The average adult in the United States requires multiple forms of credit to maintain a fully operational household. They may have purchased their home with a mortgage and their vehicle with a loan. They may use short-term loans or financing for medical care and credit...
Bankruptcy
How do you know it is time to file for personal bankruptcy?
Bankruptcy is a powerful financial tool for those having difficulties paying off their personal debt. A successful bankruptcy filing will result in the discharge of someone's unsecured debts. Depending on the type of bankruptcy an individual files, they may need to...
Tackling credit card debt
Credit card spending has been rising since the start of the pandemic in 2019. Estimates suggest an increase of anywhere from 14 to over 33 percent in credit card spending. If you are among the millions of people who increased credit card spending in the last couple of...
Changes to medical debt reporting on the way
Millions of Americans carry medical debt. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, most people owe hundreds or thousands of dollars in medical bills. Owing this much can be financially devastating for individuals, affecting everything from where they...
Struggling with debt? You are not alone
The last two years have been incredibly stressful on Pennsylvania families who have struggled with illness, job loss and emotional distress. And for many people, their financial situation has taken an enormous hit, especially during the last year. Looking at the...
Yes, you can bounce back from bankruptcy
People often dismiss bankruptcy as an effective debt relief option because of misconceptions and fears. One fear is that filing for bankruptcy will destroy their financial future. However, you can recover from bankruptcy. People do it all the time using some of the...
Tips to make it easier to cope with unmanageable debt
People typically do not feel comfortable discussing debt challenges, so they often do some searching online or make decisions based on anecdotal evidence of friends. As such, there can be a lot of misinformation out there that, when followed, make a financial...
Can creditors contact me on social media?
Falling behind on credit cards, mortgages and other loans is stressful enough without having to dodge the seemingly constant calls and letters from creditors. It is not unusual for someone in this position to turn to spaces like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to find...
Preparing for changing debt collection practices
Millions of Americans are dealing with debt, especially after an incredibly stressful year of lost jobs and economic challenges. And for roughly 25 percent of adults who have bills in collections, overcoming debt in the coming months may not get easier. This is due...
Can creditors garnish stimulus payments?
News that millions of Americans will receive another round of stimulus money was undoubtedly welcome to families and individuals across Pennsylvania who have been struggling over the past year. Between job losses and business closures resulting from the COVID-19...
