How do you know if you need to seek help from a credit counselor? There are so many things that can cause your finances to hit rock bottom. You can trim back on your spending and keep a close eye on your accounts. But like losing weight, many have the willpower to do it themselves, others need help. When do you know you have to call in a financial expert? It can be at different times for different people. Here are fifteen situations that say you might need some help: 1. Your income is decreasing and your credit card balances are on the rise. 2. You can only pay the minimum amount, or less, due on each of your accounts. 3. You've learned to juggle your credit cards, using one account to pay for another. 4. You have more credit cards than pictures of your children or grandchildren. 5. You can't charge any more. 6. You charge more each month than you can pay for. 7. You have to get a second job to pay your credit cards. 8. You can't even estimate how much you owe. Why would you want to? 9. You are getting phone calls and letters from creditors. 10. You buy groceries and pay other bills with your cards. 11. You can't get by without your cards. You have to have them to survive. 12. You consistently use your IRA or savings to catch up. 13. Your spouse doesn't know what you are buying. 14. You sign up for every card offer you get. 15. You've lost your job and don't know how you will pay the bills. There's no magic point at which you have to seek help. You, and only you, can decide if you have a credit problem. You may be able to help yourself. If you start to notice that you make a trend of these situations, then take action. You don't have to worry if you hide something from your spouse once or twice a year. But if you do it weekly, then you have a problem. Only paying your minimum balance every once in a while is alright. But if it's more than just once in a long while, you are letting your credit get out of hand. The first thing you have to do is be honest. You can't lie to yourself anymore and say it's no big deal. It is a big deal. And it's easier to accept help sooner than it is later. If you chose to go to a credit counselor, be prepared. Take a year's worth of your family's personal finances. You need to be able to present how much you have saved, how much you owe, how much you make and so on. This is necessary for a proper assessment of how much trouble you are in and what kind of help is available. Seek help before all the walls start to cave in. You don't want one missed payment to happen. You want to get help before your credit history starts to be affected. Taking action now can save you a lot of time and money later. |
