A few weeks ago, I discussed How Debt Settlement Works, and today I wanted to talk about another debt related topic – debt management programs or debt management plans.

A debt management program is similar to debt settlement in that you pay a third party who will, after taking their fee, pay your creditors. You are still responsible for your debts but the third party will help you stay disciplined in keeping your obligations. However, that’s where the similarities between the two differ.

A debt management programs or plans may be able to help you negotiate for lower interest rates on your debts, get your late fees waived or reduced, work out a payment schedule, and potentially consolidate your various monthly payments into one payment. Like debt settlement, these programs are not cheap and some places will charge you a lot in fees. The goal with a debt management program

Everything I’ve ever read about debt settlement has been extremely negative and, for the most part, ugly. It’s because debt settlement is designed for people in very dire circumstances.

A friend of mine recently got into the debt settlement business since he was working with a lot of individuals in weak financial situations. We spent the better part of three hours discussing how debt settlement worked, why debt settlement made sense to some people, and why the business had such a bad reputation. My friend is a stand-up guy, I trust him, and so it was refreshing to hear about the business, warts and all.

In this Foundation series article, I hope to pass on some of that knowledge to you.