Stop Struggling To Pay Your Debt And Start Living Again

Get Debt Relief Without Filing Bankruptcy...
Consider Credit Card Debt Settlement, Working with an Honest and Reputable Company, Whose Number One Goal is Your Freedom From Debt 

If you're like so many others, chances are you find yourself staying  awake at night trying to figure out how obtain debt relief so that you can pay your bills, and still be able to put food on the table for yourself and your family. Well, I've got some very good news for you. There are options available so that you can reduce your debt by as much as 65% and avoid bankruptcy. As a matter of fact, there's a very good chance that you're eligible to save thousands of dollars on the amount of money you owe.

Over the past several years I've successfully helped hundreds of people across the country satisfactorily resolve their outstanding debt through Credit Card Debt Settlement. This has resulted in a "win-win" situation for these individuals, as well as their various creditors (this could be you and your creditors very soon). In addition to relieving themselves of so much debt and  many sleepless nights, our clients take comfort in knowing that we are an honest company, and our fee is based on performance, so our clients aren't required to pay for results until they see results. That's right - our fee is based on performance, so you don't pay until Donaldson Williams, Inc.  has reached a satisfactory settlement agreement with your creditors.

Congratulations on taking the first steps toward finding the best solution that's right for you. Below are a few options that you may want to consider to help you get out of debt and finally breathe a sigh of relief. If you think that debt negotiation may be the right choice for you, it may be time to request a free consultation  . As a matter of fact, I'm more than happy to make myself available for evening consultations, as well, because I know bad things happen to good people and I'm here to put your mind at ease.

S. Marie Megge
Donaldson Williams, Inc.

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These are your options:

Debt Consolidation Loan

While debt consolidation is certainly an option, be very   careful   before entering into a legal binding agreement with a potential creditor. You see, the interest rate may be extremely high, depending on your credit score and the amount of debt you owe. Also, keep in mind that you will still be in debt; you'll just owe the money to a different source.

Consumer Credit Counseling

Many consumer credit counseling agencies are nonprofit organizations that are funded as a result of contributions made by creditors. These agencies can usually negotiate with your creditors to get an interest rate reduction, but you will still owe the entire balance on your accounts. Once you agree to have the credit counseling service represent you, you'll make a single monthly payment to the consumer credit counseling service. These funds will then be distributed to your various creditors. Depending on the amount of debt you owe and the amount of the monthly payment you make, this could take several years.

Bankruptcy

Some individuals simply don't have a choice, but most people resort to bankruptcy in only the most severe cases because even considering this option can be (understandably) quite intimidating. Additionally, a bankruptcy filing can remain on one's credit report for up to ten years; this is why many people look at bankruptcy alternatives. Also, since October 2005 the new bankruptcy law went into effect and the landscape has changed for those who are considering bankruptcy. Some filers with higher incomes won't be allowed to file Chapter 7, but will instead have to repay at least some of their debt under Chapter 13. All debtors will be required to get credit counseling before they can file a bankruptcy case. Additional counseling on budgeting and debt management may also be required before their debts can be wiped out.

Sit Back and Relax

If you're like most people, you probably won't be choosing this route. You see, if you're employed or have any assets there's nothing to prevent a creditor from pursuing legal action. Unfortunately, this could result in a judgment being filed against you. A judgment may mean you'll face garnishment of wages and/or seizing funds from your personal bank account. If, however, you are not employed and have no assets you're "judgment proof" and really have nothing to lose. But, if your situation changes at some point in the future, your creditors will likely continue their harassment. Also, you'll have a tough time getting credit for a car or a home as long as you have open balances on your credit report.

Credit Card Debt Settlement

Credit Card Debt settlement, if handled properly and professionally, is a process whereby most creditors will agree to accept less than the full balance to settle outstanding debt on a particular card. This has proven to be an excellent solution for many people and may be all you really need in order to get back on your feet again. The key to successfully eliminating your debt through this form of debt relief is finding an honest debt settlement company.

