True or false? If you answer true to more than three questions, you might benefit from credit counseling.

1. I normally pay the minimum on my credit-card bills.

2. My credit-card balances increase each month.

3. There are arguments in my home about money.

4. I sometimes hide purchases from my spouse.

5. I frequently charge items that I used to pay for with cash.

6. I have thought about filing for bankruptcy.

7. I have begun using cash advances to meet my obligations.

8. Most of my credit cards are near the limit, so I've begun applying for new lines of credit.

9. I do not know the total amount that I owe.

10. I skip paying my bills some months, or pay late.

11. I have depleted my savings.

12. I am consumed with thoughts of my debt.

13. My debt interferes with my job and/or home life.

14. Collectors have begun contacting me.

15. I have taken money from my retirement account to satisfy debt obligations.

16. If I lost my job, it would mean an immediate financial crisis in my life.

17. I use balance transfers.

18. I have no emergency savings account.

19. Next month's bills arrive before I've paid this month's.

20. I do not open my bills when they arrive, or soon after.

Source: National Foundation for Credit Counseling (nfcc.org)