A Total Debt Management Plan for the Shy

A Credit Article Contributed by Brandie King

You can be a shy person, one who doesn't like to talk to other people much or doesn't want to deal directly with creditors, and still be able to have a total debt management plan. Total debt management isn't just for those outgoing people who don't have a problem talking on the phone. Take a look at the following article to get tips for developing a total debt management plan without having to come into direct contact with anybody.

Total Debt Management: Get Your Credit Reports Online

You need to get copies of your credit reports from all three of the major credit bureaus. This is because creditors are not required to report to all three bureaus and therefore each of your three credit reports can be different from the other two. All three of the major credit bureaus have websites and you can visit those website and order your credit reports online.

Total Debt Management: Dispute Errors and Inaccurate Information Online

In addition to all three of the major credit bureaus offering the option to order your credit report from their websites, they also offer the opportunity to dispute errors and inaccurate information from the same websites. The only catch is that you have to order your credit report online before you can dispute anything online. Also make sure that you do not try to dispute any negative accurate information, as it will be a waste of your time. There is absolutely no way to remove negative accurate information from your credit reports.

Total Debt Management: Paying Your Bills Online

Paying your credit card bills late will wreck your credit reports and can result in late fees being charged to your accounts. It can also result in over the limit fees being charged to your accounts because the late fees may cause you to go over your credit limit. Be assured that there is a way to be sure your payments get there on time though. You may have the option of paying your bills online. This not only saves you the cost of postage and envelopes, but it also ensures that your payments will get where you want them to go when you want them to get there. Contact both your bank and your creditors and see if they offer an online bill pay option.

Total Debt Management: Debt Reduction Planning Software

There are software programs available to help you with reducing and managing your debt. Most of them also have a budget planning tool that will let you plan out a budget, which can either help to prevent you from getting into debt in the first place or help you map out a plan for paying off your debt faster. Quicken Deluxe (http://www.quicken99.com/dlx.html) has a feature they call a Debt Reduction Planner that does exactly that and also has a budget planner.

Contact Information for the Three Major Credit Bureaus

Experian http://www.experian.com

Equifax http://www.equifax.com

Trans Union http://www.transunion.com