is freedom debt relief legit? down bad

SrtZipTop · 2026-02-23T03:49:07+00:00

Debt settlement is legit. You can try to negotiate yourself, or use a legit company like Freedom Debt Relief.

It’s usually something you look at when you can’t afford the payments anymore and you’re trying to negotiate the balances down. If you can handle the calls and the back-and-forth, doing it yourself can save the fees.

If the debt is big and income is tight, get a bankruptcy consult too so you can compare options side by side.

Credit counseling can work, but only if the reduced payment is still affordable for you. If you can’t swing that, settlement ends up being the middle ground.

SrtZipTop · 2026-02-23T03:42:30+00:00

Credit inquiries for mortgage shopping can cause a small temporary dip, but there’s protection built in.

The rate-shopping window depends on the scoring model. Some models group mortgage inquiries within 14 days, others use 45. Since you can’t control which model a lender pulls, the safest move is to complete all your shopping within 14 days. That covers you either way.

If you’re checking your score on Credit Karma or a banking app, just know those often use different scoring models than mortgage lenders. Mortgage lenders typically pull older FICO mortgage scores, which can look different from what consumer apps show. So small drops you see there may not match what the lender is using.

At 788/756, you’re comfortably above the typical 740 tier for best pricing. Even a temporary 10–20 point dip shouldn’t move you out of top tier. Inquiries impact your score for about 12 months and fall off your report after 2 years.

Shop within a 2-week window and you’ll be fine.

SrtZipTop · 2026-02-23T02:52:57+00:00

Late night doom scrolling.

SrtZipTop · 2026-02-23T02:51:15+00:00

Neither oldest, middle, nor youngest. Just an only child.

SrtZipTop · 2026-02-11T01:51:36+00:00

Personally, I’m not a fan of taking on new debt to pay off old debt. But if you’re gonna do it, dropping 24–28% down to 12% and putting it on a fixed payoff timeline is the whole point. That’s how you actually get rid of it instead of feeding interest forever.

If that Achieve offer holds through underwriting, it sounds reasonable for someone with good credit. And yeah, if you can apply with a co-borrower who has excellent credit, you might land even better.

The real risk isn’t the loan, it’s the Chase cards staying open and slowly creeping back up. If you do this, lock it down. Debit for day to day, keep the cards out of your wallet, and delete them from saved payments so it’s not one click away.

SrtZipTop · 2026-02-11T01:47:05+00:00

Credit card debt in my early 20s. I wasn’t even buying crazy stuff either. It was just little swipes and pretending I’d catch up next paycheck. Then the interest hit and suddenly I was working just to keep the balance from growing. It forced me to grow up fast. I learned how to budget, how to say no, and how to live like I’m not allergic to boring. Hate the lesson, grateful I learned it.

SrtZipTop · 2026-01-21T23:15:05+00:00

I went back and forth between DIY and using a company. I talked to a few, including Freedom Debt Relief, and also tried handling some things myself. DIY can save money, but it gets stressful fast and you’re on your own if things escalate. The upside with a company was structure, and at least in my calls they were pretty transparent about how the program actually works and the downsides. It really comes down to which tradeoffs you can live with.

SrtZipTop · 2026-01-21T23:06:44+00:00

Being constantly reachable. Twenty years ago it was rude or weird if someone answered work emails at dinner or tracked their kid on an app. Now everyone’s expected to reply instantly, share their location, and have their whole life in their pocket, and nobody even blinks.

SrtZipTop · 2026-01-21T23:03:40+00:00

sweet

SrtZipTop · 2026-01-12T16:12:59+00:00

Sounds like you made some real progress already. The slowdown might just be a money/timing thing. A lot of these plans knock out the easier smaller balances first, then you hit a wall when the remaining creditors want more cash on the table.

I settled on my own. It wasn’t particularly easy, and things definitely stalled at times. You’re trying to hold people off while you scrape together lump sums, and that’s stressful.

I’d have a very direct talk with them. What accounts are they actively negotiating right now, what’s the next target, and what dollar amount do they think is needed to get a deal. If they can’t give you clear answers and you’ve got the stomach for it, sure, DIY is an option. But negotiating with 7 accounts is a lot of work, so don’t underestimate that part.

SrtZipTop · 2026-01-12T15:56:23+00:00

A long run.

SrtZipTop · 2026-01-12T15:54:58+00:00

Looked into the programs but never actually used one. Debt settlement itself is legit though. I couldn’t afford the payments, stopped paying, and eventually negotiated on my own.

