Many California residents struggle with debt for some years before it becomes too burdensome or simply impossible to continue on any longer. The reluctance to seek help is often the result of a perceived stigma of acquiring debt that is unmanageable, yet unforeseen...

High living expenses in California coupled with a crisis like a job loss or serious health problems sometimes send people into bankruptcy. Although bankruptcy is meant to give people a fresh financial start, the law generally recognizes that people might need to file...

Many California residents struggle to pay their bills, especially if they are hit with an insurmountable sum of medical debt. In many cases, the people for whom medical bills loom large are those least able to handle the financial burden, including the poor and the...

Over the years, many people in California have sought consumer bankruptcy protection when their debts get out of control. According to a report from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, over 770,000 bankruptcy cases were filed in fiscal year 2018, but this...

Emergencies sometimes force people in California to use their credit cards. Reliance on credit cards has resulted in American households owing an average credit card balance of $8,195. A person with roughly $8,000 in credit card debt who only makes the minimum monthly...

As of late 2018, Americans had a total of $3.93 trillion in consumer debt when not accounting for mortgages. California residents and other Americans are expected to add another 5 percent in credit card balances throughout the rest of the year. Therefore, it is...

Debt has become a way of life for many in California and across the country. At best it's utilized with a big-picture plan in place consistent with using only as needed, resources to enable an ultimate pay off and not letting debt service overtake the budget. More...

Women in California might be in greater danger of falling into debt than men. According to data from Comet Financial, the economic disparity between men and women is not just about wages. Women have more debt than men do as well, and that wage gap may be one...

California residents may choose to get rid of their credit cards after paying down an existing debt balance. However, that may not be a wise choice. By getting rid of a credit card, holders may harm their credit score. This is because they will now have less credit to...

Credit card debt nationwide is on the rise overall, but the average debt is declining. More people in California and across the U.S. are carrying credit card balances. According to data gathered by the Federal Reserve, 38.1 percent of Americans had balances on their...