Advantages and Pitfalls of Credit Counseling

Credit counseling services receive a lot of mixed reviews. 

There are many reputable services, but there are also credit counseling companies with horrible reputations. Credit counseling is now required before filing for bankruptcy. 

If you want help with your debt, you must be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of using a credit counseling company.

Positive Features of Credit Counseling 

• They tend to have more clout with creditors. Some creditors are more willing to negotiate pay-offs and payment plans with credit counselors. You might get a better deal and more breathing room with a credit counseling service. 

• It’s possible to consolidate your payments. Many firms will consolidate your payments into one payment each month. You’ll be making a payment to the counseling company. Understand that the credit counseling firm must then make all the individual payments for you.

•  It can be easier to get new credit. As part of your credit counseling, it’s common for new credit to be secured for you. They’ll go out and work to have your credit applications approved.

• An end to the harassment. When you’re put on a repayment plan, the debt collectors will leave you alone. Remember that you can do this yourself by simply making a request in writing.

A reputable and honest credit counseling service can be helpful. There are many potential advantages to utilizing the expert assistance they can provide. But there are also several possible negative consequences.
 

Pitfalls of Credit Counseling

• They might not actually pay your bills. There are many complaints every year of credit counseling companies taking your money and then failing to make the agreed-upon payments to your creditors.

• They often over-promise. Just like any other company vying for your dollars, sometimes the marketing is a little too good to be true. After the counseling company takes their cut, you might not be any better off.

• It can possibly make your credit worse. There is one tactic commonly employed that can have a negative impact on your credit score. The credit counselor may advise you to stop paying on your debt and instead put the payments into an account. Once a large enough lump sum has been accumulated, the counselor would then approach your creditors with offers to pay off the debt at a reduced amount.

During this process your credit will suffer due to the non-payment.

The account used to store the money is under the control of the counseling firm. Do you trust them? The potential pitfalls are serious. It’s very important to do the necessary legwork to locate a reputable credit counseling service.
 
Many consumers believe that a service with non-profit status must be reputable. Understand that being non-profit is primarily about not showing a profit at the end of the year. Paying bonuses and higher salaries can accomplish this feat.
 
Ideally, you’ll be able to find a counseling service in your state that you can visit in person. Checking with your state Attorney General is an effective way to see if any complaints or legal action have taken place. Doing an online search is also likely to turn up any negative reviews or complaints.
 
Inquire about the services offered and the fees. Ask how the employees are paid. Are they compensated more for signing you up for certain services? Get everything in writing. Verbal promises are likely to be conveniently forgotten.
 
Credit counseling can be beneficial or counterproductive to your goals of reducing and eliminating your debt. Find a reputable credit-counseling firm by doing the necessary research. Be sure your financial situation will move in a positive direction.

I put in the work and worked on my personal credit repair and my family's credit repair myself after we struggled financially during my eldest daughters cancer treatment. I didn't think I could do it myself but I had already experienced paying someone else to do it for me with no results a few years prior so I figured I would at least try and if it didn't work at least I didn't pay a scammer to do nothing for me. 

I used   my Econ's MyCreditSystem and I am really happy I did. I was so impressed with my results that I joined them as an independent agent. You can check out how that program works clicking on this link ---- myCredit System - myEcon

Understanding Credit Utilization

How much you owe is an important factor in determining your FICO® Scores, making up 30% of the total calculation. One of the elements that FICO considers in this factor is your credit utilization ratio.

Your credit utilization ratio provides insight into how you manage your credit card debt. While it's a good idea to avoid using too much of your available credit, it also doesn't help if you're not using any at all.

If you're trying to figure out how your credit cards impact your FICO® Scores, here's what you should know.
 

What Is the Credit Utilization Ratio and Why Is it Important?

Your credit utilization ratio is the percentage of the available credit that you're using on a given credit card account, as well as across all of your credit cards.
 
For example, let's say you have three credit cards:
 
Card A has a $5,000 credit limit and a $1,000 balance.
Card B has a $10,000 limit and a $4,000 balance.
Card C has a $1,000 limit and a $750 balance.

To get your utilization ratio for each card, divide the balance by the credit limit, and you'll get 20% for Card A, 40% for Card B and 75% for Card C.
 
To get your aggregate credit utilization ratio, you'll add up the three balances and credit limits, then run the same equation. This would give you a total utilization ratio of roughly 36%.
 
