How Voluntary Vehicle Surrender Works
Voluntary vehicle surrender is repossession on your terms. In fact, it’s often called voluntary repossession. If you know you can’t afford your car and are heading toward repossession, making arrangements…
Sean Pyles
Sean Pyles is a debt writer at NerdWallet whose work has been featured in The New York Times, USA Today and elsewhere. He works to challenge the stigma of debt and show consumers the best options for handling their own debt. Beyond writing about personal finance, Sean enjoys watching RuPaul's Drag Race and gardening.
Posts by Sean Pyles:
‘Pay for Delete’ Might Help Your Credit — If You’re Lucky
“Pay for delete” is a strategy that can remove collections accounts from your credit reports — but only if you can get the collector to agree. You call or send a…
How I Ditched Debt: Homemade Tracker Kept Her Cooking
In this series, NerdWallet interviews people who have triumphed over debt using a combination of commitment, budgeting and smart financial choices. Their stories may even inspire you to pay off…
3 Ways to Scrub a Collections Stain Off a Credit Report
Your credit scores take a hit if you fall behind on payments to a creditor, and again if an account is sent to the creditor’s collection department or sold to a…
Different Ways to Zap Your Debt: Which Is for You?
American consumer debt has rebounded to prerecession levels, and the category that includes credit cards hit a record $1.02 trillion this summer. Maybe your credit card debt has crept up…
American Consumer Credit Counseling: 2017 Review
American Consumer Credit Counseling offers credit counseling services in all 50 states, including an array of free educational services. ACCC offers services over the phone, in person and online…
Can You Be Arrested for Debt?
You can’t be arrested just because you owe money on what you might think of as consumer debt: a credit card, loan or medical bill. Legally, debt collectors can’t even threaten…
5 Things Debt Collectors Can’t Do — and 5 They Can
Debt collectors’ tactics are limited by the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act. Here are 10 things third-party debt collectors — those who collect a debt on behalf of another creditor —…
Before Paying Collections Debts, Check Your Credit Reports
Your credit report can offer crucial details when you’re being pursued by a debt collector — especially if you question the amount, don’t recognize the debt or already paid it.…
How I Ditched Debt: Getting an Education in Student Loans
In this series, NerdWallet interviews people who have triumphed over debt using a combination of commitment, budgeting and smart financial choices. Their stories may even inspire you to pay off…
