Welcome to Real Life Debt.com

An inability to manage credit, growing debt and bankruptcy are all growing problems in the United States, and throughout the Western world. On an average day, over 8,000 people file bankruptcy in the United States.

The economy might be improving according to economists, but there are still all too many people who haven't had a good job in years, have been trying to manage their rising debt with credit cards and loans, and are sliding slowly and unpleasantly into bankruptcy or worse. Even more to the point, financial laws and even the way checks are processed in the United States, keep changing. Don't know what I'm talking about? Then you need to read up on Check 21 and learn why you can no longer count on the 'float' in your checking account.

Avoiding these problems is what Real Life Debt.com is all about: it's a resource site that's dedicated to helping you learn about your options with credit card debt, debt management, debt counseling, privacy, dealing with collection agencies, deciding about bankruptcy (and the different types of bankruptcy), and more.

Just as importantly, this Web site has lots of real-life notes from people like you who have found it difficult to manage their finances and have had problems matching their income to their expenses. Some of them have declared bankruptcy and talk about their experiences, and others are still in the midst of negotiating with collection agencies, working with debt management and consolidation organizations, or even talking with lawyers and hoping for the best.

We can't offer you personal advice, but we hope that you'll find Real Life Debt.com an excellent resource for understanding and tackling your own financial issues.

Finally, please note that the materials on this site are all from the United States government: to learn more about specific topics see the Source link on each page, or use the Resources link.

Credit Cards

Learn more about credit card debt, how to work with credit card companies to manage your own debt, and options you have if you are over your head: Dealing with credit card debt.

Day Trading Scams

Hearing more about "systems" for day trading, where you can be virtually guaranteed to beat the stock market, with a huge upside and virtually no downside? Don't believe it. Instead, read all about day trading scams.

Debit Cards

An alternative to credit cards, many people believe that debit cards are hassle-free and without risk, but if you have one, you need to learn all about debit cards.

Payday Loans

They seem like a good idea, but whether they're called payday loans, cash advances, cash til payday loans or even quick loans, they're not as good an idea as they seem. Find out the reality of these loans by reading our page on payday loans, cash advances and instant money.

Tax Scams and other Tax Issues

If you're trying to manage your personal finances, you're probably looking closely at how much you pay in taxes and seeking solutions to help you minimize your tax bill with the IRS. All well and good, but if you're not careful your tax breaks could in fact be tax scams according to the IRS. You shouldn't miss common IRS tax scams. Not only that, if you have filed your tax returns and just realized that you have a problem with your 1040, our page on fixing common 1040 mistakes could prove tremendously useful.

Mortgages and Home Loans

Whether you're having financial problems or not, your home loan is likely to be your biggest single debt. It might well be time to spend a few minutes making sure your mortgage is clear and matches your payment needs. Learn more at Looking for the Best Mortgage. And don't forget to read up mortgage and home loan refinancing if you already own your house.

Home Equity Loans and Why You Should be Very Cautious

It seems like such a great idea: you've built up equity in your home and you're in a tight situation financially, so why not just use your home as equity in a loan? You'll definitely want to read all about our home equity loan article before you take your next step.

Credit Reports

Your credit report is the blueprint of your financial history and it's a critically important that you keep it completely up-to-date and accurate. And you don't necessarily need to pay someone to help you out: Fixing your credit report.

Privacy

Do you know what information sales people, merchants, banks and creditors can ask of you legally? Perhaps there's no more critical information to glean from this site than these tips on general and online privacy.

Identity Theft

It's possible you could end up in debt because of someone swiping your credit card information or other elements of your identity. Known as "identity theft", you should take a few minutes to read these key steps you can take to avoid identity theft.

Credit Counseling

If you've tried time and again to manage and fix your own credit, but you just haven't succeeded, you're lucky! There are many reputable, professional credit counseling firms that can help you, but don't be scammed: Debt counseling overview.

Bankruptcy

When things go too far sometimes the best way back out is to declare bankruptcy. But it's important to understand the nuances of law and liability, so it's well worth reading: the bankruptcy law overview.

Debt Collection / Collection Agencies

If you do find yourself in debt you might have some collection agencies beginning to harass you. If so, it's very important for you to be an informed consumer regarding what they can and cannot do legally, as detiled in this essay on fair debt collection practices.

Resources

There's more information online -- true and otherwise -- than you could read in a week, so here are some of the best online resources we could find in our own explorations: Debt, credit and bankruptcy resources online.