National nonprofit ACCC’s “20 Steps to Financial Health: Achieving Lifelong Financial Fitness” promotes long-term financial health through easy-to-follow steps.
Boston, MA – January 28, 2014
January is National Financial Wellness Month and national nonprofit American Consumer Credit Counseling is helping consumers stick to their New Year’s resolutions with an easy-to-follow financial health resource guide. ACCC’s educational booklet, “20 Steps to Financial Health: Achieving Lifelong Financial Fitness,” outlines steps towards short and long-term goals for consumers hoping to reach a healthy financial future.
“As the economy begins to recover and consumer spending increases, Americans are focusing on eliminating their debt and developing sound financial habits for 2014,” stated Steve Trumble, President and CEO of ACCC. “During National Financial Wellness Month, we hope that ACCC’s educational booklet will provide readers and clients the advice and support they need to build a strong foundation and get started on the path to a healthy financial future.”
Overspending is one of the most common financial problems for Americans, with the average household carrying $7,123 in credit card debt. As credit card interest rates hover at 15 percent, the average consumer will pay more than $1,000 in credit card interest alone in 2014. ACCC’s “20 Steps to Financial Health” provides a realistic financial plan to reduce debt and curb spending habits, making the journey to a healthy financial future manageable and attainable.
In total, Americans currently owe $11.36 trillion in debt, including $856.9 billion in credit card debt and $1.049 trillion in student loans. Whether the reader is a recent college graduate bogged down with student loans or a professional looking to improve his/her financial habits; ACCC’s financial handbook provides an informative overview with practical suggestions applicable to various circumstances and situations.
Step one asks readers to pledge to change their current financial habits, as well as their views towards money and spending. From there the handbook outlines steps on how to tackle a variety of topics as well as recommendations, which include:
- Setting long and short-term goals,
- Studiously tracking and recording all expenditures,
- Disputing any erroneous information found on your credit report,
- Determining net worth,
- Eliminating debt and unnecessary credit cards,
- Protecting your assets and making sure you are prepared for unexpected expenses,
- Understanding the cost of credit,
- Establishing financial security, and
- Completing routine financial checkups.
ACCC is a 501(c)3 organization, that provides free credit counseling, bankruptcy counseling, and housing counseling to consumers nationwide in need of financial literacy education and money management. For more information, contact ACCC:
- For credit counseling, call 800-769-3571
- For bankruptcy counseling. call 866-826-6924
- For housing counseling, call 866-826-7180
- Or visit us online at ConsumerCredit.com
About American Consumer Credit Counseling
American Consumer Credit Counseling (ACCC) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to empowering consumers to achieve financial health through education, counseling, and debt management. ACCC provides individuals with practical solutions for solving financial problems and recognizes that consumers’ financial difficulties are often not the result of poor spending habits, but more frequently from extenuating circumstances beyond their control. As one of the nation’s leading providers of financial education and credit counseling services, ACCC works with consumers to help them with the best plan of action to reduce their debt and regain financial stability. ACCC is accredited by the Better Business Bureau and holds an A+ rating. It is also a member of the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies. For more information or to access free financial education resources log on to ConsumerCredit.com or visit TalkingCentsBlog.com.
