Frequently Asked Questions

Is this like bankruptcy?

Family Budget Counselings debt management program can be best described as a bankruptcy avoidance program. You will be paying all of your debt obligations in full through our program, once your creditors have received and accepted our payment proposals. There is no need on their part to go forward with any further collection activity.

What does the consultation cost?

Our goal at Family Budget Counseling is to get you out of debt. Not to charge you high fees and actually put you deeper in debt. Bottom line there are no enrollment, start up, counseling or application fees.

What is needed for the consultation?

It is necessary for you to provide us with the most accurate balances as possible. If you choose to come into our office to meet with a Credit Counselor it is necessary for you to bring your most recent credit card statements (within the last 30 days), a copy of your latest pay stub and a form of picture identification.

Will the creditor collection calls and letters stop?

We will notify your creditors upon receipt of your first payment. However, you must understand in some cases it does take a bit longer for the Giant Financial institutions to notify each of their departments about your enrollment into our debt management program. Within the first 30 days it is not unusual to receive telephone calls or letters from the creditors you owe. Upon enrollment your Credit Counselor will provide you with the Program Guidelines, which will explain how to handle any future calls if any are received.

Can I still use my credit cards?

The goal of our debt management program is to have you re-gain your financial freedom in the shortest amount of time. All of your accounts enrolled in the program will be closed.

What if my accounts are past due?

One of the many benefits of enrolling in our program is the fact that most of your creditors will re-age your accounts. Simply put, after one or up to three consecutive payments are received from our organization the majority of creditors we deal with will bring the account current. Even if your accounts are with a collection agency or in attorney's hands it is possible to get the accounts re-called back "in house" as a courtesy to our clients.

How do I know my bills are being paid?

You will continue to receive your monthly statements from your creditors. It is not necessary to send them into our office. However, it is imperative to review them to ensure the payments have been posted and any interest rates that should be adjusted, have been adjusted accordingly. After that simply file them away.

How do I Qualify?

We have made the qualification process quick and easy. A Credit Counselor must first perform a full Budget Analysis to determine if your particular case qualifies for a Debt Management Plan (DMP). This process can only begin after you have completed and submitted an application into AFBC. If suitable for a DMP qualify, the enrollment process will begin. Your Credit Counselor will have already calculated a new monthly payment amount. The next step is determining a monthly payment due date. Once this date is agreed upon, your payment should arrive into our payment center on or about the same time each month. Upon receipt of your first payment, A-Family Budget Counseling, Inc. will contact each of your creditors with letters of proposal. After they have accepted the new payment terms interest rates will be *adjusted accordingly and if accounts are past due, many will “re-age” or bring your accounts current. Once accepted, your new monthly payment arrangement will remain the same throughout the duration of the program.

Do Loans Help?

Taking a loan out for the purpose of paying down or paying off debt, is only a temporary solution to a major problem. All too often a "quick fix" loan will result in costing you more money in the long run. Over the years, statistics have shown that 1/3 of people in the United States who take out a loan to pay off debt end up charging their way right back up to where they were in less than two years. Consider the following example. Mr. & Mrs. O. Ver`limit have approximately $10,000 outstanding in credit card bills. During the last few months, they have noticed that the minimum payments they are making are not decreasing the balances at all. The decision is made to apply for a loan in the same amount owed and “wipe out” the debt once and for all. The loan is granted and the debt is paid off. However Mr. & Mrs. O. Ver`limit are in the same financial position as they were prior to applying for the loan with one major difference, all of their credit cards have zero balances. Gradually they begin to use their cards once again. With the minimum payment for the loan coming due each month and the credit card bills starting to “roll in” again, they start the credit card cycle all over. Before too long, they are right back where they started when the loan was originally granted. But this time the total amount owed is nearly doubled. Month after month it gets tougher to stay current with all of the bills coming in. Unfortunately, they are left with few choices in this situation. Most likely the only option at this point would be to seek counsel and look into the possibility of bankruptcy protection. Don't let this happen to you! Click here to fill out an application. There is NO OBLIGATION to enroll.

Why are we Better

Our organization has helped thousands of consumers nationwide. We've even assisted those living outside the United States. To date A-Family Budget Counseling, Inc. has serviced approximately $122,000,000 in unsecured DEBT! In fact, the majority of our clientele has been refereed to us from both consumers and professionals! In December of 2001 we reached a milestone by successfully completing an Accreditation process through BSI, Inc. Established since 1901, BSI, Inc. is known as a worldwide leader in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The Accreditation process included a complete audit of our Quality Management System to ensure our organization was in full compliance with the ISO 9001:2000 standard. We are required as an agency to undergo an annual audit in order to keep our registration active and in good standing. By becoming an Accredited organization it speaks volumes in showing that the service we provide to the public is second to none. A-Family Budget Counseling, Inc. even goes further by educating our clients with a monthly newsletter on various spending practices and money management skills. Furthermore, we take pride in our unblemished track record with the Better Business Bureaus and we are always looking for ways to further improve our services or programs available to consumers. Our Credit Counselors will take their time with you during the application process and ensure that you have full understanding of how the Debt Management Plan works. Our Credit Counseling staff and Customer Service team will work right along side with you in answering any questions or concerns you may have through out the duration of the program. We will NOT stop working for YOU until the goal is reached in becoming DEBT FREE!