This
page has links to organizations that will assist with financial problems: They
offer:
- credit counseling
- the opportunity to help you eliminate past due balances
- financial guidence
- the road to economic independence
- FREE tax filing
- link to the FDCPA
Links - where available - are highlighted in yellow
Amerix
There are also credit counseling services that don't charge set up fees. Amerix
is one
and is worth checking into for those who have at least $4000 in debt, including
personal
loans and medical bills
CL&P NUSTART (No website
available)
[Connecticut] The CL&P NUSTART payment incentive program is designed
to help low
and fixed-income CL&P customers maintain year-round electric service.
Through NUSTART,
customers can reduce -- and even eliminate --their past-due balance if they pay
an
agreed-upon budgeted amount on time, each month. Need more information?
Call CL&P's NUSTART team at 1-800-286-5844.
Count Me In
Count Me In champions the cause for women's economic independence by providing
access to business loans, consultation and education.
Debtors Anonymous
Debtors Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience,
strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and
help
others to recover from compulsive debting.
Don't Borrow Trouble
[Minnesota]
The DON'T BORROW TROUBLE Minnesota Campaign is a public education
initiative aimed at stopping predatory lending practices in the Twin Cities
seven-county
metropolitan area. The Campaign seeks to educate families and individuals about
how
to avoid predatory lending scams and about available community resources.
The DON'T BORROW TROUBLE help line has been established at
612.312.2020 to offer families a safe place to call before they sign
anything that puts their home at risk.
Free File
The IRS is offering free tax preparation and electronic filing for low-income
filers
through a partnership with the Free File Alliance. You do NOT have to be
eligible
for earned income credit, and income guidelines are generous. Be sure to link
to
service providers through the IRS site, otherwise you may not get the free
offer.
In Over Your Head—Life-Saving
Strategies for Financial Crisis
Unemployment, illness, family problems, and careless spending, as well as other
issues,
can be reasons for not being able to pay your bills. As unpaid bills mount up,
the
total amount of your debt can overwhelm you. You may have to take some
lifesaving
financial actions. This bulletin helps you understand your options.
Intuit Tax Freedom Project
Intuit Financial Freedom Foundation is pleased to offer free online tax
preparation
and filing to hard working Americans and their families who have an adjusted
gross
income (AGI) of $27,000 or less, or who are eligible to claim the federal
Earned
Income Tax Credit (EITC) using Intuit's TurboTax® for the Web(SM) service.
Money Management
International
Money Management International (MMI) is a nonprofit, community service
organization
that provides professional financial guidance, counseling, community-wide
educational
programs and debt management assistance to consumers
Money Saving Advice
Lots of helpful information on how to make your dollars stretch and get more
for your
hard earned income.
Onepay credit counseling agency
Founded in 1994 as a not-for-profit
organization, Myvesta provided advanced state-of-the-art solutions for people
suffering with financial troubles. Sadly, changes in the regulatory environment
in the United States
made it impractical to continue to be able to offer this needed hands-on
assistance and expertise. But our committment to providing consumers with
educational and self-help materials produced by an independent voice remains
unchanged.
Tax Credit Resources
A web site that provides detailed information about
federal and some state tax credits, particularly those that can be claimed by
persons with low-to-moderate income. The primary focus of the web
site is on the United States federal government's Earned Income Credit
(EIC), which is also known as the Earned Income Tax Credit
(EITC). The EIC is one of the U.S. government's most important
work promotion and anti-poverty programs. In practical terms, this web site
explains: what is the EIC; eligibility requirements; how to claim the EIC on
your federal tax return; where to find the right tax return forms; and answers
to commonly asked questions..
THE FAIR DEBT COLLECTION PRACTICES ACT
To amend the Consumer Credit Protection Act to
prohibit abusive practices by debt collectors.
Know YOUR RIGHTS as a consumer!
United Capital Mortgage Assistance
Behind on mortgage payments? Stop foreclosure - get
caught up and back on track with your mortgage. If you are two or more months
behind on mortgage payments and can afford your home, United Capital Mortgage
Assistance may be able to help you stop foreclosure and help you keep your
home.
Volunteer Income Tax
Assistance (VITA) program
The VITA Program offers free tax help to low- to
moderate-income ($38,000 and below) people who cannot prepare their own tax
returns. Volunteers sponsored by various organizations receive training to help
prepare basic tax returns in communities across the country. VITA sites are
generally located at community and neighborhood centers, libraries, schools,
shopping malls, and other convenient locations. Most locations also offer free
electronic filing. To locate the nearest VITA site, call 1-800-829-1040.
State
Attorney General
Typical powers of the Attorneys General, while varying from one jurisdiction to
the next due to statutory and constitutional mandates, now include the
authority to: institute civil suits; represent state agencies; defend and/or
challenge the constitutionality of legislative or administrative actions;
enforce open meetings and records laws; revoke corporate charters; enforce
antitrust prohibitions against monopolistic enterprises; enforce air, water
pollution, and hazardous waste laws; in a majority of states, handle criminal
appeals and serious state-wide criminal prosecutions; intervene in public
utility rate cases; and enforce the provisions of charitable trusts. Click the link above to find and contact your state attorney
general.