Your credit utilization ratio is important because it provides creditors with an insight into how you manage your finances. Credit cards are generally used for everyday spending, and if you regularly max out your credit cards or get close to it, it could indicate that you're having a hard time managing your money without the use of debt.
 
This could spell trouble if you take on a new credit account and don't have the funds to keep up with all of your financial obligations.
 
As such, the more of your available credit that you're using at a given time, the more at risk you are of defaulting on a payment, which results in a lower FICO® Score.
 

What Should My Target Credit Utilization Ratio Be?

Some financial experts recommend keeping your credit utilization ratio below 30%. However, the data doesn't support the implication that your credit score will dip once your utilization ratio crosses the 30% threshold.
 
Just like every other factor in your FICO® Score, the impact your credit utilization ratio will have on your score will vary based on a number of factors.
 
That said, generally the lower your ratio is, the better. Generally, keeping it below 10% (and consistently paying bills on time) can help you build and maintain a good FICO® Score.
 
That said, you want to be careful about having a utilization ratio of 0%. This is because it signifies that you're not using your credit cards at all, giving FICO less information about how you manage your money. While a 0% utilization ratio won't cause your FICO® Scores to drop significantly, it can prevent you from achieving maximum points for the amounts owed score ingredient.
 

How to Lower Your Credit Utilization Ratio

Your credit utilization ratio is determined by two things: your reported credit card balances and your available credit. Keeping the former low and the latter high is key to maintaining a low ratio. Here are some quick tips to accomplish that goal:
 
Avoid spending too much: Avoid using your credit cards too often, especially if you have trouble overspending or if you have cards with low credit limits. Even a balance of $200 on a card with a $300 limit (e.g. 66% utilization) could negatively impact your FICO® Scores.
 
Hold onto old credit cards: Closing a credit card takes away its available credit, which could increase your overall credit utilization ratio. As a result, it's best to avoid closing credit cards unless you're at risk of overspending and getting into credit card debt or there's an annual fee or security deposit, and you no longer use the card.
 
Make your payments strategically: Credit card companies typically report card balances to the credit reporting agencies based on your balance each month when your statement closes. Making a payment before that date could drop your utilization ratio enough to keep it at a satisfactory level. Alternatively, you could make multiple payments throughout the month to keep it low at all times.
 
Make paying off credit card debt a priority: If your credit utilization ratio is chronically high because you have a lot of credit card debt, make plans to pay down your balances as quickly as possible. Pay down your balances can not only benefit your FICO® Scores by lowering your utilization ratio, but it can also have a positive impact on your budget and overall financial health.
 

The Bottom Line

Your credit utilization ratio is an important factor in your FICO® Scores, so it's crucial that you know where you stand and take steps to maintain a low ratio every month.
 
Depending on your situation, this can take time, but the good news is that, as soon as you lower your ratio, your FICO® Scores will respond accordingly— you won't see lingering negative effects as you would with late payments and other negative items.
 
If you're not sure what your utilization ratio is, sign up for a credit monitoring service and keep track of where you stand. If you want to reduce your ratio, start taking steps now to reduce your credit card debt and maintain a low level going forward

9 Steps to Removing Credit Report Errors

Checking your credit reports on an annual basis is a must in this day and age of rampant credit fraud and identity theft, specially since there is a fairly good chance that your credit reports will have one or more mistakes more than once in your lifetime. Think about that!

• A study done by the Federal Trade Commission found that 25% of all consumers have an error on their credit report that negatively impacts their credit score. 

The study also showed that 80% of people who challenge items on their credit report are able to get at least some of the negative information altered or removed. That’s great news! 

Follow this process to get these errors corrected: 

1.    Get copies of your credit report from the three major bureaus. You can get a free copy of each report each year from AnnualCreditReport.com. If you’ve recently been rejected for credit, you’re also entitled to a free copy of the report containing the derogatory information from the creditor that denied you credit.

2.     Get your official credit scores. It would be a shame to do all this work and not know how much of an effect your efforts had on the metric that matters the most. I personally have a subscription to MyFico.com simply because the ability to access both my credit reports and FICO Score all in one place and have live credit monitoring is of great value to me.  

