Copyright (c) 2010 Liz Roberts

Most consumers who are financially problematic because of credit card debt or loan payments seek help from trusted credit counseling agencies. This seems to be the most sensible thing to do. However, keep in mind that you should also do our part to make everything work.

Seek the right credit counseling partner. Before seeking credit counseling service, make sure that you are dealing with a legitimate agency. Check if the agency is registered with The National Foundation for Credit Counseling and the Association of Independent Credit Counseling Agencies. Check if it has a good track record of service with the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

Know the truth about your debt problem. Your financial advisor will need to know about your personal finances so be prepared to give honest and straight answers. Your credit history will be reviewed and it's also important that you understand what your credit report reveals about you.

Work with your credit counselor. After a thorough assessment of all your accounts and financial situation, your counselor will help you create a doable debt repayment plan. Part of credit rehabilitation is following the budget plan to make sure that your earnings are properly utilized.

Of course, your debt repayment plan and monthly budget plan will only work if you will stick to it. In order to pay back your creditors, you may need to make some sacrifices such as cutting back on some of your expenses or taking a second job. At first, it may seem like a very difficult task but through self-discipline, hard work, and motivation, you should be able to work towards your goal.

Strive towards your personal financial goals. Aside from helping you create a debt repayment plan, your credit counselor will give you advice on how you can avoid being in the same bad credit situation again. Remember, setting realistic financial goals is crucial.

As soon as you paid off your debts, be sure to start building up your personal savings account and emergency fund. This way, you can be financially prepared when crisis happen. Everyone is encouraged to build-up a cash fund that will be enough to support themselves and their family for at least six months or longer.

Learn from your mistakes. After working on debt repayment and improving your personal credit score, you need to be more alert about protecting your credit. Check your credit report at least twice a year to make sure that there are no errors, false details or inaccurate charges which can affect your score.

If you find errors or false charges, call up the creditor involved to ask for corrections. Follow it up with a formal dispute letter. You should also send a dispute letter to the bureau that issued your credit report to request for an investigation.

Be sure to apply the strategies you've learned from your credit counseling sessions as you try to make your way towards complete debt freedom.