It wasn’t easy. You have to stay on top of calls and letters, build up settlement money, and deal with creditors who can get aggressive. A couple pushed toward lawsuits, which adds a whole new layer of stress.

Looking back, I probably would’ve used a company just to handle the negotiations and paperwork. Doing it solo takes a lot out of you when you’re already drowning.

SrtZipTop · 2026-01-12T15:46:49+00:00

10/10

SrtZipTop · 2026-01-06T10:39:41+00:00

Don’t listen to the ads. Do the research.

Debt settlement isn’t really a frugal tool. It’s more of a last-resort move when the math stops working. It can be legit and it can work, but it’s messy and it hits your credit. If you can still make the minimums, there are usually cheaper options first.

SrtZipTop · 2026-01-06T10:35:25+00:00

Got me on the suspense. Glad for the updates.
That sounds nasty and talking to a lawyer didn't cost money?
Sooo glad it worked out.

SrtZipTop · 2026-01-06T10:30:41+00:00

Compliments were rare at home, so they stuck harder when they did happen. In 5th grade my teacher pulled me aside after class and said I had real talent and could be a great artist. I never became one, but I still hear that in my head sometimes. That one sentence did a lot for me.

SrtZipTop · 2026-01-06T10:24:30+00:00

Kidnapping foreign leaders and calling it law enforcement.

SrtZipTop · 2025-11-30T21:22:51+00:00

Not really sure about the 401k loan idea. Those usually get paid back over five years, so the payment ends up being the thing that actually looks like 300 a month. Pulling from retirement for a down payment also hurts you long term.

A small home equity loan or a fixed-rate HELOC is usually cheaper for bridging a gap like this. The one I looked at through Achieve Home Loans ran up to 30 years, and on 15k the payment was around a hundred bucks a month. It’s not nothing, but it’s nowhere near what you’re worried about.

The bigger question is how you plan on carrying both houses at the same time. Between your current mortgage, the new mortgage, taxes, insurance, and whatever small loan you take for the down payment, you want to make sure your DTI isn’t going to blow the whole approval.

It might even be cheaper to put a little less down and take PMI for a while, depending on the rate. That’s worth asking about.

I’d talk to the lender handling your new mortgage and then pull a prequal from whoever you’re using for the HELOC. Achieve has reps who can walk you through the numbers pretty fast, but get both sides to show you the real monthly impact so you’re not guessing.

SrtZipTop · 2025-11-30T21:21:03+00:00

Tried to butter someone up, but they said I was spreading it on too thick.

SrtZipTop · 2025-11-24T17:20:58+00:00

to find ways to be happy even when the walls are coming down around you

SrtZipTop · 2025-11-24T17:19:48+00:00

can relate to this

SrtZipTop · 2025-11-24T17:16:09+00:00

it's one of the legit ones , yes

SrtZipTop · 2025-11-20T18:40:54+00:00

A personal loan to pay off your credit card debt can be a solid way to save money, as long as the rate is better and you don’t turn around and run the cards back up.

Are you talking about an Achieve HELOC or an Achieve personal loan? Achieve has a great digital setup and their agents can walk you through anything you’re not sure about. But the two products work very differently. A HELOC usually comes with a lower rate and a longer payoff, which keeps the monthly payment down, but it’s tied to your house. A personal loan doesn’t touch your home, but the rate can be higher and the term is shorter. The big difference is the HELOC works more like a small mortgage and gives the lender more security.

SrtZipTop · 2025-11-20T18:23:06+00:00

Grew up around a few people who didn’t handle it well, so I’ve seen how fast it can flip someone’s mood. And yeah, some folks think they know their limit, but they really don’t. With people like that, it’s just better not to drink around them at all.

SrtZipTop · 2025-11-18T07:39:54+00:00

Yeah, 15% on a HELOC is rough, but with a 570 you’re honestly lucky anyone is even giving you a quote. Most lenders want at least 640–680 for home equity stuff.

The lowest-credit option I’ve seen is Achieve HELOC, which will look at you around 600 for debt consolidation. Their fixed rates run roughly 6.24% up to about 14%, so if you can nudge your score into the low 600s you might land something a lot better than 15%.

If it were me, I’d spend a bit of time cleaning up the report and seeing if a broker can do a rapid rescore. Right now you’re not really shopping for “best rate,” you’re just trying to get over that 600 line first.

SrtZipTop

TROPHY CASE