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The team

Marcus Delgado

Insurance & Loans Specialist

Licensed P&C insurance producer

Written by Marcus Delgado

Borrowing & Debt Q&A Personal Line of Credit vs Personal Loan A personal line of credit is a reusable pool of money: you draw what you need and pay interest only on the balance, usually at a var… Read the guide → Borrowing & Debt Q&A Credit Union Loans: Rates vs Banks Compared Credit union loans priced below bank loans on every loan product federal regulators tracked in December 2025: 5.44% vs 7.41% on a 60… Read the guide → Borrowing & Debt Q&A Can You Get a Loan Without a Job? Real Options Yes, you can get a loan without a job: if you can show income from another source. Unemployment benefits, Social Security, a pension… Read the guide → Borrowing & Debt Q&A No Credit Check Loans: What’s Legit, What’s a Trap Some no credit check loans are legitimate and cheap: payday alternative loans capped at 28%, savings-secured loans, credit-builder l… Read the guide → Borrowing & Debt Q&A Family Loan Agreements: Rules, Rates and Taxes A family loan agreement is a written promissory note between relatives. Above $10,000 the IRS expects at least the Applicable Federa… Read the guide → Borrowing & Debt Q&A Title Loans: Why They’re Risky (and 5 Alternatives) Title loans charge a monthly fee of up to 25%, which is about 300% a year, and they are secured by your car. The federal government'… Read the guide → Borrowing & Debt Q&A How to Get Out of a Car Loan You Can’t Afford You can get out of a car loan you can't afford, but which door opens depends on one number: your equity. If the car is worth more th… Read the guide → Borrowing & Debt Q&A Upside-Down Car Loan: How to Fix Negative Equity An upside down car loan means your payoff is bigger than your trade-in value. Every fix is a version of three moves: pay cash into t… Read the guide → Borrowing & Debt Q&A Car Repossession: What Happens and What’s Next A car repossession takes the car, sells it at auction, and then bills you for whatever the sale did not cover. That last bill is the… Read the guide → Borrowing & Debt Q&A How to Get a Cosigner Released From a Loan A cosigner release takes your cosigner's name and legal liability off the loan while the loan itself stays open. Lenders advertise i… Read the guide → Borrowing & Debt Q&A Student Loan Forgiveness: Which Programs Are Real Real student loan forgiveness exists, but only through a short list of federal programs: PSLF, income-driven forgiveness, teacher fo… Read the guide → Borrowing & Debt Q&A Income-Driven Repayment Plans, Explained Income-driven repayment ties your federal student loan payment to what you earn instead of what you owe. Two plans survive long term… Read the guide → Borrowing & Debt Q&A Forbearance vs Deferment: Which Should You Ask For Deferment and forbearance both stop your payments. The difference is who pays the interest while they are stopped. Verdict: ask for… Read the guide → Borrowing & Debt Q&A Student Loan Default: What Happens and How to Fix A federal student loan defaults after 270 days of missed payments. Verdict: rehabilitation is the only exit that removes the default… Read the guide → Borrowing & Debt Q&A Can Student Loans Be Discharged in Bankruptcy? Yes, they can. Verdict: student loans bankruptcy is no longer the dead end it was, because the government now tells its own lawyers… Read the guide → Borrowing & Debt Q&A Chapter 7 vs Chapter 13: Which Bankruptcy Fits? Chapter 7 vs Chapter 13 usually comes down to two questions: does your income pass the means test, and do you have something a trust… Read the guide → Borrowing & Debt Q&A Bankruptcy Alternatives: 5 Options to Try First There are five real bankruptcy alternatives: a creditor hardship plan, a nonprofit debt management plan, refinancing, settling for l… Read the guide → Borrowing & Debt Q&A What Debt Collectors Can and Can’t Do (FDCPA) Here is what debt collectors can do: call you between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., write to you, sue you, and report the debt to the credit bu… Read the guide → Borrowing & Debt Q&A How to Negotiate With Debt Collectors You can negotiate with debt collectors, and most collection agencies will take a discount. The agency likely bought your account for… Read the guide → Borrowing & Debt Q&A Statute of Limitations on Debt: The State Rules The statute of limitations on debt is the deadline for suing you, and it runs from three years in New York and North Carolina to ten… Read the guide → Borrowing & Debt Q&A Zombie Debt: When Old Collections Come Back Zombie debt is an old account a buyer picked up for pennies and is working again, often years after you last heard about it. It may… Read the guide → Borrowing & Debt Q&A What Is a Judgment for Debt? What Happens Next A debt judgment is a court ruling that you owe a specific amount. It converts a bill your creditor had to ask you to pay into one a… Read the guide → Borrowing & Debt Q&A Wage Garnishment: How It Works and How to Stop It Wage garnishment is a court or agency order telling your employer to send part of your paycheck to someone you owe. For ordinary con… Read the guide → Borrowing & Debt Q&A Debt Relief Scams: 7 Red Flags to Avoid Most debt relief scams are caught by one question: are you being asked to pay before a single debt has been settled? Since October 2… Read the guide →