Help for your financial problems
Warning Signs of Financial Trouble
You use one form of credit to pay other debt (You are “borrowing from Peter to pay Paul.”)
You have taken one or more cash advances in the past few months
You have taken out pay day loans in the last 6 months
You have pawned the title to your car
You have to borrow or use credit to meet regular expenses, such as food and utility bills
You struggle to pay more than the minimum payments on bills
You are being harassed by collection agencies
Your creditors have recently raised your interest rates on your credit cards
Your outstanding credit card debt is more than 30% of your total available credit
Your financial problems are impacting your health, happiness, or relationships
Worrying about your debt is keeping you awake at night
You have student loan debt that you cannot pay
You have recently seen a reduction in your income
You have been through a divorce and now have half the income to pay your debt
More than one-third of your take-home pay is spent on housing
More than one-quarter of your take-home pay is spent on car payments, car insurance, repairs and gas
You are using one-quarter or more of your take-home income to pay credit card bills and unsecured personal loans
Your credit cards are charged to the limit
You have bounced more than one check in the past year
You have no savings
You are behind on house or car payments
You are being sued, your wages are being garnished, or you are facing foreclosure
You owe taxes you cannot pay
You are so far in debt in debt that you don’t really know how much money you owe
You have medical bills you cannot pay
You don’t know how much money you spend each month
You spend more each month that you earn
Spotting signs of financial trouble is the first step to turning your debt situation around. If you catch your problems early, you may be able to use credit counseling and budgeting techniques to solve your problems. If you feel that you have tried everything and still need help, it may be time to speak to a knowledgable professional. There is no reason to live under the crushing weight of debt. There is help available for your financial problems and it is just a phone call away.