Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of These Terms

These Terms of Service form a binding agreement between you and Reduce Your Balances ("we," "us," or "the Site"). By accessing or using reduceyourbalances.com (the "Site"), you accept and agree to be bound by these terms. If you are using the Site on behalf of an organization, you represent that you have authority to bind that organization to these terms.

These terms apply alongside the Site's Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, and Editorial Policy, all of which are incorporated by reference.

2. What the Site Is (and Is Not)

The Site publishes general consumer education on debt reduction, credit, taxes, and related financial topics in the United States. The Site is informational only. We are not your lawyer, financial advisor, tax preparer, credit counselor, or fiduciary, and using the Site does not create any of those relationships between us.

Articles, comparisons, calculators, and reviews on the Site reflect editorial judgment, public statutes, and publicly available data as of the dates indicated. Specific financial, legal, or tax situations require advice from a qualified professional licensed in your jurisdiction.

3. No Financial, Legal, or Tax Advice

Nothing on the Site is financial, legal, or tax advice. Every article carries the same footer disclaimer for that reason. Reading the Site does not establish an attorney-client, accountant-client, or fiduciary relationship. Before acting on anything you read here, including any decision to file bankruptcy, settle a debt, enroll in a debt management plan, sign a payment agreement, or respond to a collection lawsuit, consult a licensed attorney, certified public accountant, enrolled agent, NFCC or FCAA accredited credit counselor, or other qualified professional in your state.

4. Intellectual Property

All content on the Site, including text, graphics, logos, images, structure, design, software, and the selection and arrangement of content, is the property of Reduce Your Balances or its licensors and is protected by United States and international copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

You may view, download, and print content from the Site for your personal, non-commercial reference. You may not reproduce, republish, distribute, broadcast, modify, scrape, or create derivative works of any content for any commercial purpose without our prior written permission. Brief quotations with proper attribution and a link back to the source URL are permitted under standard editorial practice.

The "Reduce Your Balances" name and logo are trademarks of Reduce Your Balances. Other names and logos appearing on the Site are the property of their respective owners and are used for identification and editorial purposes only.

5. Acceptable Use

When you use the Site, you agree not to:

• Use the Site for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any federal, state, or local law.
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any portion of the Site, any related server, or any service used to operate the Site.
• Interfere with or disrupt the Site, including through denial-of-service attacks, malware, or traffic bots.
• Scrape, harvest, or systematically extract data from the Site for use in another product, service, or training corpus, except as expressly permitted in writing.
• Use automated means (including artificial intelligence systems) to copy content for re-publication.
• Frame, embed, or proxy the Site in a way that obscures its origin.
• Submit false, misleading, or abusive information through any feature of the Site.
• Misrepresent your identity or affiliation with any person or organization.
• Use the Site to harass, defame, or violate the rights of others.

We reserve the right to investigate violations and to take appropriate action, including barring access from your IP address and reporting unlawful conduct to authorities.

6. Third-Party Links and Resources

The Site links to external resources, including government agencies, statutes hosted on third-party sites, and the websites of companies we review. We provide these links for your convenience and as primary-source citations. We do not control the content, accuracy, terms of use, or privacy practices of any external site, and a link does not constitute an endorsement. Following a link is at your own risk. Read the linked site's own terms and privacy policy before relying on it.

7. Company Reviews and Comparisons

Reviews and comparisons of companies (debt settlement firms, nonprofit credit counseling agencies, tax-relief firms, lenders) reflect publicly available information at the time of publication, including Better Business Bureau ratings, state licensing records, accreditation status from industry bodies (NFCC, FCAA, AFCC, IAPDA, NAEA), published fee schedules, and our editorial judgment. We do not have affiliate, referral, or other financial relationships with the companies reviewed, as further described in our Editorial Policy. We may update reviews as the underlying facts change. We do not guarantee the current accuracy of any third-party rating or claim, and we encourage you to verify current information directly with the company and the relevant accreditation or regulatory body before engaging any provider.

8. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES

THE SITE AND ALL CONTENT, FEATURES, AND MATERIALS ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE," WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, REDUCE YOUR BALANCES DISCLAIMS ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, ACCURACY, AND QUIET ENJOYMENT.

We do not warrant that the Site will be uninterrupted, secure, error-free, or free of viruses or other harmful components, or that any information on the Site is accurate, complete, or current. Statutory citations, dollar figures, agency procedures, and regulatory rules referenced on the Site change over time and vary by state. Before relying on any specific figure or rule, verify it against the primary source linked on the page.

9. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, REDUCE YOUR BALANCES AND ITS OWNERS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS, AGENTS, AND LICENSORS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUES, DATA, GOODWILL, OR USE, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO YOUR ACCESS TO OR USE OF THE SITE, EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

OUR TOTAL CUMULATIVE LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SITE WILL NOT EXCEED ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS ($100). THIS LIMITATION APPLIES REGARDLESS OF THE THEORY OF LIABILITY (CONTRACT, TORT, NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, OR OTHERWISE) AND EVEN IF A LIMITED REMEDY FAILS OF ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain damages, so the limitations and exclusions in this section may not apply to you. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited as a matter of law, such as liability for fraud, willful misconduct, or for personal injury caused by negligence in jurisdictions that prohibit such limitations.

10. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Reduce Your Balances and its owners, officers, employees, contractors, agents, and licensors from any claim, demand, loss, liability, damage, cost, or expense (including reasonable attorney's fees) arising from your breach of these terms, your violation of applicable law, or your misuse of the Site. We reserve the right to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter for which you are required to indemnify us, in which case you agree to cooperate with our defense.

11. Governing Law and Venue

These Terms of Service and any dispute arising out of or relating to them or to the Site are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. The parties agree that any dispute will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in New Castle County, Delaware, and consent to personal jurisdiction in those courts. To the extent permitted by law, the parties waive any objection to venue and any right to a jury trial.

If you are a resident of a U.S. state with consumer protection statutes that confer non-waivable rights, nothing in this section deprives you of those rights, and any dispute eligible to be heard in a small-claims court in your home jurisdiction may be brought there.

12. Changes to These Terms

We may revise these terms from time to time. When we do, we will update the effective date at the top of the page. For material changes, we will also post a notice on the homepage for at least 30 days. Your continued use of the Site after a change becomes effective constitutes acceptance of the revised terms. If you do not agree to a change, please discontinue use of the Site.

13. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Site at any time, with or without notice, for any reason, including violation of these terms. The provisions of these terms that by their nature should survive termination (including Sections 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 14) will survive.

14. Other Provisions

Entire agreement. These terms, together with the Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, and Editorial Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Reduce Your Balances regarding the Site and supersede any prior agreements on the same subject matter.

Severability. If any provision of these terms is held unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect. The unenforceable provision will be construed to the maximum extent permitted by law to give effect to its intent.

No waiver. Our failure to enforce any provision of these terms is not a waiver of that provision or our right to enforce it later.

Assignment. You may not assign or transfer your rights or obligations under these terms without our prior written consent. We may assign these terms freely.

No agency. No agency, partnership, joint venture, or employment relationship is created between you and Reduce Your Balances by these terms or your use of the Site.

Notices. We may give notice by posting on the Site or, where we have your email address (for example, after you contact us), by email.

15. Contact

For questions about these terms, write to legal@reduceyourbalances.com.