Get Out of Debt Guy

They Said Zero Income Means a Zero Student Loan Payment. Under RAP, You Still Owe $10 a Month.

Steve Rhode — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 16:03:40 +0000

Zero income does not mean a $0 student loan payment under RAP. The law sets a $10 monthly minimum, no exemption -- here is what still lets you pay $0.

Can I Get a Title Loan While in Chapter 13?

Steve Rhode — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 16:03:40 +0000

Taking a title loan while your Chapter 13 is active usually needs trustee permission first - and the car you'd pledge may be the plan's own protected asset.

The FTC Just Settled With Doxo for $2.1 Million — Pull Your Last 12 Months of Bill Payments and Look for These Fees

Steve Rhode — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 20:56:03 +0000

Doxo's FTC settlement pays $2.1 million in redress — but the real money is the late fees a bill-pay delay caused you. Here's how to check.

What Bank of America Just Told the SEC About Its Money-Laundering Consent Order

Steve Rhode — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 19:01:13 +0000

In February, Bank of America told the SEC this compliance matter would not be "material." In July, it said resolution may include monetary penalties.

A Debt Collector Is Threatening Me with Deportation. Here’s What to Do Right Now.

Steve Rhode — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 18:47:38 +0000

A debt collector cannot legally threaten you with deportation — that's a federal law violation, not a real power they have. Document it, then use it.

The Kia and Hyundai Theft Settlement That’s Still Open Isn’t the $200 Million One You Heard About

Steve Rhode — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 20:38:02 +0000

The $200 million Kia Hyundai settlement already closed. Here's the smaller one still paying claims -- and the insurance move most owners miss.

A Creditor Violated My Rights While I Was Deployed. Here’s What to Do Right Now.

Steve Rhode — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 20:29:58 +0000

A creditor, landlord, or repo company may have broken federal law while you were deployed. Here's how to invoke your SCRA rights and get it fixed.

Pay the Pit Bull, Not the Maltese: Which Bill Comes First

Steve Rhode — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 23:51:33 +0000

When money is short, the bill screaming loudest is usually the one you can skip. Damon Day's rule for deciding which bill to actually pay first.

Can a Hospital Make You Pay Before It Treats You? Here’s When They Can — and What to Do

Steve Rhode — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 21:20:50 +0000

Hospitals are asking for money before non-emergency care. That number is an estimate, not a bill. Here's when they can require it — and what to ask first.

The $120 Million Homebuyer Commission Settlement Just Opened — Here’s How to File Your Claim Without Paying Anyone

Steve Rhode — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 20:20:15 +0000

A $120 million home-sale commission settlement is taking claims now. I'll walk you through who qualifies, the deadline, and why filing costs nothing.

FedEx Started Paying Tariff Refunds on August 10 — Here’s Who Actually Gets the Money

Steve Rhode — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 19:23:05 +0000

FedEx's $800M tariff refund payouts started August 10. Here's exactly who qualifies — and why most Americans still get nothing.

The FTC Is Sending $23.8 Million to Grubhub Drivers and Diners — There’s No Claim Form

Steve Rhode — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 21:16:07 +0000

The FTC's Grubhub refunds — $23.8 million across 640,038 payments — need no claim form. The money isn't the risk. What comes after it is.

The FTC Says a $200 Million Credit Repair Scheme Used Google Ads to Target Military Servicemembers

Steve Rhode — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 20:51:34 +0000

The FTC says a credit repair network used Google ads to target servicemembers owing AAFES and USAA debts — and what it allegedly did next should worry you.

Damon Day Switched His Walmart Spark Zone for the First Time. Here’s Why One Good Order Doesn’t Prove Anything

Steve Rhode — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 19:23:12 +0000

Damon Day switched Walmart Spark delivery zones for the first time and landed a rare 4-stop order. Here's why one good result doesn't prove the new zone is better.

My Property Tax Lien Was Sold. Here’s What to Do Right Now.

Steve Rhode — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 19:21:07 +0000

Your property tax lien or deed was just sold to an investor. Here's how much time you actually have — and money you may be owed but don't know about.