Donaldson Williams, Inc. has assisted many people and we'll be more than happy to talk with you further about the options that may be available to you. Please keep in mind that by contacting our office you will not be faced with a pushy salesman; you'll simply receive the absolute truth regarding your own personal situation. Feel free to either give us a call, send an e-mail or simply complete our Consultation Request Form for a No-Obligation Free Consultation.You'll be glad you you made the decision to contact our office. As a matter of fact you'll very likely be pleasantly surprised by the helpful, compassionate and genuinely truthful answers you'll receive when you and I speak.

Would Negotiating Agreements For Less Than The Full Balance With Your Creditors Help You Get Back On Solid Ground?

Is Debt NegotiationThe Right Choice For You?

For many people, debt negotiation has been proven to be the answer to their financial problems.  A reduction of 40-75% of the money you owe your creditors may be the answer for you too. If your debt is unsecured, such as credit cards, medical bills, department store debt, signature loans and lines of credit, then it is quite likely  that you may be eligible for a significant reduction of debt through debt negotiation. Still not sure? No problem - we're here to help, and I encourage you to explore more of our website for information regarding the process of  negotiating  your debt.

You may also be wondering if you can attempt this yourself, and the answer is yes, of course. But as one of my clients put it best "If I decided to spend a weekend sailing I wouldn't spend months of my time to learn the ins and outs just for one weekend; I'd hire a professional to do the job for me." That's why he decided to place his debt settlement into the hands of a professional. If you lack time, knowledge or both, attempting debt settlement on your own is a ticket to disaster.

Below are some important facts to consider before attempting debt settlement on your own:  

• Knowing the proper contacts often results in the best settlements.  I can’t stress enough the fact that when our office is ready to reach a negotiated settlement with a creditor, the first thing we do is call our main contact so that we reach the lowest possible settlement available. Even if you’ve done your homework it’s not likely that you’ll reach the right person at just the right time; as a matter of fact there’s a good chance that you’ll end up with an uncooperative individual, not at all interested in assisting you with your debt. 
  
    
• Be prepared for resistance from creditors and collection agencies when settling your debt.  You can’t expect your creditors to write off thousands of dollars of debt without a battle; therefore, you’ll need to have that special “fight” in you in order to walk away from the negotiations successfully. 
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• Each creditor, collection agency and collection law firm has different policies and guidelines  . Sometimes it might just take a few phone calls with one bill collector to successfully settle your debt, but when dealing with a different collector – with different guidelines – these same tactics simply won’t work. In fact, mentioning the word “settlement” could potentially trigger a lawsuit with some creditors.
  
    
• Many creditors will threaten to file a lawsuit.  While we’ve found that it’s a common practice to threaten lawsuits, sometimes creditors do in fact follow through with this threat. The problem then becomes whether or not you’ll know if that particular creditor does routinely file lawsuits on delinquent debt. Our advantage is that we’re familiar with creditors’ “methods of operation” and, therefore, we can better determine the likelihood of litigation.
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• What will you do if one of your accounts ends up with a law firm?  This doesn’t automatically mean that you’ll be sued. I’ve successfully settled many delinquent accounts directly with these law firms over the past several years. You just need to be confident and equipped with the proper tools to approach a law firm to settle your debt.
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• What actually constitutes a good settlement?  You see, some creditors won’t budge, and insist on collecting at least 50% of your account balance. Other creditors, however, may accept as little as 25% of the balance; you’ll need to know when you should accept an offer, and when it’s better to hold out for a lesser settlement amount. 
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• At certain stages of delinquency it’s best to not contact your creditors to negotiate settlements  . You’ll need to know when to contact each of your creditors to discuss settlement. As stated previously, each creditor has different policies, and sometimes people miss out on a wonderful settlement opportunity and end up getting sued simply because they didn’t contact the right person at just the right moment.-
  
