interactive financial calculators can help you plot out and visualize your financial goals so you can make them a reality.  The online credit counseling calculators include credit card optimizer, debt roll-down , home budget, mortgage payoff, and credit card payoff.
• Mind Your Finances™ offers a complete directory of interactive calculators to help manage your finances including auto buying, mortgage, credit/debt management, personal finance and savings/investing.
• myFICO® mortgage calculators show you the numbers behind your mortgage decisions including various scenarios in general mortgage, new home purchase, home equity and home refinancing loans.
• Myvesta calculators can help you get out of debt faster, determine if you should consolidate your debt, figure out how much emergency savings you need, or even help you with your life insurance.  Interactive calculations, dynamic graphs and fully customizable reports are just a few of the features that make our calculators stand out.
• Springboard offers interactive financial tools to assist you in managing your money including calculators for mortgage loans, mortgage payoff, credit card payoff, auto loans, savings goals, home budget, and checkbook balancing.

There are countless personal finance self-help “gurus” trying to convince you they alone offer the most insightful, sincere and helpful solutions. They hope you will buy their latest self-help book, workbook, newsletter, or whatever else it is they are offering.

However, a handful have written books or offer guidance on DEBT MANAGEMENT in a manner that may be more beneficial, more affordable, or less annoying than their peers.  Following are gurus and books you may enjoy.*

• Jean Chatzky, Pay It Down and Make Money, Not Excuses: Wake Up, Take Charge, and Overcome Your Financial Fears Forever
• Lynnette Khalfani, Zero Debt: The Ultimate Guide to Financial Freedom
• Robin Leonard, Credit Repair and Solve Your Money Troubles: Get Debt Collectors off Your Back & Regain Financial Freedom
• Carmen Wong Ulrich, Gener@tion Debt: Take Control of Your Money – A How-to Guide

* Note: The Site Creator has not been compensated in any way for referencing any “gurus” or books on this site.

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