The current economic climate is dim for many Americans it forecasts potential recession, trouble for homeowners, and increasing personal and credit card debt. According to Federal Reserve estimates, that credit card debt is already in the trillions of dollars and rising each year. So, what can you do about it without immediately resorting to bankruptcy eliminating the entirety of your finances for years to come? It's a tough question to answer and one that many are faced with regularly, but there are ways to handle these debts legally without reaching for the extreme, final measure that we all dread so much. This book was written to provide every individual who is standing at the precipice of too much debt with the tools they need to settle that debt legally without ruining themselves forever. You will learn everything you need to know about the basics of debt, including what the various kinds secured, unsecured, personal, business, and tax debt entail and how they affect you. You will learn what happens to you when you don't pay, both legally and socially, and what your first steps should be on the road to repairing your debt. You will learn how to assess your overall risks and what your options are with your creditors. You will learn what vulnerabilities your debt collectors have legally and what you can do to legally challenge the validity of your debt. You will learn how to deal with bill collectors and how to create a line of communication that is two ways and not reliant solely on them making demands. Top financial experts, bill collectors, and one-time debt owers have been contacted and interviewed for this book and their interviews have been included here to provide a complete outline of what you can expect when you try to settle your debt. You will learn how to start negotiating settlements with your creditors and what specific things you can and cannot do when dealing with them. You will learn the variety of debtor's rights that exist and why they are never told to you, including details about the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and how this act is legally enforced. For anyone who has ever spent the better part of their life dodging calls from creditors or trying to figure out how to pay those bills next month, this book will be the tool you need to understand how to tackle and deal with your debt. Atlantic Publishing is a small, independent publishing company based in Ocala, Florida. Founded over twenty years ago in the company presidentâe(tm)s garage, Atlantic Publishing has grown to become a renowned resource for non-fiction books. Today, over 450 titles are in print covering subjects such as small business, healthy living, management, finance, careers, and real estate. Atlantic Publishing prides itself on producing award winning, high-quality manuals that give readers up-to-date, pertinent information, real-world examples, and case studies with expert advice. Every book has resources, contact information, and web sites of the products or companies discussed.