Over the lunch hour today I was invited to speak to a group of employees at the Brant County Health Unit here in Brantford. Many large employers often hold “lunch and learn” sessions where guest speakers discuss topical issues. Even if we are not experiencing financial problems ourselves, we often know others who have money problems, so I was asked to discuss strategies for dealing with debt problems.
I started by describing the typical person I help here in Brantford. I explained that often bad things happen to good people, and as a result of job loss, marriage break up, medical condition, or bad money management people use credit to survive and end up with more debt than they can handle.
We then talked about solutions to debt problems, including personal budgeting, debt consolidation, credit counselling, consumer proposals, and bankruptcy.
The group then had lots of questions about different ways to deal with debt, and they also had many questions about credit reports.
Regarding credit reports, I recommended getting a free copy of your credit report each year to ensure that all information is correct. (You can get a free copy from the Equifax web site).
I closed by reminding everyone that financial problems occur frequently, so if you know of anyone experiencing debt problems, help is available by calling my office in Brantford at 519-770-4440, or e-mailing me to set up a free initial consultation.
