Credit Repair Through Credit Counseling

Like many other things in life, budgeting is a skill. Some people are

better then others at managing their income and keeping in good

standing in regards to their debts. Almost all of us have some sort of

debt at any given time: a credit card bill, and outstanding loan, or a

mortgage. By managing these debts properly, you will maintain a good

credit rating which will allow you to continue to receive credit in the

future. If you fail to make timely payments towards your loans - or

worse, you let them go in default - you will find yourself stuck with a

poor credit rating, which will rob you of many economic opportunities.

In order engage in credit repair, you must slowly build your credit

rating back up again. One thing that can help you do this is to seek the

help of a credit counselor.

In general, credit counseling is performed by non-profit agencies, and

is not to be confused with for-profit credit repair companies. The latter

should be avoided. Credit repair companies have a reputation for being

scams, especially those ones who advertise online. Even if it doesn't

turn out to be a scam, it's likely that a credit repair company will do

nothing that you can't do yourself: they'll direct you to obtain your

credit report and challenge all negative items on it, and may even

suggest you attempt illegal activities like getting a "new" credit rating

thorough a different address.

In contrast, a credit counseling service will only provide advice, and in

a context that precludes a profit motive. This is the best and most

intelligent way to engage in credit repair. To deny that rebuilding your

credit rating will be a long process requiring time and discipline is to do

yourself a disservice, and a credit counselor will help you make the

long term plans and decisions you need to in order to engage in

effective credit repair.

Most good credit counseling organizations will provide you with advice

and workshops, as well as educational materials. They will help you

learn to both make and stick to a budget, which over the long term will

be extremely beneficial to your credit rating. They will also be able to

provide you with one-on-one counseling, so you can examine and

learn to make good economic decisions based on your particular credit

experience.

The problem with credit repair companies - and the reason you should

be suspicious of them - is that they propose a quick, one size fits all

solution. Anyone who claims they can quickly fix your credit without

knowing anything about the situation is not being truthful. A credit

councilor can be crucial in providing exactly the kind of particular

attention that a credit repair company will avoid.

Most importantly, if you engage in credit repair by using a councilor,

your solutions will be more long term, because you will be learning how

to manage your budget more effectively, and making permanent

changes to your spending habits. This is far preferable to paying a

credit repair company that promises a quick solution that is of no

educational value to you.