    
• Is it best to settle your delinquent debt with the original creditor, or would it be beneficial to wait until the account ends up with a collection agency?  Some creditors can be extremely difficult, and in these instances it’s best to wait until the account ends up with a collection agency. You don’t always want to do this, however; we purposefully settle accounts directly with some creditors, but wait until some creditor accounts are outsourced to collection agencies. Again, it’s a matter of knowing when, why, who and how.
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• Is it possible to settle liens and/or judgments?  Just about all things are possible, but your strategy will need to be different than if you were negotiating a settlement on an outstanding debt that had not been converted to a judgment. Additional steps are also necessary to ensure that the law firm files the proper documentation with the courthouse after the settlement has taken place.    

Please keep in mind that many professional debt settlement companies have been building relationships with your creditors for years; we know who we need to talk to to get the best results. We also know when we need to approach your creditors and begin negotiations. It's also important to know that each and every creditor, collection agency and law firm has different policies and procedures; we know exactly what those are, and we play our hand accordingly.

Remember, financial difficulties have caused many people to suffer physical health conditions, relationship problems and negative psychological effects, such as depression. Don't become a statistic - get the help you need now so that you'll get your life back. Contact us so that we can put your mind at ease.

What is Debt Settlement and How Do I Know if I'm a Good Candidate?

We at Donaldson Williams, Inc. are passionate about assisiting our clients with their financial hardships. This is evidenced by the fact that we don't charge a fee until after a satisfactory settlement agreement has been reached with your creditors. Therefore, please keep in mind that we truly enjoy what we do and we're not here to help individuals get out of debt simply because they've decided they no longer wish to pay their bills. To qualify for our debt settlement program, you must have a legitimate financial hardship, as well as a strong desire to become debt-free. For this reason, we carefully interview each prospective client to ensure that our program is the right solution for you. Some important guidelines to keep in mind when determining if our services are advisable:

The majority of your debt should be unsecured credit card debt
Unsecured credit card debt allows a greater amount of leverage when negotiating, and the end result will likely be a satisfactory settlement to both the debtor (consumer) and creditor. Department store charge cards, financing contracts, medical bills and miscellaneous debts are also negotiable, even though it's been our experience that the results are not quite as predictiable as the standard credit card debt. Unfortunately, government sponsored student loan debt cannot be negotiated or discharged.

In order to qualify for a debt settlement program, funds must be available to pay the negotiated settlements
Once an agreement has been negotiated with a creditor, the agreed-upon pay-off amount is then forwarded to that creditor. It's important to understand, prior to signing up for a debt negotiation program, that the necessary funds must be available once a settlement agreement has been reached with a creditor. If it's unlikely that you can realistically accumulate these funds, (from a savings account, retirement account, home equity loan or a friend or relative) unfortunately you simply won't qualify for this type of program. Our program is designed to treat our clients with respect; therefore, we do not set up an account which you are required to deposit funds into each month. Instead, we trust that you're serious about getting out of debt and will do everything in your power to be sure that sufficient funds exist.

Debt Settlement may result in a short term effect on your credit rating
Once a debt has been paid through a negotiated settlement agreement, it is reported to the credit bureaus as "account settled for less than the full balance" or "account settled". Keep in mind, however, that credit card accounts that have been settled appear positively on credit reports when compared to bad debt, or a bankruptcy. Your credit rating may decline on the front end until the debts can be removed from your credit report. Your credit rating, however, will improve once again because one of the most important factors used when determining a credit score is the amount of debt you actually owe. If you've found it difficult to keep up with the minimum monthly payments to your creditors, there's a very good chance that the debt has already been reported as delinquent. If this is the case, it has most certainly affected your credit rating already. Generally this also means that you have a high amount of debt appearing, further contributing to a poor credit score. We're pretty certain you'll agree that you'd much rather be out of debt than be concerned with a good credit rating. Remember a lender looks at many factors to determine credit worthiness, your credit score is just one of them. If you eliminate your outstanding debt, your credit worthiness improves dramatically. Clients generally experience an overall improvement in their credit score once the negotiation process has been completed. Of course if you become a client, we believe in being proactive to ensure that your account status is updated with the major credit bureaus sooner rather than later; therefore, Donaldson Williams forwards your settlement documentation free of charge, to all three credit reporting agencies, as well as a request to update your records immediately following the completion of a settlement. Your financial success is our success too, which is why we work extremely hard to get you out of debt and on your way to a much happier and worry-free lifestyle. You can count on our knowledge and experience to make debt-free living a reality.

