You have two issues. What to do about your debts, and how to fix your credit.

For paying the debt, start by seeing what sort of deal you can work out on the medical bills. Tell them your situation and see if they will work out a payment plan with you over a few years. They are usually more flexible as long as you make your payments and don’t play games with them.

Next, with whatever you have left, negotiate with the other creditors and try to get the balance lowered, or if they will also offer a payment plan.

It’s VERY important that you demand they REMOVE any negative information from your credit report. This does NOT mean to put "paid" on your account. It will still show negative information and late payments. This will still ruin your credit if it’s left there. If they will not promise IN WRITING to remove it completely, do not pay the bill. Concentrate your efforts on those creditors who are willing to help you.

As for credit repair….you don’t need a lawyer. You don’t need a credit repair agency. These people do exactly the same things that you can do.

Regardless of who does it, there is no guarantee that any credit item will be removed form your report. There are only two ways it can be done.

Either the creditor removes the item or they fail to respond to a dispute investigation from the credit bureau. If the creditor follows the procedure, there is absolutely no way to remove a negative item, and it will stay on your report for 7 years.

Once you get your report, look it over carefully. Are there records of past due payments you can show you made on time? Are there accounts still listed that have been closed? Worse, is someone else’s account or address listed under your name? One reason to check your report if to see if identity thieves have been opening accounts in your name. If you find any mistakes, write to the reporting agency and ask to have the information corrected. You should get a response within a few weeks; if not, give them a call.

No, this is false. The 7 year reporting period begins with the date of first delinquency and cannot be legally reset under any circumstances..

It’s really tough to have financial problems. Credit is one of you options and i think that is the easiest way for you to cope but know your limitations.

Credit reporting agencies like to see consistency on positive accounts. Try applying for a small dollar amount credit card and use 30% of the credit on the account. Make above minimum payments each month. This is considered a good tactic to help improve credit.
DavidS´s last [type] ..The Law Offices of Michael A Burkhart

Seems like we do have the same problem., Take it easy men, don’t be in a hurry., take time to think., focus on the solution not on the problem..btw, nice post.

It can take years. It will take years to fix. I’m 23 and in the same boat. Try a credit repair company that’s accredited by the Better Business Bureau…..but still stay on top of knowing how much you owe and when the bills are paid. They’ll keep sending the creditor money after the bill is paid off. It’s still your responsibility to know balances, close accounts when they are paid, and increase payment amounts when need be. Good luck!

My advice for fixing credit is to start right away!! It can be overwhelming but start saving and contact the people you owe money and set up a payment plan. Remember patience is key and your doing it to better yourself. Great post!

Dont close your accts. get a loan to put ur bills at zero then pay the loan off after 1 year. Closing your accts will put u back to no credit after a couple of short years. it doesnt take that long to fix it once u only have 1 or 2 bills to pay, or make all your monthly payments and focus one down once that one is at zero bal take the next put the min pmt +how much u were using on the focased one towards that then rince and repete. take your highest one first or the one with highest intrest rate. after a few months of zero bal neg a lower intrest rate. i went from a 558 to 695 and it didnt take long at all.

Having a huge credit card bill is really overwhelming. I suggest you to close your credit accounts and cut up the cards. Sell valuables or liquidate assets that will help you repay your debts. Buy the bare essentials and use the rest of your earnings to pay off your consolidated debts.
Ives@log homes´s last [type] ..Log Cabin Lovers Christmas Ideas

Such a great article giving some great information genuinely explaining some of the key things which you need to be aware of in particular about the part relating to getting some couseling prior to getting life insurance, so many people don’t even consider it.

Such a great article giving some great information genuinely explaining some of the key things which you need to be aware of in particular about the part relating to getting some couseling prior to getting life insurance, so many people don’t even consider it. Some thing that is missing about it.

I have about 10k in debt and really bad credit. About 90% of my debt is medical bills that I could not help because I didn’t have insurance.

Do NOT get a payday loan to fix your credit…they charge excessive interest. That is definitely not what you want to do.

I think the best way to start improving your credit is get down to the basics. Go back and learn basic budgeting, review your income and expenses and see where there are areas that you could spend less. If you can manage to free up some cash, use that to pay off debts, bills, etc. You can also try to collect $300-$500 and get a secured or prepaid credit card that will report your positive payments to the credit bureaus. Whatever you do, don’t fall into the same spending habits. A popular myth is that you have to make a lot of money to avoid situations like this, but as long as you keep your expenses relative to your income, you can improve your credit score successfully. Good luck.