MANAGING YOUR DEBT

 Some additional helpful tips:

Don't apply for more than one or two credit cards at a time. Each inquiry about your credit is included in your credit report. If too many credit grantors inquire at once, they'll all be suspicious of your intentions.

Make sure the low rate applies to balance transfers.

BankRate.com

THIS WEBSITE IS FOR RESIDENTS OF THE STATE OF ALABAMA ONLY 

ABOUT US

Consumer Financial Education Foundation of America, Inc., (CFEFA) is a nonprofit corporation organized under the laws of the State of Alabama with an independent, non-compensated board of directors (see list of members below), the majority of which do not directly or indirectly benefit financially from the outcome of CFEFA's counseling services. CFEFA does not accept or pay any type of referral fees for the referral of debtors. We are also a classified as a public charity under section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.  We are a member of the Better Business Bureau.

The Bankruptcy Administrators of the state of Alabama have reviewed and approved both CFEFA's credit counseling services and its personal financial management instruction services under 11 USC 111(d). The Executive Office of the United States Trustee (EOUST) has reviewed and approved CFEFA's personal financial management home study course. The United States Trustee has not reviewed or approved any other services that CFEFA provides. Approval to issue certificates in compliance with the Bankruptcy Code by the EOUST or Administrators does not endorse or assure the quality of an Agency's services.

CFEFA's services are offered in English only at this time.If you would need  credit counseling or debtor education in another language, we will be happy to refer you to an approved agency for that language.

Clients are in no way entering into a financial contract with CFEFA and do not make any contractual payments to CFEFA. Counselors may answer general questions concerning bankruptcy, the agency does not provide legal or tax advice. If legal or tax advice is needed, the client must seek assistance from an attorney or tax professional.

Funding sources and costs:

CFEFA's funding sources include the fees paid by clients and grants received from . We do not accept "fair share" payments from any credit card companies whatsoever. The cost for our services is $35.00 and how such costs may be paid or waived are found on our web site under "Fees", which is the next step you will take as you proceed to counseling with us.

Counselor qualifications:

All counselors have been certified by the National Institute for Financial Education. In addition, counselors receive no commissions or bonuses based on the outcome of the counseling services provided by our agency. The counselors have adequate experience and have been adequately trained to provide counseling services to individuals in financial difficulty. The counselors provide briefings, budget analysis and credit counseling services to clients that include an outline of available counseling opportunities to resolve a client's credit problems, an analysis of the client's current financial condition, discussion of the factors that caused such financial condition and assistance in developing a plan to respond to the client's problems without incurring negative amortization of debt.

Negotiating an alternative payment schedule:

The client may be able to negotiate an alternative payment schedule in regards to each unsecured consumer debt under terms as set forth in 11 USC 502(k). This section of the bankruptcy code grants rights for individuals who have negotiated a debt repayment plan on unsecured consumer debts before filing a bankruptcy case. CFEFA does NOT offer such plans but can refer you to an approved agency that does upon your request. Other agencies may charge additional fees for this type of service.

 CFEFA provides certificates promptly upon the completion of counseling services or debtor education, within one business day for certificates of credit counseling and three business days for the personal financial management course.

CFEFA was created to provide individuals with practical money-management skills and an introduction to financial planning through course work that covers the fundamentals of money management.  We believe that financial education is the springboard towards financial independence.