Problem Solvers' Digging Out of Debt Phone Bank
The Problem Solvers' Digging Out of Debt Phone Bank will be held this Wednesday, Jan. 25.
Financial experts will take calls from 3 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. at 866-625-0143.
If you need to cut down your credit card bill, make a call. Our experts will tackle your tough questions about debt, and help get your finances back on track.
You can also post your questions on ClearPoint Credit Counseling Solutions' Facebook page or send it to them via Twitter.
Why should you call?
When you're out of work and the bills keep coming in, it's easy to feel like you're alone. You're not. A lot of people are in the same boat -- trying to keep from sinking in debt.
Here's the good news: with the right help, you can get back on your feet again.
Back in 2008, Art Bramage lost his job. He and his wife had a sizeable mortgage and $18,000 in credit card debt.
“We were faced with not knowing how to get through from month to month. So that's when we realized we needed to get some help," Bramage.
They turned to Clearpoint Credit Counseling Solutions, a nonprofit company with several offices in the Seattle area.
"They got us on track pretty quickly. We spent a couple of long phone calls with one of their counselors going through every nook and cranny of our daily finances. And she was great about finding ways that we never thought of to trim the fat and still survive and preserve our standard of living as much as possible," Bramage said.
Bramage and his wife were able to negotiate a lower rate on their cable and Internet service. Clearpoint was able to lower the interest rates on their credit cards, which brought immediate relief.
"Sometimes the creditors work with us to reduce monthly payments, stop charging fees, like late fees and over limit fees and it really helps to set up sort of a fixed payment plan with an end date in sight," said Ashley Adami, a Clearpoint counselor.
In the last three years, the Bramages’ credit card debt has dropped from $18,000 to just $9,000. They hope to be debt free in about two more years.
"It was a real eye-opener to see just exactly what we were spending on things on a day to day, week to week basis," said Bramage. "We were pretty amazed at how much of our food budget went to places it didn't need to do. It doesn'' have to be a major painful upheaval in your life, necessarily. It's just a lot of little things that add up. A lot of little cutting of corners, little things you can do."
Adami says happy endings are often possible for people who reach out for help from a qualified and bona fide nonprofit credit counselor.
"It isn't hopeless. I don't think any situation is necessarily hopeless. There's always an answer," Adami said.
If you weren't able to get a call in by 7:30 p.m., you can call back on Thursday.
More information:
Deeply in debt? Help is a phone call away
Rule No. 1 for getting out of debt: make a budget
Debt Settlement: Quick and Easy Promises to Eliminate Your Debt Can Often Make Your Financial Situation Worse
Financial experts will take calls from 3 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. at 866-625-0143.
If you need to cut down your credit card bill, make a call. Our experts will tackle your tough questions about debt, and help get your finances back on track.
You can also post your questions on ClearPoint Credit Counseling Solutions' Facebook page or send it to them via Twitter.
Why should you call?
When you're out of work and the bills keep coming in, it's easy to feel like you're alone. You're not. A lot of people are in the same boat -- trying to keep from sinking in debt.
Here's the good news: with the right help, you can get back on your feet again.
Back in 2008, Art Bramage lost his job. He and his wife had a sizeable mortgage and $18,000 in credit card debt.
“We were faced with not knowing how to get through from month to month. So that's when we realized we needed to get some help," Bramage.
They turned to Clearpoint Credit Counseling Solutions, a nonprofit company with several offices in the Seattle area.
"They got us on track pretty quickly. We spent a couple of long phone calls with one of their counselors going through every nook and cranny of our daily finances. And she was great about finding ways that we never thought of to trim the fat and still survive and preserve our standard of living as much as possible," Bramage said.
Bramage and his wife were able to negotiate a lower rate on their cable and Internet service. Clearpoint was able to lower the interest rates on their credit cards, which brought immediate relief.
"Sometimes the creditors work with us to reduce monthly payments, stop charging fees, like late fees and over limit fees and it really helps to set up sort of a fixed payment plan with an end date in sight," said Ashley Adami, a Clearpoint counselor.
In the last three years, the Bramages’ credit card debt has dropped from $18,000 to just $9,000. They hope to be debt free in about two more years.
"It was a real eye-opener to see just exactly what we were spending on things on a day to day, week to week basis," said Bramage. "We were pretty amazed at how much of our food budget went to places it didn't need to do. It doesn'' have to be a major painful upheaval in your life, necessarily. It's just a lot of little things that add up. A lot of little cutting of corners, little things you can do."
Adami says happy endings are often possible for people who reach out for help from a qualified and bona fide nonprofit credit counselor.
"It isn't hopeless. I don't think any situation is necessarily hopeless. There's always an answer," Adami said.
If you weren't able to get a call in by 7:30 p.m., you can call back on Thursday.
More information:
Deeply in debt? Help is a phone call away
Rule No. 1 for getting out of debt: make a budget
Debt Settlement: Quick and Easy Promises to Eliminate Your Debt Can Often Make Your Financial Situation Worse
