Debt consolidation services can be a great alternative to bankruptcy. Once you go bankrupt you will have to suffer from having bad credit for about 10 years. Since you are having financial difficulties right now it may be a little difficult for you to realize just how long 10 years can be. Also, there is legislation being heard that would make it much more difficult or even impossible for you to file for bankruptcy.

If you are up to your ears in debt then you may want to enlist the services of an expert. The following debt consolidation companies can help you to get to where you want to be. Keep in mind that it would be a good idea to check with a financial counselor before jumping into any debt consolidation services head first.

Consolidation and Negotiation

In many cases, debt consolidation solutions are rendered through negotiation of your debts. One company, 123 Be Debt Free, offers both debt consolidation as well as debt negotiation services. Most of the services here offer similar solutions.

One of the differences in the services that you may choose from is how much they claim that they can save for you. The claims vary widely and honestly, cannot really be used as a guideline for choosing a particular service for debt consolidation.

For instance, 123 Be Debt Free claims that they can save you as much as 75% with their debt consolidation plan and can have you paying 30 to 60% less with their debt negotiation services. Other companies make similar claims.

Two of the top debt settlement services in the Unites States include CuraDebt and Debt Shield. They have claims of savings that range between 30% and 70%. The bottom line is that these are only guidelines. Much depends on the number and type of debts that you would like to settle.

If you want to find the best debt consolidation or negotiation service then you may have to trust your instincts. It is not really possible to just flat out tell you which service is best. All debt negotiation services have their successes as well as comparative failures.

The best advice would be to take a long look at the debt services mentioned above and try to get a feel for how comfortable you would be with them in a long term relationship. Debt consolidation and negotiation can be a fairly long process so you will be working with the company of your choice for a few years. You want this to be a harmonious relationship.

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