Everything you need to understand debt — in plain English
Downloadable guides, outside articles worth reading, practical tips, and a money plan for during and after your program. Free to read, no sign-up required.
13 of 13 documents — work through them from the top down.
- 01General
The Debt Free Warrior
This guide explains how credit card interest works, how to measure your debt-to-income ratio, and how various debt relief paths compare. It helps you understand your financial standing so you can break the debt cycle and build a plan for your future.
View key points
- Making only minimum credit card payments mostly covers interest and can keep you in debt for decades.
- Track your debt-to-income ratio to see how much of your monthly income goes toward your debts.
- Focusing your extra cash on paying off high-interest balances can help you make progress faster than standard savings.
- Contribute to retirement plans only up to your employer match while you focus remaining funds on tackling your debt.
PDF · 6.6 MB · Sep 16, 2026
- 02Credit & Legal Rights
Your Fair Credit Reporting Act Rights
This guide explains your rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act to help you protect the privacy and accuracy of your credit file. It helps you understand when you can review your reports, dispute errors, and control who sees your information. You can use these facts to stay informed about how consumer reporting agencies handle your records.
View key points
- You have the right to know what is in your file and can get a free credit disclosure once every 12 months.
- If you find errors or incomplete details in your file, reporting agencies must investigate and fix or delete them.
- Agencies usually cannot report negative items older than seven years or bankruptcies older than ten years.
- Employers cannot review your credit report unless you give them written consent to do so.
- You can stop unsolicited prescreened credit and insurance offers by calling 1-888-5-OPTOUT.
PDF · 37 KB · Sep 16, 2026
- 03Debt Collection
Dealing with Debt Collectors
This guide explains your legal protections when debt collectors contact you and helps you recognize abusive collection practices. It helps you manage unwanted calls and understand the rules collection agencies must follow under federal law. You will also discover how to document unlawful actions and submit complaints to government agencies.
View key points
- You can send a written letter telling a collection agency to cease all communications with you.
- Collectors cannot legally call you before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m., or contact you at work if your employer forbids it.
- Keep proof of unlawful behavior by writing down call details, saving records, or having a witness listen in.
- You can submit a formal complaint about collection agency misconduct to the Federal Trade Commission.
PDF · 6.7 MB · Sep 16, 2026
- 04Credit & Legal Rights
Credit Consumer Rights
This document explains your legal rights under federal law when using credit, checking your credit reports, and dealing with debt collectors. It helps you understand how to spot and dispute reporting or billing errors, while protecting you against unfair or discriminatory practices. You can use this guide to learn how credit reporting works and how to handle credit issues properly.
View key points
- You are entitled to a free copy of your credit report every 12 months from each nationwide credit bureau.
- Lenders cannot discriminate against you based on race, sex, age, marital status, religion, or public assistance.
- You have the right to dispute inaccurate or incomplete information on your credit reports and billing statements.
- Debt collectors cannot harass you, lie, or call you before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m.
- Always keep your original financial records and mail only copies when submitting dispute letters.
PDF · 203 KB · Sep 16, 2026
- 05Legal
You Have Received a Summons
This guide explains what happens when a creditor files a lawsuit against you and serves you with a summons and complaint. It helps you understand the legal papers you received, where cases are filed, and how court deadlines work. It also guides you on sending these documents to Client Services so your team can properly track the claim.
View key points
- Send a copy of your summons and complaint to Client Services right away so your team knows about the lawsuit.
- Note the date you were served, as this marks the start of your deadline to file an answer or attend a court hearing.
- Check the summons for details like the court name, case number, and the creditor attorney's contact information.
- You must attend any required hearing, or the creditor may receive a default judgment against you.
PDF · 45 KB · Sep 16, 2026
- 06Legal
You Are Being Sued in Small Claims Court
This guide explains how small claims court works if a creditor decides to sue you over a debt. It helps you understand what legal papers to expect, how hearings are conducted, and your choices for handling the case. With this information, you can decide whether to represent yourself or consult an attorney.
View key points
- Small claims court handles smaller debt amounts and is designed for people to represent themselves without formal rules.
- Court paperwork is usually sent by certified or registered mail with your hearing date, time, and location.
- You must attend your scheduled hearing, or the judge will enter an automatic default judgment against you.
- A written response may be required before the hearing if you have a specific defense or a claim against the creditor.
- If you need an interpreter, contact the court clerk well in advance of your hearing date to ask about the rules.
PDF · 41 KB · Sep 16, 2026
- 07Legal
You Are Being Sued in Civil Court
This document explains what happens when a creditor sues you in civil court to collect a debt. It helps you understand how the court system functions so you can decide whether to hire an attorney or represent yourself. You will also learn the steps needed to respond to the lawsuit and avoid a default judgment.