There may be tax consequences
Banks are required to report all canceled debt over $600 to the IRS and consumers are required to report that canceled debt as income on their tax return. The IRS does permit you to write off any "income" from canceled debt up to the amount by which you were "insolvent" at the time. Unless you have a positive net worth (highly unlikely if you are deep in debt) then you usually won't have to pay taxes on the forgiven debt. For more information regarding the possible tax consequences, we advise that you speak with your tax preparer and/or click here

You will no longer be able to use your credit cards
Not necessarily a bad thing, since high interest credit cards have gotten many people into debt, and a difficult situation that they just haven't been able to pull out of. By entering our program we request that all of your unsecured accounts be closed. However, you may keep one credit card to be used in the case of emergencies. This card must be restricted to emergency purposes only and it's highly recommended that the credit limit on the card is quite low.

Debt Negotiation can take several months to complete
The length of time to complete your program will depend on the current status of your accounts, the amount of debt you owe and the source from which you'll be relying on for funds. Donaldson Williams will advise you of the amount of time it will take when we talk with you during your free debt settlement consultation. And remember, in order to fit your schedule, we're also available for evening consultations.

Debt Negotiation is not the same program used when dealing with Consumer Credit Counseling Services
Credit counseling services usually work for your creditors, as they are (at least partially) funded by your creditors, earning a percentage of what you pay to your creditors. In most cases, you will be expected to pay 100% of your debt, sometimes with reduced interest, by making smaller payments over a longer time period. Because credit counseling makes its money by earning a percentage of the amount you pay your creditors, their incentive is to get you to pay 100% of your debt, rather than to sit down and negotiate a reduced settlement amount with your creditors. Once an agreement is reached, you never have to make another payment toward your debt!

It is simply not possible to guarantee any specific settlement amount
While representatives at Donaldson Williams have seen many excellent results through debt settlement using tested and proven procedures, just like a good surgeon can't guarantee the outcome of an operation, we can't guarantee what each negotiated agreement with your various creditors will be. We simply know that we've consistently produced some very positive success stories for our clients. While past performance is a good indicator of the results we may expect to reach, it is certainly no guarantee of future results.

It is not recommended to attempt debt settlement on your own
Negotiating your debt by yourself is possible, but it's not likely that the end result will be a positive one. Banks rarely take debtors seriously and are well prepared for the amateur do-it-yourself negotiator; as a matter of fact, it's quite normal for the representatives at your bank to have prearranged scripts waiting for your phone calls. You'll hear a lot of "we do not settle debt under any circumstance" and "I can transfer you to a department that may be able to help you qualify for our hardship program." Most consumers simply give up at this point because they feel that debt settlement isn't possible and there's no end in sight. Fortunately, hiring a third party debt negotiator can make all the difference because your creditors will no longer have the ability to harass and manipulate you. If you'd like to attempt debt settlement on your own, be sure to research properly and educate yourself before talking with your creditors.

Stop Struggling to Pay Your Bills

Why Do People Hire Us?

As previously stated, there are many good reasons to hire a professional to negotiate your debt. Here are the key factors to consider:

This process requires a high level of knowledge regarding the credit industry and delinquency. Since every creditor has different policies regarding settlement of delinquent debt, it's important to know what those policies and procedures are to get the job done properly. Additionally, these policies and procedures are constantly changing, making it necessary for professionals to always be aware of these changes to ensure that the best possible settlements can be reached with your creditors.

