Consumer & Debt Rights
Know your rights with debt and money. Plain-English guides to debt collectors and the FDCPA, being sued for a debt, wage and bank garnishment, credit-report errors, medical bills, payday loans, repossession, bankruptcy, and scams — what collectors and creditors can and cannot legally do, and how to fight back.
Browse by situation
654 guides on debt, credit, and your money across 14 topics.
Debt Collectors & the FDCPA
A debt collector cannot do whatever it wants.
70 guides →Being Sued for a Debt
Served with a debt lawsuit? Doing nothing is the worst move — it hands the creditor a default judgment.
68 guides →Wage & Bank Garnishment
Can a creditor take money straight from your paycheck or bank account? Understand how garnishment and bank levies work, the federal and state limits on how much they can take, the income and property that is exempt, and how to stop or reduce a garnishment.
118 guides →Credit Reports & Errors
Your credit report controls loans, jobs, and apartments — and it is often wrong.
20 guides →Credit Repair & Rebuilding
You can repair your own credit for free — and the law protects you from credit-repair scams.
19 guides →Medical Bills & Debt
Medical debt has special rules.
18 guides →Student Loan Debt
Student loans come with rights and relief options most borrowers never hear about.
20 guides →Debt Settlement & Relief
Drowning in debt? Learn how settling a debt for less actually works, the tax and credit consequences, how to negotiate yourself, the difference between consolidation and settlement, and how to spot a debt-relief scam before it makes things worse.
19 guides →Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal fresh start, not a moral failure.
68 guides →Scams & Fraud
Scammers count on you not knowing your rights.
16 guides →Identity Theft
Someone is using your identity — act fast and you have strong protections.
15 guides →Car Loans, Repossession & Lemon Law
Car trouble of the legal kind.
119 guides →Payday Loans & Predatory Lending
Payday, title, and high-interest loans are a trap — and in many states, parts of them are illegal.
68 guides →Consumer Rights Basics
The fundamentals every consumer should know.
16 guides →Latest consumer & debt guides
- Are Debt Relief Companies Legit or a Scam? How to Vet One
Some debt relief companies are legit; many are scams. Learn the FTC advance-fee rule, red flags, and how to vet a debt relief program before you pay.
- Bankruptcy Exemptions: What Property Can You Keep?
Bankruptcy exemptions let you keep essentials like your home, car, and retirement. Learn how federal and state exemptions work and what they protect.
- Finding a Bankruptcy Lawyer Near You: Chapter 7 & 13 Attorneys
How to find a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy lawyer near you, what they cost, what to ask, and how the federal Bankruptcy Code shapes your case.
- Filing Bankruptcy in NJ & NY: Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 Guide
Plain-English guide to Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy in New Jersey and New York: courts, exemptions, the means test, and how filing works.
- California Bankruptcy Exemptions: System 703 vs 704 Explained
California offers two bankruptcy exemption systems-703 and 704. Learn how each protects your home, car, and cash, and how to choose the right one.
- Can a Creditor Freeze a Joint Bank Account?
Worried a creditor or debt collector froze your shared account over a spouse's debt? Learn the federal rules, state protections, and what to do now.