For your protection, we must verify your identity before providing your credit report. When you order your free report here you begin your free trial membership in Triple Advantage Credit Monitoring. If you don't cancel your membership within the 7 day trial period, you'll be billed $12 each month you continue membership. The offer is not related to the free credit report you're entitled to under Federal law. To obtain that report go to annualcreditreport.com

What is Credit Counseling?

Credit counseling is the professional counseling of those who need to manage their debts, or improve their credit scores, provided by organizations that help consumers make the decisions that will get them out of their difficult financial situation. Good credit counseling will involve careful budgeting and discussions regarding the appropriate managing of money.

The good thing about pursuing credit counseling instead of just figuring things out on your own is that credit counselors know the ins and outs of the credit world. Many of them will do a good job of negotiating lower interest rates for debts, or even arranging to consolidate them for you.

Just make sure that you select a credit counseling company that is legitimate, since there are many dishonest individuals out there who take advantage of people facing financial difficulty.

Do you need credit counseling? The answer to that depends upon you and your financial concerns. But, if you are struggling to pay the minimums on credit cards, are consistently late on bills, are being hounded by collections agencies, or just can't navigate all the rules and regulations of credit management on your own, then credit counseling can certainly do you a lot of good.

By choosing to speak with a credit counselor, you can tackle any of these problems, or all of them, head on, and start yourself back on the road to financial security in no time.