View key points
- Send a copy of your summons to Client Services right away so your team can treat the creditor's claim as a priority.
- If you choose to defend yourself, you must file a written Answer with the court before the deadline passes.
- You must send a copy of your filed Answer to the plaintiff and follow all court rules for your specific state.
- Look for an ombudsman or legal assistant at your courthouse if you need guidance filling out court paperwork.
- Attend every required court date and conference, because missing one can lead to an automatic judgment against you.
PDF · 42 KB · Sep 16, 2026
- 08Legal
A Creditor Has a Judgment Against You
This document explains what can happen if a creditor wins a court judgment against you, including how bank account freezes and wage garnishments work. It helps people facing collection actions understand their legal protections and options under federal and state rules.
View key points
- Moving your money to a new bank before being sued can help protect your funds from being frozen by a creditor.
- Notify your Program Administrator right away if a creditor freezes funds in your bank account.
- To claim legal exemptions that protect your deposited money, you must notify your bank or the court.
- Federal law caps wage garnishments at 25 percent of your disposable earnings or the amount over 30 times the minimum wage.
- Your employer cannot fire you under federal law simply because your earnings are garnished for one debt.
PDF · 43 KB · Sep 16, 2026
- 09Credit & Legal Rights
Correcting Your Credit Report
This guide helps you check your credit report and fix errors after settling your debts. It explains how to verify that settled accounts show a zero balance and dispute inaccurate information. You will also learn how to submit dispute letters and documentation to credit bureaus and creditors.
View key points
- Check your credit reports from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion to confirm settled accounts reflect a zero balance.
- Dispute errors online or by mail with both the credit reporting agency and the creditor that reported the item.
- Send copies of your settlement letter and payment check to prove your dispute, but always keep the originals.
- Mail dispute letters by certified mail with a return receipt requested so you can track what was delivered.
PDF · 411 KB · Sep 16, 2026
- 10Budgeting Forms
Monthly Budget Worksheet
A two-page printable worksheet that walks you through every dollar of your month: what comes in, what your essentials cost, what you spend by choice, and what your debt payments take. The last section subtracts everything from your income so you can see exactly how much is left over -- or how far short you are -- before deciding what to change.
View key points
- Lists income, essentials, flexible spending, and debt payments in separate sections with room for your own line items
- Ends with a leftover figure so you can see whether your month actually balances
- Flexible spending is the first place to look when the leftover number is negative
- Meant to be filled in fresh each month, using real statement amounts instead of estimates
PDF · 5 KB · Sep 16, 2026
- 11Budgeting Forms
Debt Inventory Worksheet
A worksheet for getting every debt onto a single page: creditor, account, balance, interest rate, minimum payment, and current status, with a separate table for secured debts like a car or home. A second page totals your unsecured balance and minimum payments and gives you space to note contacts, hardship offers, disputes, or court papers for each account.
View key points
- Puts every unsecured and secured balance in one place so nothing is missed
- Captures interest rates and minimum payments, which is what makes comparing options possible
- Notes column tracks creditor contact, hardship offers, disputes, and court paperwork
- Pull the numbers from recent statements, and question in writing any balance you do not recognize
PDF · 6 KB · Sep 16, 2026
- 12Budgeting Forms
30-Day Spending Tracker
A simple daily log for one full month: date, what you spent it on, category, whether it was a need or a want, and the amount. At the end you total needs, wants, and your largest category, which usually reveals money that can be redirected without any real sacrifice.
View key points
- Room to log a full month of purchases, day by day
- Marking each purchase as a need or a want shows where the flexible money actually goes
- Small repeat charges like subscriptions and delivery fees often add up faster than large purchases
- Compare the totals with your budget worksheet -- estimates and reality are rarely the same
PDF · 6 KB · Sep 16, 2026
- 13Budgeting Forms
Savings & Life After Debt Plan
A planning sheet for the money that frees up once the debt payments stop. It moves from a small starter emergency fund to three or six months of essentials, then asks you to name the goals the old payment amount will fund, the guardrails you are setting for yourself, and a twelve-month check-in grid to record savings, balances, and wins.
View key points
- Starts with a $1,000 starter fund, then builds toward three to six months of essential expenses
- Assigns the freed-up payment to named goals with monthly amounts and target dates
- Guardrail section turns good intentions into written rules
- Twelve-month check-in grid keeps the plan honest quarter by quarter
PDF · 5 KB · Sep 16, 2026
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