What are the differences between Debt Settlement and Credit Counseling?
The most important difference between these two programs is that with Credit Counseling, you pay back all of the debt balances, plus interest and fees, whereas with Debt Settlement, you pay back only a portion of your debt load. That’s why Debt Settlement is a much faster path to debt freedom (2-3 years) than Credit Counseling (3-5 years). This means a lot less money out of your pocket is used through the Debt Settlement approach. Another key difference is that your Debt Settlement firm works solely for you, the consumer, and receives no compensation directly from the creditors. In other words, your Debt Settlement firm is truly on your side. With a Credit Counseling agency, there is a dual relationship, where part of their income comes from the client and the majority of it comes from kickbacks paid by the creditors. This creates a built-in conflict of interest and creates doubt as to whose side the agency is really on. Also, Debt Settlement provides much more flexibility than Credit
