Almost every person I know is in one form of debt or another. Whether it’s college tuition debt, credit card debt, or a mortgage, debt seems to define a large portion of our population. It isn’t something that is normally unfixable by sticking to a budget and working extra hard, but there are some times when a person’s debt becomes unbearable. Obviously, it’s best to do something on your own before that time comes.
Granted, getting help with debt or similar financial help can be costly, which is why many people avoid it. Sometimes, it’s hard to tell when it’s absolutely necessary to ask for help. Here are some signs that the money problems you’re in is bigger than you can handle.
- You’re so deep in debt that the minimum payments you have to make are now unaffordable. Clearly, in this situation, something has got to give. In these cases, calling up a bankruptcy lawyer or debt relief agency like Premier Debt Relief may be a good idea. You most likely will not be able to get out of debt without someone negotiating on your behalf at this point.
- You’re facing eviction or foreclosure. If you own the home, you may need to consider a short sale. If you’re facing eviction, you may need to contact an eviction lawyer or terminate the lease early if possible. Either way, you may need debt relief, too.
- Debt collectors are harassing you constantly. If collections agents are threatening you, calling you repeatedly, and lying to you about what they can do, it’s important to remember that you have rights that you should have defended. Contact a lawyer if this happens, because there is a chance that the offending parties may actually owe you money for what they did.
- You feel like you’ve been cheated out of money by a financial institution. Depending on what happened to you, you may need to call a lawyer. Things such as misrepresenting insurance, misrepresenting stocks, or illegal evictions can and should be fought in court. Do not let big banking push you around!
- The IRS is knocking, and they want their money back. Either pay the money (ideal) or hire a lawyer. Seriously, do not mess with the IRS.
- Divorce wrecked you. This happens more to men than it does to women, but if divorce court basically made it impossible to actually make ends meet, you should talk to your divorce lawyer. There may be a way to negotiate alimony and child support in your favor.
- A new addition to the family is making it hard to afford food. Babies are expensive, and many new parents don’t realize how expensive they are until it’s too late. If your income is just not making things work out, you may want to consider talking to a nonprofit, or even applying for welfare. You may be surprised at who qualifies!
- You don’t have the time to handle issues on your own. Groups like ScoreCure actually do the dirty work like cleaning up credit so you don’t have to deal with the tedium. If you don’t have time to do it, just let someone else handle it.
I want to explain something: there’s nothing wrong with asking for help. The sooner you ask for help, the sooner you can get the help you want. What more can we say?
