need a recommendation for a free, trustworthy personal financial counseling service

[Anonymous]

I have a friend in Maryland who is having a personal financial crisis; she is supporting family abroad and is two months behind on all of her bills (including mortgage). She needs someone to help her assess her obligations and figure out what bills to pay in what order, whether to sell her house (which I suspect she's underwater on), etc. She's an amazing person who has way too much on her shoulders. Any suggestions?

[Anonymous]

she should check with her HR department to see if they have a financial/legal counseling benefit. My workplace does through Lifecare, and they provide both referrals and a certain number of financial counseling sessions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a friend in Maryland who is having a personal financial crisis; she is supporting family abroad and is two months behind on all of her bills (including mortgage). She needs someone to help her assess her obligations and figure out what bills to pay in what order, whether to sell her house (which I suspect she's underwater on), etc. She's an amazing person who has way too much on her shoulders. Any suggestions?

Sounds like you are the friend to do this for her..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:she should check with her HR department to see if they have a financial/legal counseling benefit. My workplace does through Lifecare, and they provide both referrals and a certain number of financial counseling sessions.

Thanks--I suspect her employer doesn't offer this, but it's worth a shot. I'm considering calling my EAP and seeing if they can give me the name of a service, though.

[Anonymous]

If she's a member of a credit union, many have certified financial planners available for free.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If she's a member of a credit union, many have certified financial planners available for free.

Ah--great idea. Her husband is a vet, so they might be part of a credit union. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Buy her Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover.

If she's really motivated, she'll have it read by Sunday.

Just my 2c.