American Debt Management

American debt management has saved thousands of Americans from debt. See how American debt management helped Erica.

American Debt Management

Erica's Story

In 2004, Americans racked up more than $8 billion in credit card debt. One of those Americans (we'll call her Erica) decided to go on a cruise with some friends. She put her cruise on one credit card, and it pretty much maxed it out. She knew she'd need to have a credit card on the cruise for drinks, shore excursions, spa treatments, and anything else that might come along, plus she wanted to do a little pre-cruise shopping. Since she maxed out her MasterCard, she opened a new Visa account. She bought some new clothes for the cruise, took advantage of spa treatments on the cruise, booked a shore excursion or two, and of course, bought some drinks on the ship. She also shopped in many of the ports. The Jamaicans loved it when Americans came from cruise ships. "Those Americans spend money. They know nothing of American debt management," they often said.

Before Erica left for the cruise, she was somewhat concerned about the bills she would be facing when she returned. Her friend Stacie saw that she was distressed about something, so she asked her what was wrong. When Erica told Stacie of her concerns, Stacie told her about American debt management. "Let's go to the Internet cafe onboard the ship and take care of this right now. You are on a cruise. You're supposed to relax and have fun, not be stressed." When they got to the Internet cafe, Stacie typed American debt management into an Internet browser. She explained that she had been in a similar situation as Erica a few years ago. Then she heard about American debt management and decided to give it a try. She was three years into her program and had no regrets. "I'm almost debt-free! And I learned budgeting skills and I learned how to save money for goals. In fact, I was able to pay for my cruise before we even left port! And I've learned how to change my spending habits a little, too, because of the credit counseling portion of my American debt management program."

"Wow! And you're getting even more spa treatments than I am! You get to go in the hydrotherapy pool, the aromatherapy showers, the heated, contoured mosaic tile lounge chairs and that cool machine that makes it seem like you've had two hours of sleep!" Erica said. "How does American debt management work, anyway?"

"Well," Stacie began, "it really depends on your personal financial situation. They have different debt management programs for different situations. There are debt consolidation loans, debt consolidation mortgages, debt settlement programs and just basic debt consolidation programs. My American debt management counselor thought debt consolidation was the best option for me."

"How do I start?" Erica asked.

"You can start by filling out some online forms that these companies offer, and they'll get back with you within 24 hours with their recommendations. I'll help you choose a good one."

Within 24 hours, Erica did have those recommendations, and she decided on a debt consolidation company she would go with once she returned from the cruise. From that point on, she was able to relax and enjoy the rest of her cruise. She even hoped that next year she'd be able to go on another one--and have it paid for before she left port, like Stacie did.