Jim Kline funded a lot of his 20s with credit cards. When he entered his 30s, the combination of credit card payments and student loans overwhelmed him and he knew he needed to make a change.

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Are you knee-deep in debt and not sure how to dig yourself out? By being organized, diligent, and having grit, you can create your own do-it-yourself debt repayment program and become debt-free all on your own.

Getting your head around exactly how credit works can be intimidating. Here's a rundown of what goes on a credit report, how long each piece of information stays there, and how it might impact you.

Consumer protection attorneys specialize in helping consumers who’ve been wronged by a business, but knowing where to look for an attorney who specializes in this type of law, and digging deeper to make sure they’ve got the expertise for your particular case, isn’t always easy. Here’s what you need to know.

Weddings are wonderful, but they are almost always incredibly expensive. Increasingly, couples are taking out loans to finances their dream nuptials, which raises the question: How do you throw a wedding you’re excited about without putting yourself in debt before your new life has even begun?

A plug for shorterterms fixed rates

Calculating your net worth is the best way to know exactly what your starting point is, in any financial plan you develop. It's essentially the foundation of your financial plan and goal setting, and needs to be updated at least several times a year so that you can track all of your progress. Putting together a balance sheet is quick and easy, even if you aren't a finance expert!

A while back, I participated in a televised call-in show about kids and money with members of the Jump$tart Coalition . In preparation, I posed questions to a group really talented, dedicated people from organizations like Young Americans Bank , The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants , and the Financial Planning Association . The result is one heck of a resource on kids and money with topics covering budgeting, credit, cars, school/college, and jobs.

I recently met a 30-something woman who was selling her home so that she would have more money to repay her student loans. As she put it: "I finally realized that this debt was not going to go away." She's right—there is no statute of limitations on government-guaranteed student loans, giving Uncle Sam unlimited time to collect.