What We Do
Reduce Your Balances publishes detailed information about lowering debt balances and provides answers to the questions consumers most commonly ask about debt, credit, and repayment. Every page on the site is written for one purpose: to help readers understand what they owe, what their options are, and which option fits their specific situation.
Coverage spans the full range of consumer and small-business debt: credit cards, personal loans, federal and private student loans, medical bills, federal and state tax debt, court-ordered legal debts, small-business debt, and home and auto loans. Each topic has a dedicated guide that explains how the debt accumulates, what consumer protections apply, which repayment paths are available, and how to choose between them.
Alongside the guides, the site maintains an active Q&A library of 300+ questions readers ask most often. Each answer leads with a direct, declarative response and then explains the nuance, citing the relevant federal agency, statute, or research where it applies.
Why This Site Exists
Most online content about reducing debt is written by companies that get paid to enroll consumers in a particular product. A debt settlement firm has an incentive to recommend settlement. A consolidation lender has an incentive to recommend a loan. A credit repair operator has an incentive to recommend its own service. The result is a search landscape where consumers Googling "how to get out of debt" rarely encounter neutral, side-by-side comparisons of their actual options.
Reduce Your Balances was created to fill that gap. The site is editorial: it does not enroll consumers in debt relief programs, broker loans, or sell financial products. Coverage favors nonprofit credit counseling and debt management plans (DMPs) over for-profit consolidation loans, debt settlement, and short-term credit fixes, based on outcomes documented by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and academic research on debt-relief completion rates.
The goal is not to push every reader toward a single solution. It is to make the trade-offs visible so readers can make informed decisions about their own finances.
What You'll Find on the Site
The site is organized into three layers, each with a different purpose.
Top-level guides. Eight in-depth guides cover the major debt categories: credit card debt, personal loans, student debt, tax debt, medical debt, legal debts, business debts, and home and auto loans. Each guide explains the mechanics of that debt type, the consumer protections that apply, the repayment paths available, and how to evaluate them. Supplemental strategic guides cover balance transfer cards, DMP versus consolidation loan, and credit repair.
Company reviews. Detailed, evidence-based reviews of debt settlement firms, nonprofit credit counseling agencies, and tax relief companies. Each review documents fees, accreditation status, regulatory history, complaint volume, and the conditions under which the company is or is not a reasonable choice.
Debt Answers. A library of 300+ questions consumers ask about debt, organized by topic. The full index lives at Debt Answers. Sample questions include "Can debt collectors call your employer?", "How much does paying credit cards to zero raise your score?", and "How do I remove an IRS tax lien from my property?"
Two free calculators support the editorial content: a debt payoff calculator for comparing snowball and avalanche repayment, and a DMP calculator for estimating monthly payments and payoff timelines under a debt management plan.
Our Editorial Standards
Every guide and review is researched against primary sources. Statutes are cited by their U.S. Code or Code of Federal Regulations citation. Regulatory positions are cited to the issuing agency (CFPB, FTC, IRS, Department of Education, state Attorneys General). Industry data comes from the Federal Reserve, KFF, the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, and peer-reviewed research where it exists.
Top-level debt category guides are written by a finance writer and reviewed by a credentialed professional: non-tax guides are reviewed by a Certified Public Accountant, and the tax debt guide is reviewed by an Enrolled Agent (EA), a federally-licensed tax practitioner authorized to represent taxpayers before the IRS. Reviewer credentials are disclosed in the byline of each guide and in the page's structured data.
The site does not accept payment from companies in exchange for coverage, placement, or rating. Reader-facing recommendations are based on outcomes data, not commercial relationships.
Corrections
Corrections to published content are reviewed by the editorial team and, where appropriate, the credentialed reviewer for the relevant guide. When a factual change is made, the page's dateModified field is updated and a brief note is added to the page where the correction materially changes the recommendation. Reader questions, factual corrections, and inquiries from companies covered on the site can be sent to the address in the site footer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Reduce Your Balances do?
Reduce Your Balances is an independent consumer education site that publishes detailed guides for lowering debt balances and answers to commonly asked questions about debt, credit, and repayment. Coverage spans credit card debt, personal loans, student loans, medical debt, tax debt, legal debts, business debts, and home and auto loans, plus reviews of debt settlement, debt management, and tax relief companies.
Is Reduce Your Balances a debt relief company?
No. Reduce Your Balances does not enroll consumers in debt relief programs, broker loans, or sell financial products. It is an editorial site that publishes guides, reviews, and answers to questions about reducing debt. Readers who want professional help are pointed to nonprofit credit counseling agencies accredited by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) or the Financial Counseling Association of America (FCAA).
Where can I find answers to specific debt questions?
The Debt Answers hub collects 300+ questions consumers commonly ask about debt, including how to pay off credit cards, what happens during a debt management plan, when to consider settlement or bankruptcy, and how specific debts (medical, tax, student, business) interact with credit and the law.
How is Reduce Your Balances funded?
The site is funded by its publisher and is not paid by the companies it reviews. Coverage favors nonprofit credit counseling and debt management plans (DMPs) over consolidation loans, debt settlement, and short-term credit fixes, based on outcomes documented by the CFPB, FTC, and academic research.
Can I contact Reduce Your Balances about a guide or review?
Yes. The editorial team accepts factual corrections, reader questions, and inquiries from companies covered on the site. Mail can be addressed to the editorial office in Chicago using the address in the site footer. Submissions are reviewed by the editorial team before any content change is made.