Secured Debt

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Risks and Rewards of Secured Debt

The landscape of overextended personal debt is often divided into two distinct territories: unsecured obligations like credit cards and the more peril...

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Choosing the Right Credit Card

Navigating the vast landscape of credit card offers can feel like a daunting task, yet selecting the right one is a fundamental act of financial self-...

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Managing Utility and Service Debt

The crisis of overextended personal debt often brings to mind maxed-out credit cards and overwhelming loan payments, yet a deeply consequential and st...

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Managing Debt in the Golden Years

Entering one’s fifties and beyond, the specter of overextended personal debt shifts from a financial challenge to a profound threat to one’s entir...

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Finding the Right Financial Hardship Program

The reality of overextended personal debt is a landscape of profound anxiety, where monthly obligations eclipse income and the future feels foreclosed...

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Calculating Your Net Worth

The relationship between overextended personal debt and net worth calculation is a stark exercise in financial reality, revealing a sobering truth tha...

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  • Income Shock ·
  • Financial Hardship Programs ·
  • 30s ·
  • Healthcare Debt ·
  • 40s ·
  • Conscious Spending ·


FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

We have a strong preference for the current state of affairs. Even a problematic financial routine is familiar and requires less mental energy than creating and adhering to a new budget. This inertia keeps people trapped in cycles of spending and debt.

The FICO scoring model, the most widely used, calculates your score based on these five categories: Payment History (35%), Amounts Owed (30%), Length of Credit History (15%), Credit Mix (10%), and New Credit (10%).

The safest strategy is to let your credit mix develop naturally over time. As you financially recover and have a genuine need for a specific loan (e.g., an auto loan for a necessary car, a mortgage for a home), your mix will improve organically.

Use agencies approved by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) or the Financial Counseling Association of America (FCAA). Avoid debt settlement companies that charge high fees and make unrealistic promises.

It locks you into a higher cost of living. You become dependent on your current income level to maintain your lifestyle, making it difficult to take career risks, start a business, or weather a job loss without severe financial strain.