Trying to keep your head above financial waters can be difficult. All you know is you have gotten yourself into a sticky situation and you don't know how to stop or fix it. Where do you begin to look for help? Is there an easy way out of this financial hole you have dug for yourself? The best place to look is to yourself and not to the many scams that are out there today.

Just as there are get rich quick schemes, there are an equal amount of ads from fly by night companies that will offer you ways to get out of debt quickly. Face the facts, there is no easy way to get out of debt. Don't believe the promises that some company can magically erase your financial mishaps. Very few are legitimate and very few will do what they say.

If a company does not give you all of the information on your own personal legal rights, or if they don't explain that you can do things for yourself for free, they are probably an irresponsible company. If someone tells you that you cannot contact a credit report company directly, they are lying. If anyone asks you to pay for any sort of credit fixing services up front, they are scamming you. If a company tries to get you to make up an identity and apply for an Employer Identification Number instead of your Social Security number, make sure that you like them because you will probably be sharing a prison cell with them.

The truth is that no one has the capabilities of removing anything negative from your credit report. You may dispute something in your credit report, but you can't have someone go into the computer system and erase it. The point is simple: everything that a credit repair service can do, you can do for yourself. The issue then becomes whether or not you want to do it yourself.

Everyone is entitled to a free credit report if you have run into problems like being denied for something like insurance, or employment. You do have to ask for the credit report within 60 days of denial though. If you are unemployed, on welfare, or if you are suspecting identity theft, you are entitled to one free report a year. Certain companies are required to fill this free request such as Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion to name a few. If you decide that you need an additional copy of your credit report before 12 months, you will have to pay a $9.50 additional charge.

The only way to stay out of debt is to remain vigilant and stay on top of your payments. Some people will employ a company to keep an eye on their credit reports for them as an added security measure. A company like Equifax will check for mistakes or signs of identity theft, and keep your records up to date for you. There are additional governmental resources that will help you determine how to fix your credit. One such easy-to-navigate site is www.ftc.gov. Although it is better to deal with your credit repair on your own, it is even better not to have to deal with it at all. The only way you're going to do that is by not allowing things to slide.