Federal Trade Commission's
Important Questions to Ask When Selecting a Credit Counseling Agency

1. What services do you offer?
   ByDesign™ offers a wide range of educational and counseling services--such as budget counseling and personal finance workshops--to assist people to improve their money management skills. Our certified counselors are trained in the areas of budgeting, debt management, credit, identity theft, housing and reverse mortgages. They can meet with you over the phone or Internet or in person to discuss your financial situation and help you come up with a personalized action plan. A counseling session usually lasts about an hour. We also offer a wide range of financial workshops.
   
   
2. Are you licensed to offer services in my state?
   ByDesign™ is authorized to provide debt management services in California. Our other services, including identity theft and reverse mortgage counseling and educational workshops do not require in-state licensing.
   
   
3. Do you offer free information?
   Yes. ByDesign™ offers a wealth of free information on this website.
   
   
4. Will I have a formal written agreement or contract with you?
   Yes, if you enroll in our debt management plan, you will receive a detailed agreement outlining the terms upon which this service is provided.
   
   
5. What are the qualifications of your counselors? Are they accredited or certified by an outside organization? If so, which one? If not, how are they trained?
   ByDesign™ counselors are certified by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (also known as the NFCC). Our entire agency is accredited by the Council on Accreditation.
   
   
6. Have other consumers been satisfied with the service that they received?
   Yes. Our own clients are our number one referral source. All of our clients are regularly surveyed to establish their satisfaction with our services. The responses are overwhelmingly positive. You may check our record with the Better Business Bureau under National Foundation for Consumer Credit.
   
   
7. What are your fees? Are there set-up and/or monthly fees?
   If you are specifically interested in our debt management plan fees, the initial budget and credit counseling session is free and a $50 fee for your comprehensive education program. We charge a monthly debt management administration fee of a maximum of 8% of your monthly payment (with a cap of $35). These fees are regulated under California state law. There are no other fees and our organization will never ask for or accept donations from clients participating in a debt management program. Please click here for a complete, printable, Fee Schedule.
   
   
8. How are your employees paid? Are the employees in the organization paid more if I sign up for certain services, pay a fee, or make a contribution to your organization?
   All of our employees are paid a flat salary. Our Board policy prohibits any employee from receiving any financial incentives for signing up clients for any service or sale of any product.
   
   
9. What do you do to keep personal information about your clients (for example, name, address, phone number, and financial information) confidential and secure?
   ByDesign™ keeps clients personal information strictly confidential and secure, as outlined in our privacy policy. We use current firewall technologies to protect client data from outsiders, as well as passwords and permission levels internally, to restrict access to our proprietary network.
   
   We have developed and implemented policies and procedures to be in full compliance with federal and state laws concerning privacy.