Before Jim left for a study-abroad program in Australia last
spring, he signed up for another credit card. One more wouldn't
hurt, thought Jim, then a sophomore at Iowa State University. "I
didn't plan on using the card," says Jim. "But Australia was a
blast." The price tag? Over $10,000.
Luckily for Jim and others in his predicament--the average
college student carries $2,400 in credit card debt some schools
are providing credit counseling to their students. Montana State
University in Bozeman, for example, operates Student Advocates
for Financial Education. During a typical session at the busy
office, counselors help students map out a budget, track
expenditures, and find ways to cut back on expenses. "Tuition
has gone up, the cost of living has gone up, and student wages
have not kept pace," says Deborah Haynes, an associate professor
at the school who oversees the program.
Payback. Students up to their ears in debt can also turn to
nonprofit consumer credit counseling firms. These organizations
can work out repayment plans directly with creditors or
consolidate bills into one monthly statement, something
on-campus centers may not be able to do. But be wary of scams.
Credit Counseling should be free or nearly so, and credit card
debt management plans shouldn't cost more than $50 to set up and
$35 in monthly charges, says Travis Plunkett, legislative
director with the Consumer Federation of America.
Back at Iowa State, Jim struggled to make ends meet, barely
affording the monthly minimum charge on four credit cards and a
line of credit. He went to the Financial Counseling Clinic at
Iowa State, which offers to work with creditors to lower
interest rates, but quickly realized he needed a more
disciplined approach. He left school to move in with his parents
in Minnesota and is now taking classes at a local community
college. And he signed up with Lutheran Social Services, a
nonprofit group in Duluth, Minn., that offers consumer credit
counseling and credit card debt management.
Hill is now on a tight budget. Two thirds of what he earns each
month working at a bank goes toward his credit card debt : He
pays $65 to Lutheran Social Services each month--the
organization keeps $5 and disperses the rest to two credit card
companies--and coughs up an additional $420 to pay off his other
cards and the line of credit. "It's a big burden," he says. "But
it's going to be solved."
About the author:
Paras Shah
Email: parassshah@gmail.com
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Bad Credit Debt Consolidation - Consumer Credit Counseling
