Introduction 1
Part 1: Getting Started with Getting Out of Debt 5
Chapter 1: Eliminating Debt: The Basics 7
Chapter 2: Facing Financial Facts 33
Chapter 3: Breaking Down the Parts of a Budget 45
Chapter 4: Creating a New Budget 61
Chapter 5: Spending Less and Saving More 85
Part 2: Making Sense of Credit Reporting and Scoring 101
Chapter 6: Discovering How Credit Reporting Works 103
Chapter 7: Understanding Credit Reports and Scores 123
Chapter 8: Monitoring Your Credit Reports and Scores 155
Part 3: Taking Action on High Debt and Bad Credit 169
Chapter 9: Getting the Best Help for Bad Credit for Free 171
Chapter 10: Coping with Debt Collection 185
Chapter 11: Reducing Credit Damage in a Crisis 215
Part 4: Successfully Managing Your Debt and Credit for Life 243
Chapter 12: Starting or Restarting Your Credit in Real Life 245
Chapter 13: Putting Yourself in Control of Your Credit 263
Part 5: The Part of Tens 273
Chapter 14: Ten Debt Don'ts 275
Chapter 15: Ten Ways to Deal with a Mortgage Meltdown 281
Chapter 16: Ten Strategies for Dealing with Student Loans 293
Index 305