3.     Find and highlight all the errors that are harming your credit score. Some people challenge all the negative information, whether it’s accurate or not with great results but beware of doing so online. You give up a lot of right and protections under the FCRA when you don't dispute errors in writing via certified mail, return receipt requested to document your records but more on that later.

4.  Write a dispute. Your dispute can be very simple. Provide enough information that the credit bureau can identify you and the item you’re disputing. In general, it’s most effective to declare that you were never late or that the account isn’t yours. MyCreditSystem gives you access to all the dispute letter templates you need once you become a member. 

5.  Mail your disputes via Certified Mail Return Receipt Requested. The credit bureaus are on the clock from the time they receive your credit dispute in writing. 

• If they can’t complete their investigation within 30 days, they basically have to make the changes you requested. Include only one dispute per letter. 

• The credit bureaus would love for you to file your dispute online. It saves them time and  money because it automates the process. What's more it usually doesn't resolve your issue favorably. Receiving your letter is much more cumbersome for them. So send your complaints via the postal service.

6.   WATCH THE CALENDAR 

• Their response must be postmarked within 30 days of receiving your letters.

7.   Evaluate the responses you receive back. It’s very likely that some of your disputes will be resolved in your favor. It’s also likely that some will not. 

• One credit bureau has been known to simply give you what you want without investigating at all!

8.  Continue disputing all the negative items. At the end of the day, the credit bureaus exist to make money. They make money by selling credit reports, not by dealing with consumers. Your disputes cost them money. With a little diligence, you’re likely to get your way, so be persistent. 

• Consumers have historically done well when suing the credit bureaus. It’s difficult for them to truly verify the information in your credit reports. If you’re not satisfied with the results, consider filing a claim in small claims court. Credit bureaus get fined $1,000 per infraction. You’ll likely settle out of court and get your credit report cleaned up.

9.  Stay organized. Maintain records of all your correspondence. Make copies and keep those copies filed in an organized manner. Be sure to keep track of dates. 

Fixing the errors on your credit reports is simple, but it does take time. It’s important to check your reports every year and whenever possible subscribe to a credit monitoring program. 

The cost of credit reporting errors can be staggering, as they can dramatically increase your interest rates on any loans you receive, credit cards and insurance rates. 

A BAD CREDIT REPORT CAN PREVENT YOU FROM GETTING HIRED OR EVEN RENTING AN APARTMENT.

Request your credit reports today and spend the time to examine them carefully. Consider making it a part of your annual financial housekeeping and if you want to make sure your credit is repaired correctly become a MyCreditSystem member and doing it yourself. 

You can do it and it will change your life. 

One Quick Way to Boost Your Credit Score

There are many different factors that go into your credit score, also known as FICO score. Your FICO score is calculated based on your credit report by a formula created by the Fair Isaac Corporation. However, FICO does not actually disclose its exact formula. 

Though nobody knows exactly how important each factor is in calculating the credit score, one known factor that plays a large role is your utilization rate. 

Your utilization rate is basically "how much of your available credit are you using?" 

The theory is that if someone has credit lines of $10,000 and they're using $9,500 of that credit, they're a much bigger credit risk than someone who's only using $1,000. Therefore, their credit score would be lower. 

However, there are a few things about the way FICO calculates your utilization rate that are a bit strange. One small loophole in particular can result in you being able to quickly boost your credit score without actually having to reduce your credit balances. 

The Odd Thing about Credit Utilization 

Rather than measuring your average utilization rate, FICO chooses to measure your score based on your highest utilization rate. 

For example, let's say you have two credit cards. Both of them have a $5,000 limit. One card is maxed out, while another card has a balance of zero. 

In this case, your maximum utilization rate would be 100%. In this case, your credit score will be severely negatively impacted. 

On the other hand, if you had distributed your credit balance half and half over the cards, your maximum utilization would be only 50% each. 

Another example would be if you had one card with a $1,000 limit and another card with a $5,000 limit. If you had to charge $800, it's a much better idea to charge it to the $5,000 card. 

A Few More Things to Know about Utilization Rate 

The ideal utilization rate is 35% or under on all your cards. Having even one card above 35% will drag your max utilization up. 

In an independent study of 70,000 different credit scores, researchers found that people with 720 or higher credit scores tended to have utilization rates of 20% or less. 

However, people who had a zero percent utilization rate often had very low credit scores. That's because their credit scores were so low, they couldn't even get a credit card. 

