Financially Empowering Women

As a nation, Americans owe billions on outstanding credit cards and the average U.S. household with at least one credit card owes over $15,000 in credit-card debt.  Many Americans are in trouble as they endure harassment from debt collectors, yet only a fraction of people seek aid from a credit counselor. Many people confuse credit-counseling agencies with debt-settlement companies, who are often fraudulent organizations who make promises they can’t keep. Credit counselors advise people on how to make better budget and lifestyle decisions and develop a debt-management plan to pay back their creditors. Many counseling sessions are minimal in cost. Meanwhile, debt-settlement companies offer to negotiate with a person's creditors to reduce the amount of debt they own—and they usually charge a very large fee for their services. These debt-settlement organizations have deterred many people from getting good advice from credit counselors who can be trusted.  The National Foundation for Credit