Most people don't have the time that is required to commit to this process. I wish I could tell you that negotiating settlements with your creditors is easy, and requires very little time. If I did tell you this, however, I'd be lying. The process of debt settlement demands long periods of time devoted to planning and strategizing, based on each creditor's policies at the time of settlement. This also requires several telephone calls, letters and various other forms of communication, all directed to your creditors at just the right time.

Creditors take us seriously and don't play "games" with us. It's the truth; there are times when people have done almost everything right, only to end up with not much of a settlement. I recently learned why this is so. I was on hold the other day waiting for one of my usual collection agency representatives. One of her associates picked up the phone and assumed I was my client (the consumer/debtor). He immediately started talking about why our previously submitted settlement proposal would not be accepted, and even laughed at me while he still thought I was my client. As soon as he learned that he was talking with a professional familiar with the collection industry, his demeanor took an immediate turn and we ended up with the settlement we had requested.

We're here to help you choose the right decision regarding your current financial predicament.You can count on our honesty, reliability and excellent customer service. We've assisted so many people who have found themselves in your shoes. We're confident we can do the same for you by saving you thousands.

Debt Settlement Success Stories

Some people wonder if debt settlement can really work for those who are struggling to pay their bills. The answer is yes, if you’re a good candidate for debt settlement. Below are examples of some of the people I’ve helped to achieve freedom from their debt through debt settlement:

Carolyn, who is a 43 year old attorney, was struggling to pay her bills after a very messy divorce and a subsequent move across the country. She finally gave up and discontinued paying her credit card bills for nearly two years before finally calling my office. When she placed the phone call to me she indicated that she would be able to set aside approximately $2,500 per month to go toward her total outstanding balances of just over $52,000. After being in our program for nearly 12 months, Carolyn is now completely free from her debt, having paid a total of just $17,148.95 to all of her creditors to settle her account balances in full.

Alexis and Charles, a married couple residing in California, contacted my office with total debt owing their various creditors, in the amount of $191.006. Unfortunately, my clients did not foresee what the future was to hold for them; job layoffs and a tremendous amount of money lost in the stock market. Fortunately, Alexis and Charles had family members who agreed to assist them, allowing my clients to settle their credit card debt for a total of just $85,930.79, resulting in a savings of over $100,000.

These are two examples of very different situations, but as you can see, both of these clients successfully resolved their debt through the debt settlement process. You may be asking if there are certain individuals who do not successfully complete a debt settlement program, and again, the answer is yes. You see, in order to eliminate your debt through debt settlement you will need to have access to a portion of the money owed to your creditors; this may come through loans from family members or friends, a home equity line of credit, a 401K or simply setting aside a certain amount of money each month, as our client, Carolyn did. If you’re unable to do this you may end up like the following former client:

A married couple, Susan and Mike, contacted me when their accounts were approximately 90 days delinquent, owing a total of $165,465. Despite their delinquency, Susan and Mike were optimistic that they would be able to grow their photography business, and set aside $1,500 - $2,000 per month to go toward their credit card accounts, ultimately settling the accounts for approximately $0.40 on the dollar within approximately 18-24 months. Well, this simply did not work out; you see, as months passed Susan and Mike realized that their goals were not being reached, thus resulting in their decision to file for bankruptcy.

As you can see, it’s important to set realistic goals to eliminate your debt through debt settlement. Fortunately, the majority of our clients are successful and do not find it necessary to file for bankruptcy. But, as with all things, there are no guarantees and debt settlement isn’t necessarily the right option for everyone. If you’d like to learn more about the process of credit card debt settlement it’s important to research the topic very carefully, as there is much misinformation relating to debt settlement. I wish you the best.

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"Our greatest glory consists not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."

  - Oliver Goldsmith