If you are considering entering credit counseling, you should congratulate yourself for taking a positive step to change your life. By committing to a credit counseling program, you have the opportunity to stop the stress of trying to manage multiple credit accounts on your own and take control of your life again. With most credit counseling agencies, you will be able to get out of debt faster and pay less money than if you continued to try to manage your debt on your own.

When it comes to choosing a credit counseling agency to help you, there are more choices than there have ever been. It pays to be very cautious during this process, since some agencies are more interested in taking your money than actually helping you. The following will provide you with some helpful information while you are looking for just the right agency to help you manage your debt.

Look for a Non-Profit Agency

By choosing a non-profit over a for-profit credit counseling service, you can be assured that the company has your own best interests at heart and not their own. However, you should be aware that non-profit does not mean that the services will be free.

Check Memberships and Accreditations

If an agency lists that it is a member of the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies (AICCCA) or the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC), this is a good indication that they are highly reputable. Both of these groups hold the agencies it certifies accountable to produce very tangible results in addition to requiring that all financial counselors in their organizations have the proper certification.

Another sign of a stable credit counseling agency is ISO 9001 certification or Council on Accreditation (COA) certification. Both the AICCCA and the NFCC require that agencies they accredit have at least one of the certifications.

When you first speak to a counselor on the phone, ask if he or she has certification from the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education (AFCPE). This is further indication that the counselor is well-qualified to help you. Also, don't be afraid to ask the counselor if he or she receives any financial incentives for signing up new clients. If the answer is yes, you should look elsewhere for debt relief.

Fees

You should not be expected to pay more than $50 a month to participate in a debt management program.