Also offers a list of questions to ask when choosing a credit counselor.

Yet now, finding a credit counselor's office may be harder than finding the right health care provider.

Industry executives estimate that six million people sought the advice of credit counselors last year.

Following are some suggestions from credit counselors for reducing spending and debt.

Several factors contributed to the rise in indebtedness among people about to retire, according to researchers and credit counselors.

It would require, among other things, that anyone who wants to file for personal bankruptcy consult first with a credit counselor.

Most credit counselors offer services through local offices, the Internet, or on the telephone.

Ask the credit counselor to estimate how long it will take for you to complete the plan.

Furthermore, the government is looking more closely at the workings of nonprofit credit counselors.

She is a licensed social worker, and a former credit counselor.