The ideal is not to have a zero percent utilization rate. If you're not using your credit cards at all, you're not demonstrating creditworthiness. Remember - creditors want to know that you'll pay off loans you take out, not that you don't take out loans. 

So try to get your utilization rate between 1% and 35%. If you have a low balance on one card and a high balance on the other, try balancing your cards out to get your maximum utilization rate down. This one technique can very quickly give you a credit boost, literally in just a few days.

Post-Bankruptcy Credit Improvement

 

So you did that dreaded thing people call reputation suicide and you filed for bankruptcy now your credit is likely as low as it's ever been. But it doesn't have to stay that way. The moment you declare bankruptcy, there are actions you can take to immediately start rebuilding your credit. 

You are getting a fresh start and it's important to build a solid foundation of knowledge so you can avoid the pitfalls that led you to bankruptcy in the first place if it was poor personal financial management that led to bankruptcy in the first place. 

Here's how to start improving your credit score right after a bankruptcy event. 

Do a Careful Credit Report Check

 

Look over your credit reports. All three of them, Experian, TransUnion and Equifax. Then look them over again. Carefully check that each and every existing account is being reported properly in all three credit bureaus.

Old debts that were wiped out by bankruptcy should indicate a "BK" status. Debts that aren't reported properly can continue to damage your credit score, so make sure that any debts included in your bankruptcy filing are now "cleared debts" are indeed being reported properly.

 Pay Your Mortgage and Rent On Time

 

If you managed to keep your house in the bankruptcy process, make sure you do everything in your power to pay your mortgage on time. 

Your mortgage has a bigger impact on your credit than anything else. If you can manage to keep it current, that'll really help your credit score. If you go delinquent on your mortgage, the rest of the techniques in this article won't help all that much. 

If you are still struggling to make mortgage payments call your loan holder and try your best to refinance your mortgage loan. It's possible to refinance a mortgage after bankruptcy. If you are living in a rental PLEASE do yourself a favor and pay your rent on time! Your rental payment history can now be used to boost your credit score. 

Get a Secured Credit Card 

Get a secured credit card as soon as possible to start building up your post-bankruptcy creditworthiness. 

A secured credit card entails you putting down a small deposit, usually between $300 and $1,000, to open a cash-backed account. Your money will be held as collateral. You can then use your card as a credit card. Pay it off every month, on time, to start rebuilding your credit.  

Do your research and make sure that Secure Credit Card payment history is being reported to all three credit reporting agencies. 

Cutting Your Spending 

Having to file bankruptcy means that at some point in your life, you spent more money than you really had. In order to prevent that from happening again, you need to make sure that you're regularly making more money than you're spending. 

Any additional cash you earn can be used to improve your financial situation. It can be used on improving credit, paying off debts that weren't wiped out during bankruptcy, or building savings. 

Start by cutting back on auxiliary spending. Move into a smaller house or apartment if you can. Try to save 10% to 20% of your income every month. There is a whole other blog post on that coming soon. 

Make a Small Installment Purchase 

An installment purchase is treated differently on your credit report than revolving credit (e.g. credit cards). They're treated with more weight. 

An installment purchase includes car loans, home mortgages or even furniture purchases that are paid off in installment form. 

Make sure that any installment purchase you make is reported to all three credit reporting agencies. Getting installment loans and paying them off on time can do a lot for rebuilding your credit. 

Don't misunderstand me here, one loan at a time pay it off and then do another. You are rebuilding your credit worthiness not digging another grave.

If you apply these techniques, your after-bankruptcy credit can improve to the point where you can open new unsecured accounts within 2 or 3 years.

GOOD LUCK! 

The Easiest Way to Remove Bad Items from Your Credit Report

Did you know that it's possible to remove bad items from your credit report? Any inaccurate item showing up on your credit report that's damaging your credit can be removed, otherwise you have the right to sue the credit agency. 

Here's how to remove bad items from your credit report. 

1. Get a Report from All Three Agencies 

The first step is to get a credit report from all three credit reporting agencies. You can get your report once a year for free from annualcreditreport.com

Look through each and every one of your accounts carefully. Is there anything you don't recognize? Anything that's overstated or understated? 

Highlight any suspicious accounts. Note the account numbers and descriptions. 

Some bad items will appear on just one agency's report, while other errors will appear on all your credit reports. 

