Will the government actually give you money to "get out of debt?" Does it want to "bail you out?" I see a lot of articles and web sites, late-night infomercials, etc.
that suggest that (for a fee) you can find a huge, untapped source of government grants for people in debt trouble.
Well, these are crazy days, so I suppose anything could be possible, but I'd holding on to my money.
Tightly! Okay, is there government money or not? There are obviously government programs supposedly helping everybody do just about anything.
Have you, personally, ever heard of any of them actually helping anybody become independent? Ever heard of any of them making someone rich honestly? I haven't.
But maybe that's just me.
A couple of the headline programs, "cash for clunkers" and mortgage assistance, were far more designed to get you into trouble than out of it, I'm afraid.
Or really, your well-being was strictly a byproduct of the attempt to change statistics to make government look better.
More to bail out GM than you.
And so many people bought cars they didn't need or houses they couldn't afford, and for a couple of months it looked like the economy was "recovering.
" Sorry-that wasn't for your benefit.
Even educational loans, which have helped a lot of people, should be carefully looked at these days.
Don't go back to school just because Uncle Sam will lend you a few bucks off the final tab.
Chances are that's more of a bail out for the school than you.
Take a Longer-term View Make a decision that's good for you rather than government statistics or some industry the politicians happen to like.
If you have a job but are still in debt, consider debt consolidation or debt relief programs.
Some of them will help you reduce your credit card debt (but remember, sometimes these are companies owned or run by the banks themselves).
If you are being harassed or sued for debt, my website can help you fight the debt collectors.
When I say "take the longer-term view" what I mean is to resist the impulse to buy a quick or easy "fix" to a debt problem.
It took a while to get into trouble, and it will take a while to get out of it.
Do the long-term sensible stuff like controlling your extra spending and getting debt relief from the credit card companies.
Know where your dollars are going and make sure you are getting what you pay for.
Look very carefully at anybody trying to sell you a government program.