Deal with Your Debt: Free Yourself from What You Owe, Updated and Revised

Introduction

If you’re picking up this book, you’re probably concerned about your debts.

If so, you’re in good company. Half of the people surveyed in a recent Harris poll said they were living paycheck to paycheck, which makes it hard to pay down debt or save for the future. One out of four people in a 2011 survey said they were worried about paying the minimums on their credit cards. The Federal Reserve reports that one out of seven families has debt payments that eat up 40% or more of their incomes—a level of debt the feds say is an indicator of “financial distress.”

Some people have good reason to worry. They’ve maxed out their credit cards, or struggle with an unaffordable mortgage, or face repossession of their car. They may have student ...