A recent study finds that telephone and face-to-face counseling can be equally effective and appear to generate equivalent outcomes for consumers' creditworthiness two years later. The increase in telephone and online counseling may encourage consumers to seek earlier assistance for their credit...

Government actions, combined with oversight and standardization from industry organizations, benefit consumers by enabling them to more easily identify agencies that work in their best interest and are certified to provide them with quality financial education.

Consumers can go online to get advice about choosing the right agency.