Debt Survival

Your income dropped. Your bills didn't. You're staring at a stack of obligations that made sense when you had a paycheck and now feel like a wall closing in. This skill is about triage: what to pay, what to negotiate, what to let go, and what happens if you do.

This is not a debt optimization guide for people trying to improve their credit score by 20 points. This is for people who cannot pay everything and need to know what matters most. Laws referenced (FDCPA, FCRA, statute of limitations) are US-specific.