2, Beginning the Dispute Process 

Look for the dispute address of the credit agency you want to contact. It's usually on their website. Also look at their expected response times and policies for removing items. 

The FCRA states that they must respond within 30 days. If you don't get a response within 30 days, you may be eligible for a lawsuit and the item has to be removed from your credit file. 

Your dispute letter must illustrate exactly why you believe the account is erroneous and it also needs to list the exact account number(s) as it/they appear(s) on the credit report including the account description listed on the report.

MyCreditSystem gives you full access to a DYI Credit Repair / Credit Literacy Program including precise credit dispute letters and instructions for each case scenario to dispute credit report errors and/or remove collections, charge offs, medical collections, bankruptcy, repos, foreclosure, evictions and even student loans,

Be sure to be very clear about what you want them to do. For example, if the account exists but isn't actually delinquent, let them know that you want them to update the status to "Never Delinquent" rather than to remove the item because your credit history can be adversely affected by removing long standing accounts you have paid but have been late on.

3. The Next Steps  

One of three things will happen once you've sent in your dispute letter: 

• They respond and remove the item. In this case, no further action needs to be taken. 

• They respond and say that the item is not an error. They need to also provide documentation stating why this is the case, including the actual credit filing by the creditor.  

Look over the filing. Was this account opened by you? If not, you may have an identity theft and credit fraud issue on your hands. If it was, but is being incorrectly reported, you need to contact the creditor directly to work out the issue. 

• If they don't respond. In this case, you have certain rights, including at times the right to have the items removed or the right to a lawsuit. Consult a lawyer for specific rights in this case or use MyCreditSystem to save thousands of dollars and repair your own credit legally.

The whole process of disputing a report item should take no more than three hours each. Those three hours could result in your ability to open credit cards, your ability to buy a home or your ability to buy a car at much better rates. The choice is yours. Can you rely on someone else to do this for you immediately or are you going to take control of your credit repair timeline. 

The Advantages and Pitfalls of Credit Counseling

Credit counseling services receive a lot of mixed reviews. There are many reputable services, but there are also credit-counseling companies with horrible reputations. Credit counseling is now required before filing for bankruptcy. 

If you’d like help with your debt, be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of using a credit counseling company. 

Positive Features of Credit Counseling 

1. They tend to have more clout with creditors. Some creditors are more willing to negotiate pay-offs and payment plans with credit counselors. You might get a better deal and more breathing room with a credit counseling service.

2.    It’s possible to consolidate your payments. Many firms will consolidate your payments into one payment each month. You’ll be making a payment to the counseling company. Understand that the credit counseling firm must then make all the individual payments for you.

3.     It can be easier to get new credit. As part of your credit counseling, it’s common for new credit to be secured for you. They’ll go out and work to have your credit applications approved.

4.     An end to the harassment. When you’re put on a repayment plan, the debt collectors will leave you alone. Remember that you can do this yourself by simply making a request in writing. 

A reputable and honest credit counseling service can be helpful. There are many potential advantages to utilizing the expert assistance they can provide. But there are also several possible negative consequences. 

Pitfalls of Credit Counseling 

1.     They might not actually pay your bills. There are many complaints every year of credit counseling companies taking your money and then failing to make the agreed-upon payments to your creditors.

2.     They often over-promise. Just like any other company vying for your dollars, sometimes the marketing is a little too good to be true. After the counseling company takes their cut, you might not be any better off.

3.   It can possibly make your credit worse. There is one tactic commonly employed that can have a negative impact on your credit score. The credit counselor may advise you to stop paying on your debt and instead put the payments into an account. 

·   Once a large enough lump sum has been accumulated, the counselor would then approach your creditors with offers to pay off the debt at a reduced amount.

·       During this process your credit will suffer due to the non-payment.

·      The account used to store the money is under the control of the counseling firm. Do you trust them? 

The potential pitfalls are serious. It’s very important to do the necessary legwork to locate a reputable credit counseling service. 

Many consumers believe that a service with non-profit status must be reputable. Understand that being non-profit is primarily about not showing a profit at the end of the year. Paying bonuses and higher salaries can accomplish this feat. 

Ideally, you’ll be able to find a counseling service in your state that you can visit in person. Checking with your state Attorney General is an effective way to see if any complaints or legal action have taken place. Doing an online search is also likely to turn up any negative reviews or complaints. 

