Are You OverExtended?

Are you managing your debt, or is it managing you? Practical guidance for managing personal debt and credit.

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  • Spending more than paying off
  • Trouble paying bills
  • Buying without down payments
  • Maxed out credit lines
  • Retirement not properly funded
  • No payoff strategy
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Recent Articles

How Your Debt-to-Limit Ratio Shapes Your Credit Score
Debt-to-Limit Ratio

How Your Debt-to-Limit Ratio Shapes Your Credit Score

Your debt-to-limit ratio, often called credit utilization, is the amount of credit you’re using compared to the total credit available to you. If you...

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What to Do When a Creditor Freezes Your Bank Account
Creditor Actions

What to Do When a Creditor Freezes Your Bank Account

A frozen bank account can feel like a financial emergency. You may try to buy groceries or pay a bill and discover your money is on hold. In many...

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How to Manage Credit in Your 30s Without Letting Life Expenses Take Over
30s

How to Manage Credit in Your 30s Without Letting Life Expenses Take Over

Your 30s often bring bigger financial responsibilities. You may be paying a mortgage or rent that keeps rising, covering childcare, managing student...

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How an Emergency Fund Protects Your Credit and Your Peace of Mind
Building an Emergency Fund

How an Emergency Fund Protects Your Credit and Your Peace of Mind

An emergency fund is not just a savings goal. It is a buffer between your daily budget and unexpected costs that can quickly become credit card debt...

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Video

Consumer Credit Tips

Each video breaks down one practical way to get out from under debt and stay there — straightforward advice on credit, budgeting, and the habits that keep you from getting overextended again.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Use your most recent financial statements for accuracy. For investment and loan accounts, use the current balance. For real estate and vehicles, use conservative estimates from sources like Zillow or Kelley Blue Book, recognizing these are approximations.

Seek nonprofit credit counseling (e.g., NFCC-affiliated agencies), patient advocacy groups, or legal aid organizations. Avoid debt settlement scams.

A dispute is a request to a credit bureau to investigate and potentially remove inaccurate information from your report. The bureau has 30 days to investigate your claim by contacting the data furnisher (the lender). If the furnisher cannot verify the information, it must be deleted.

As you make payments, your reported balances will decrease. Monitoring this over time allows you to see your credit utilization ratios improve and, eventually, accounts get closed out. This tangible evidence of progress can be highly encouraging.

Credit cards can disconnect the act of purchasing from the feeling of paying, making it easy to overspend. Using cash or a debit card for discretionary spending creates a tangible limit and reinforces the reality of money leaving your account.