Before you hand over money to a debt collector, take these steps to protect both your finances and your rights.

Got credit card debt? You aren’t alone. In the second quarter of 2025, total credit card debt in the U.S. reached a record ...

Angelica Leicht is the senior editor for the Managing Your Money section for CBSNews.com, where she writes and edits articles on a range of personal finance topics. Angelica previously held editing ...

Angelica Leicht is the senior editor for the Managing Your Money section for CBSNews.com, where she writes and edits articles on a range of personal finance topics. Angelica previously held editing ...

Let’s say the bills keep stacking up, and your income just isn’t stretching like it used to. You're not spending wildly, you’re just stuck. At some point, you start Googling solutions. And if you’ve ...

For many Americans, debt isn’t just a balance on a screen—it’s a daily weight. In a 2025 survey by financial services company ...

Debt management restructures your debt so you can pay it off. Debt settlement involves some amount of debt forgiveness. If you don't qualify for debt management, debt settlement might work for you.

If you’re drowning beneath a quickly growing credit card balance and wondering how it got this bad, you’re not alone and out of options. Minimum payments barely chip away at the principal. Interest ...