Inquire about the services offered and the fees. Ask how the employees are paid. Are they compensated more for signing you up for certain services? Get everything in writing. Verbal promises are likely to be conveniently forgotten. 

Credit counseling can be beneficial or counterproductive to your goals of reducing and eliminating your debt. Find a reputable credit-counseling firm by doing the necessary research. Be sure your financial situation will move in a positive direction. 

If you want to save hundreds or thousands of dollars and make sure your credit is repaired correctly you can do it yourself with a DYI Credit Repair System like MyCreditSystem it gives you access to a complete Financial Literacy Program and all the necessary template letters you will need to successfully fix your credit 

The Basics of Credit Clean Up

Credit can be a fickle thing and if you don’t know much about credit, your credit report or score and how credit works it can seem overwhelming to try and find ways to fix or clean it up.

As overwhelming as credit practices may seem there are ways to clean up your credit and plan for a better financial future with smarter spending and borrowing practices.

There are four main ways to clean up your credit and the more cohesively you use them together the better the result at the end. This article will briefly go through the four areas and how to take part in them. Through your research you are likely to come across more in-depth information that will play a part in working with the information provided here to give you the best results in cleaning up your credit.

The first way to start your journey toward better credit and a higher credit score is to review your credit report for errors, dispute and/or demand that all inaccuracies be removed immediately and any collections or accounts you do not recognize be validated. To do this you need to get all three of your current credit reports and lay them out in front of you. 

Take your time reviewing the credit reports and use different color highlighters to highlight all the accounts that are currently open and have a balance, collection accounts and credit report errors. Some of your the accounts are likely past due, while others may not be. To get a complete look at what you need to pay off, you need to color code and highlight them all. 

Remember NOT to include your monthly living expenses like utilities or rent that may be listed on your credit report. Highlight only the debt you need to get out from under, credit report errors and accounts you want to dispute or that need validation. Once you do that the next step to forming a debt pay off plan for your open accounts is to consider the highest balances or highest interest rates first since these are more harmful to your credit, though the smaller accounts may be easier to pay off. 

Remember, while you are paying off larger debts with larger payments, you must still maintain the minimum payments on monthly accounts and living expenses to keep from worsening your debt.

The next step in the credit cleanup process should be to consider the good accounts you have and work hard to keep them in positive standing. These accounts will help to steady and improve your credit when you get the "bad accounts" paid off or removed from your credit reports through disputes or debt validation. 

When you have paid off or removed "the bad" and past due accounts, you can consider adding a good or small account to keep in good standing, but don’t consider adding anything until you have dug yourself out of the hole you are currently in.

Next, you want to make sure you check over your credit report for errors at least once a year. This can happen by accident or through the presence of identity theft. Either way you need to find it and dispute it in a timely matter. 

Each credit reporting agency has their own dispute policies and procedures. Often times this information will print at the end of your credit report and should be readily available on the agency web sites as well however, never dispute anything on your credit report online. 

Always submit your credit disputes and debt validation requests it in writing via certified mail, return receipt requested so that you have proof of your dispute/debt validation requests so that the credit bureaus are obligated to follow through within the Federal and State Consumer Protection Laws.

When you dispute credit errors online you loose a lot of the protections and safeguards in place that benefit you!

The last and probably most important thing to consider when working to clean up your credit is to form and set up a plan for future financial success. You need to be able to handle money in a smart way and avoid getting back into the same situation or having to work so hard again. To do so you need to learn to live within your means and learn the difference between need and want. This can be especially hard if you’ve become accustomed to a certain standard of living or have friends with a higher standard of living than you can afford. 

You need to be honest with yourself and with others about the life you can currently have, this will help you be about to reach the life you want in the future. Realistic budgeting is a discipline that will take time to master but is essential to good credit and your financial future.

I have learned a lot about personal financial management and how to clean up my credit myselt thanks to   myCredit System - myEcon  membership which includes myCashFlowManager  it has been a game changer that opened the door to better credit and better personal financial management for me and my family. 

Top 10 Ways to Get Your Student Loans Forgiven

With the climbing cost of education, student loan debt is becoming a bigger burden with each graduating class. Luckily, however, there are a few ways to reduce, or even eliminate, your student loan debt. 

Consider these career strategies to shrink your student loan debt: 

1.     Join the military. Serve Uncle Sam and you can eliminate up to 100% of your student loans. The amount of forgiveness depends on the type of student loan and where you’re stationed. If you’re considering joining the military, speak to a recruiter and ask for more information.

