A Timeline for a Hospital Bill You Can't Pay
A week-by-week plan for a hospital bill you cannot afford: checking for errors, applying for charity care, payment plans and handling collectors.
What Is a Matched Savings Program and How Does It Work?
Matched savings programs add money to every dollar a low-income saver deposits. Learn how IDAs, match rates, caps and eligibility rules work.
Getting Started With Debt Settlement
How for-profit debt settlement works, which federal rules limit its fees, and the risks to your credit, wallet and taxes before you sign anything.
After You Pay Off a Payday Loan: A Checklist
Paid off your payday loan? Follow this checklist: get proof of payoff, cancel ACH authorizations, fix credit report errors, and start a small buffer.
Re-Aging, Pay-for-Delete and Other Credit Terms to Know
What re-aging, debt parking, pay-for-delete and tradelines really mean, how to dispute actual errors, and which credit repair promises to distrust.
Tapping Your Emergency Savings? What to Check First
A checklist for deciding whether a bill justifies dipping into your emergency fund, taking out only what you need, and refilling it quickly.
How to Make a Debt Collector Stop Calling You
How to ask a debt collector to stop contacting you under the FDCPA, why to put the request in writing, and what a collector can still do afterward.
The Real Cost of a $500 Emergency Without Savings
What a $500 emergency really costs when paid by payday loan, title loan, app, overdraft or credit card, and how a small savings cushion changes the math.
Before You Sign a Payday Loan Agreement: A Checklist
A signing-day checklist for payday loan contracts: fees in dollars, due dates, renewal terms, federal disclosures and lender licensing to verify first.
Can I Get Help Paying My Phone or Internet Bill?
Lifeline can cut up to $9.25 off your monthly phone or internet bill, or $34.25 on Tribal lands. Learn who qualifies, what to submit and how to avoid scams.