Legal Aid and Defender Association Inc. (LAD) and City of Southfield Human Services conducted a free debt collection workshop for residents of Wayne, Macomb, and Oakland counties on Wednesday, Oct. 30, at Southfield Public Library.
Rhonda Terry (left) of City of Southfield Human Services and Kelly Bidelman of LAD conducted the workshop titled “Debts, Debts and More Debts? How to Handle Your Debts.”
It covered: credit card issues; debt collection issues; managing, repaying and prioritizing debt; handling harassing contacts from debt collectors; garnishments; and bankruptcy.
“Put your debts in piles, and separate your secured and unsecured debts,” Bidelman told workshop attendees. “Then prioritize your debts, paying your secured debts first. . . At the bottom of the pile are your credit cards. . . . Pay those with the highest interest rates first.”
Bidelman said that bankruptcy is the last resort.