2.     Become a nurse. Due to the demand for more nurses, nurses are eligible to receive 100% forgiveness for Federal Perkins Loans. Nurses also enjoy high salaries, especially considering that it only requires two years to learn become a registered nurse.

3.     Work with the disabled. Many organizations offer this student loan forgiveness program. If you provide early intervention services to the disabled, you may qualify for up to 100% forgiveness of your Federal Perkins Loans. 

4.     Become a faculty member at a Tribal university. The government has labeled a few colleges and universities as tribal schools. These primarily serve Native Americans or Alaskan Natives. If you teach at one of these schools, you can have up to 100% of your Perkins Loan forgiven.

5.     Join the Peace Corp as a volunteer. You can have a great experience in a new country, help others, and reduce your student loan debt at the same time. You can earn up to 70% forgiveness of your Federal Perkins Loans.

6.     Join AmeriCorps VISTA. This is similar to the Peace Corp, but serves challenged areas of the U.S. Again, loan forgiveness can be up to 70%. Perhaps not exotic as the Peace Corp, but you can potentially stay close to home.

7.     Become a teacher. There are many places in the U.S. in desperate need of teachers. Most of these areas serve lower-income neighborhoods. Teach for five years and you can eliminate up to $17,500 worth of Federal Stafford loans. However, Plus Loans are not eligible.

8.     Become an educator. This program is much broader than the program aimed solely at teachers, and will forgive up to 100% of Federal Perkins Loans. You can be a speech pathologist, school librarian, staff member at a pre-kindergarten program, or even a teacher. Other professions can also qualify.  

·       Depending on the position, you may have to work for a certain number of years or have an advanced degree.

9.     Become a firefighter. If you’ve considered becoming a firefighter, there’s good news. You can receive up to 100% forgiveness of your Federal Perkins Loans after serving a few years.

10. Become a police officer or corrections officer. The firefighter plan also applies to police officers and corrections officers.

Many career options offer partial or complete student loan forgiveness. There’s a common theme to these programs: you must be providing an important service to those in need. You can gain valuable experience and enjoy the knowledge that you’re helping to improve the lives of others while you get rid of your student loans.

You can also use the DYI Credit Repair Program Template Letters in MyCreditSystem to have most if not all your student loan debt wiped out. 

What to Look for in a Contract with a Credit Repair Agency

Your most important tool against bad credit repair deals is your credit repair contract. Before you sign any kind of contract with a credit repair agency, you need to make sure you're protected.  

Most contracts are written by the credit repair agency and are naturally written more for their benefit than yours. That said, if you know what to look for, you can make sure that everything you need is covered in the contract. 

Here are the most important clauses to look for in any credit repair contract. 

What They're Agreeing to Do 

• The contract should explicitly state exactly what the credit repair agency will do for you. 

For example, they might commit to sending X letters to X agencies to help you remove items from your report. They might agree to follow up with those companies, as well as to advise you on lawsuit opportunities. 

• If you're having them also take on a debt consolidation role, make sure you also cover all your bases there. The agreement should spell out explicitly how the consolidation process is handled and what kind of support you'll have during the process. 

The Cost Structure 

• The contract should contain details on how the program is priced. Any implied verbal guarantees should be written into the paperwork. There should be no additional costs that you don't understand, no fine print with extra fees. 

• Different credit repair agencies charge differently. Some require an upfront fee, others don't. Some charge a percentage of debt and some charge a flat fee. 

• If you're just having the repair agency remove items from your credit report for you, usually the payment will be made in the form of a "per item" fee. For example, an agency might charge $250 for each item they can remove from a credit report. 

Make sure you understand the cost structure and any additional costs before signing the paperwork. 

How Long before You Can Expect Results 

• The contract should have a set duration. Six months to one year is a good period of time for an extensive credit repair project. 

• If a contract doesn't have a set duration, make sure you have a crystal clear cancellation period. After all, if you've seen no results for six months, you want to make sure you can back out and find someone else to help you. 

These are some of the most important things you should look for in a credit repair contract. Before you sign anything, make sure you read over every line and fully comprehend everything you're signing. If the contract accurately represents everything that you talked about verbally and you believe it's a good deal for you, then sign the paperwork.