cover image A Survival Guide to Debt: How to Overcome Tough Times & Restore Your Financial Health

A Survival Guide to Debt: How to Overcome Tough Times & Restore Your Financial Health

Mitchell Allen. Greenleaf Book Group, $14.95 (282pp) ISBN 978-1-929774-70-8

Arriving in the midst of the nation's money crisis, this volume is aimed at Americans in dire financial straits: people paying bills with credit cards, avoiding overdue notices and/or facing foreclosure. Allen, the co-founder and head of the Debt Education and Certification Foundation, identifies the principle reasons people accrue significant debt (divorce or death, major medical problems, job loss or income reduction, poor financial choices), helps readers ""apply a tourniquet"" to stop the financial bleeding, and explains practical but often painful ways to eliminate debt. He includes strategies for negotiating with creditors, determining whether bankruptcy is a viable solution, and taking financial control after re-establishing credit. Along the way, Allen also lays out debtors' legal rights, stresses the importance of savings goals, explores the emotional impact of bankruptcy and provides humanizing encouragement (""You are not your debt""). Allen's casual manner is perfectly calming, and a surplus of real-world examples and worksheets (and a dedicated website) make it a valuable resource for any readers who want a better grip on their finances.