Stop secretly fretting about your mounting credit card bills sitting next to your car note, beside your looming rent check, near your calendar with Friday's dinner date circled -at a pricey restaurant with friends. Debt stinks. But it won't go away unless you do something about it. So do something about it. There's help for all those creditors, bills and worries.

Debt consolidation is one option to help you take care of the mounting financial madness. Debt consolidation is when you work with a credit counselor to (voila!) consolidate your debt into a single low-interest loan. This usually helps save on interest payments and speeds the process of paying off debts.

Plus, your credit counselor works with creditors (credit card companies, student loans, doctors, etc.) to negotiate payments, reduce interest rates, waive fees and organize account payoffs with creditors. You pay the credit counselor once a month, and they distribute the money to all the places it needs to go. No more late fees. Many sighs of relief.

If you're considering debt consolidation, here is a VERY important, seriously-listen, piece of advice: many states don't require a business license or special counselor qualifications, so ask about your credit counseling agency's accreditations and make sure the agency is affiliated with the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (www.nfcc.org).