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Are Non-Profit Credit Counseling Agencies for Real?
Many people are in debt, and as much as they want to get out of their situations, they feel as if they have no other choice but to file for bankruptcy. This is a common mistake made by many people, because bankruptcy can be avoided through non-profit credit counseling.
Non-profit credit counseling is the type of counseling that benefits people who are heavily in debt, because they do not have to pay for the service. It is a sort of free help that will enable people to get rid of their debts. There are some credit counseling services that charge a fee, but this is not a practice of non-profit credit counseling.
The people behind non-profit credit counseling are trained to help individuals and entities who are in need. However, there are some companies that claim a non-profit status so that they can claim additional exemptions from the taxes that they file every year. These types of companies even benefit from the different public and private grants that are given out each year. Other companies claim a non-profit status because it helps their business gain more respect from creditors. Apart from this, having a non-profit status gives the company more protection by consumer laws.
As good as non-profit may sound, many companies use the term non-profit as a mask to hide their capitalization intentions. The term is used as a lure to tempt customers to avail of their services, and some of them have hidden paid services that follow the free counseling sessions they offer. But not all non-profit credit counseling agencies are like this. There are actually some that are established to offer genuine help to those who are in need.
To be sure that you are getting genuine free counseling, you can check with the National Foundation for Credit Counseling or the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling, because these organizations are the ones that fund most non-profit credit counseling agencies. To find a legitimate non-profit credit counseling agency, you can check with the local Better Business Bureau. It is your right as a debtor to get information of any kind regarding an agency that you want to work with. Online forums are also places where you can get information regarding a particular agency.
You will know that you are working with a good non-profit credit counseling agency when you see that the agency goes the extra mile to help you. Such an agency will talk to past creditors and negotiate for lower interest rates for you. A budget plan will also be provided for so that you will have better control over your spending.
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