Table of Contents

	Your Credit Repair Companion	p. 1
	Assess Your Debt Situation	p. 3
	Take Care of Financial Emergencies	p. 4
	Face Your Debt Problems	p. 6
	Understand Your Options for Dealing With Your Debts	p. 6
	Avoid Overspending	p. 23
	Keep Track of Your Daily Expenditures	p. 24
	Total Up Your Income	p. 26
	Make a Budget or Spending Plan	p. 29
	Prevent Future Financial Problems	p. 34
	Handling Existing Debts	p. 37
	Deal With Current (or Not Seriously Overdue) Debts	p. 40
	Use the Form Negotiation Letters Provided in This Book	p. 59
	Deal With Creditors on Past Due Accounts	p. 60
	Deal With Collection Agencies	p. 65
	Tax Consequences of Forgiven Loans	p. 72
	Clean Up Your Credit Report	p. 75
	What Is in a Credit Report?	p. 76
	Get a Copy of Your Credit Report	p. 80
	Review Your Credit Report	p. 84
	Dispute Incomplete and Inaccurate Information	p. 88
	Add Information to Your Report	p. 92
	Information Showing Stability	p. 93
	Explanatory Statements	p. 94
	Avoid Identity Theft	p. 95
	How Creditors and Employers Use Your Credit Report	p. 107
	Who Can Look at Your Credit Report	p. 108
	How Credit Applications Are Evaluated	p. 110
	Building and Maintaining Good Credit	p. 115
	Build Credit in Your Own Name	p. 117
	Ask Creditors to Consider Your Spouse's Credit History	p. 117
	Get Credit Cards and Use Them Wisely	p. 118
	Open Deposit Accounts	p. 130
	Work With Local Merchants	p. 132
	Obtain a Bank Loan	p. 132
	Avoid Credit Repair Clinics	p. 133
	Avoid Credit Discrimination	p. 144
	Appendixes
	Resources	p. 151
	Credit and Debt Counseling Agencies	p. 152
	Debtors Anonymous	p. 155
	Nolo Publications	p. 155
	Other Publications	p. 155
	Online Resources	p. 156
	State Consumer Protection Agencies	p. 157
	Where to Complain About Credit Discrimination	p. 164
	Forms and Letters	p. 165
	How to Use the CD-ROM	p. 247
	Installing the Form Files Onto Your Computer	p. 248
	Using the Word Processing Files to Create Documents	p. 249
	Using the Federal Trade Commission Files	p. 251
	Files on the CD-ROM	p. 252
	Index

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