Bills are overwhelming us, especially credit card debt. Is it to our advantage to think about debt consolidation?

Many credit counseling and credit repair agencies, in the experience of my clients, in fact do more damage than good. Some, again in my experience through my clients, are outright fraudulent.

The only credit counseling that you should really investigate is through the agencies that are approved by the U.S. Justice Department. You can navigate to a list of approved agencies by going on to the website for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in your jurisdiction. Then, find the page for the U.S. Trustee. They will have a tab guiding you to approved credit counseling.

In my experience, through my clients, if something can be worked out, they will let you know and help you. If not, they will tell you whether bankruptcy is appropriate.

At that point, retain experienced local bankruptcy counsel to guide you through the complexities of the bankruptcy law and procedure.