Money management can seem difficult and confusing. Through a partnership with
BALANCE, you can obtain information and advice on money management.
BALANCE is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Consumer Credit Counseling Service
of San Francisco. BALANCE provides financial counseling and employee assistance
programs (EAP) to numerous companies and credit unions nationwide. This
financial counseling service will be available to you without cost and
encompasses the following:
Counseling1
Discuss general money management and credit topics including
Goal setting
Spending and savings plans
Credit and credit reports
Housing issues
Debt Management2
Consolidating bills and negotiating with creditors to lower payments
One payment to all your creditors can be made through BALANCE by draft or by
mail in the form of a money order or cashiers check.
Receive statements from your creditors.
Your employer will NOT be notified that you are working with BALANCE.
While no one can remove negative information from your credit report if the
information is true, regular monthly payments can improve your payment history
and credibility. Balance Debt management Plan is a 100% pay back to all your
creditors and can be used to solve financial problems rather than suffer the
stigma of bankruptcy. Bankruptcy should be viewed as a last resort since this
stays on your credit report for up to 10 years and may affect your ability to
buy a car, rent an apartment, buy a home, obtain new credit, or qualify for
certain jobs.
Quick Pay
QuickPay is a computer generated bill payment schedule designed to compute the
most efficient way to pay back debt and, in turn, spend less on interest
charges.
Call a BALANCE counselor at 1-866-747-7328 and let them know you are a member
of the
State Employees' Credit Union.
Hours of Operation
Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
BALANCE is a member of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC)
which guarantees agency accreditation, counselor certification, financial
integrity, and core policies that ensure quality service. BALANCE is also
accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Services for Families and
Children, Inc. (COA)
1 Please allow approximately an hour for this counseling session and
have the needed information available for your session including credit card
statements, a recent pay stub, and an idea of your monthly expenses. The
counselor will help develop a budget or spending plan to better understand your
cash flow and your priorities, and a copy of this worksheet will be mailed to
you along with a written action plan to help you stay on course or get back on
track.
2 You will be asked to sign a contract if you choose to establish a
BALANCE Debt Management Plan. The contract specifies budgeted payments and
fees, but is not legally binding. You can cancel at any time. To eliminate
debt, you must be committed to the plan, and stop incurring new debt. All your
credit cards must be placed on the plan and will be closed for the duration of
the plan. You can maintain one major credit card off the plan for emergencies
or business travel.