What the Rich Are Hearing Right Now That You’re Not: Inside the $124 Trillion Wealth Transfer

Steve Rhode — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 18:40:39 +0000

The $124 trillion wealth transfer mostly moves inside the richest 2% of households — and the advice those families pay for turns out to be free.

They Said No Creditor Can Ever Touch My Social Security — Except the Government Can

Steve Rhode — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 22:30:08 +0000

Private creditors can never touch your Social Security. But the IRS can levy 15% for back taxes, and Treasury can offset it for federal student loan debt.

What loanDepot Just Told the SEC About Its 2024 Data Breach

Steve Rhode — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 21:14:28 +0000

loanDepot's SEC filing just changed its 2024 data breach assessment from 'not estimable' to 'probable loss.' Here's what that means if your data was in it.

A Creditor Is Making Me Come to Court to Answer Questions About My Money

Steve Rhode — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 21:10:56 +0000

A creditor won a judgment and now wants you in court answering questions under oath about your money. Here is what can, and cannot, happen if you go.

Damon Day Made $138 Multi-Apping in 3 Hours — Here’s the Rate Floor That Made the Math Work

Steve Rhode — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 20:38:11 +0000

Damon Day's Day 4 gig challenge: how a pre-set $40-an-hour rate floor kept him from chasing junk offers while running four apps at once.

I’m Falling Behind on My Chapter 13 Payments. Here’s What to Do Right Now.

Steve Rhode — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 16:29:34 +0000

More Chapter 13 plans are dismissed than completed. Here's how to modify, get a hardship discharge, or convert to Chapter 7 before dismissal hits.

What Consumer Portfolio Services Just Told the SEC About Its Car Loan Extensions

Steve Rhode

A subprime auto lender's own SEC filing shows how often loan "extensions" actually work — and how often they just delay repossession.

Damon Day’s Gig Challenge, Day 2: A Ghost Order and the Real Cost of a Bad Night

Steve Rhode — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 15:14:31 +0000

Damon Day's Day 2 gig challenge: a duplicate order that didn't exist, two forced cancellations, and what a bad night actually costs, mile by mile.

I Already Paid This Debt But a Collector Says I Still Owe It. Here’s What to Do Right Now.

Steve Rhode — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 19:18:37 +0000

A collector is demanding money on a debt you already paid. Federal law bars collecting a paid debt, and here's how to prove it and make them stop.

What Sallie Mae Just Told the SEC About a ‘Refinance’ That Is Actually a Default Trap

Steve Rhode — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 18:58:02 +0000

Sallie Mae told the SEC that some 'refinance' pitches are really pushing able-to-pay borrowers into default. Here's the filing and what to do instead.

Damon Day’s New Gig Challenge: Day One Reveals a Walmart Trick Most Drivers Never Notice

Steve Rhode — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 17:43:45 +0000

Damon Day kicked off a new weekly gig-work challenge, and Day 1 revealed a hidden Walmart trick that costs drivers money without changing the offer price.

They Said My SAVE Forbearance Months Still Count Toward My IDR Forgiveness Clock. They Don’t.

Steve Rhode — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 20:52:35 +0000

SAVE forbearance months don't count toward your IDR forgiveness clock. Unlike PSLF, there's no buyback fix for IDR -- here's why, and what to do.

What Synchrony’s 10-Q Really Shows About Your Late Fees

Steve Rhode — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 20:27:47 +0000

Synchrony's Q2 2026 10-Q shows late-fee revenue and delinquencies fell from a year ago - even with the CFPB's $8 cap gone. Here's what the filing says.

BRONSTIN v. United Debt Settlement, LLC, Case No. 1:26-cv-06697

Research Department — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 20:02:12 +0000

Quick Answer: Asher Bronstin sued United Debt Settlement, LLC in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). Bronstin alleges that United Debt Settlement made multiple telemarketing calls to him and other individuals on the National Do Not Call Registry without their consent and failed to provide proper caller identification information. He seeks monetary damages and injunctive relief to prevent further violations. This is a legal filing containing allegations; no finding of liability has been made.

My Parent Died in a Nursing Home and They Say I Owe the Bill. Here’s What to Do Right Now.

Steve Rhode — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 19:34:24 +0000

A nursing home is billing you personally after your parent's death. Federal law bars a family guarantee requirement — here's what to check first.