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How debt relief services can help with financial spring cleaning
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Spring is just around the corner, and soon, many people will open their windows, turn on some music and clean areas of their homes they may not have looked at over the last few months. But spring isn’t just a perfect time to deep clean your home; it’s a good time to clean up your financials, too.
A financial spring cleaning can help you set the stage for a more successful 2024. And, if part of that process includes addressing high-interest debt, you may want to consider using a debt relief service. In many ways, taking advantage of a debt relief service could be like having an expert who can guide you through the financial spring cleaning process. Here’s how.
Learn more about your debt relief options now.
How debt relief services can help with financial spring cleaning
There are several ways a debt relief service can make your financial spring cleaning an easier process, including:
They can help you assess your financial position
The first task at hand when you enroll in a debt relief service is typically to have a conversation with an expert about your debts, your other financial obligations and your income. This conversation will give you insight into:
- Your debt: You may learn how much money you owe, your average interest rate, how long it could take to pay off your debt and how much money your debt costs you each month and over time.
- Your budget: A budget assessment means you’ll learn more about where you spend your money and how you may be able to cut expenses to free up cash and get out of debt faster.
- Your income: By the end of your initial consultation, you may have a better understanding of your income sources and how it compares to your total expenses.
Learn more about how a debt relief expert could help you now.
They can help you reduce your monthly payment obligations
Credit card debt can be expensive, and that’s especially true in today’s high-rate environment. However, the most effective debt relief services are typically able to help you achieve freedom from debt while making lower monthly payments.
They can expedite the process of getting you out of debt
Depending on how much money you owe, it can take years or decades to pay off credit card debt if you’re making only minimum payments. But some debt relief services can help their customers achieve debt freedom in 24 to 48 months.
They can save you money
Debt relief services aren’t just focused on getting you out of debt quickly. They can also help you save money in the process.
How that works depends on the type of debt relief service you enroll in.
- Debt management: Credit card debt management services typically negotiate the interest rates and payment terms with your lenders, which could result in savings. Moreover, your payment plan will likely be designed to get you out of debt quickly, adding to the potential savings in the process.
- Debt forgiveness: Credit card debt forgiveness programs typically negotiate your principal balances with your lenders to try and get them to accept a lesser amount than what you owe. If successful, the remainder of the debt will be forgiven. However, it’s important to note that this process can have an impact on credit scores and may come with tax implications.
The bottom line
It’s time for a financial spring cleaning — and a debt relief program may be able to help. That’s especially true if you have a significant amount of credit card or other high-rate debt to clean up. If that’s the case for you, consider reaching out to a debt relief expert for help today.
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Hundreds of cruise passengers and workers fell ill with norovirus on three different ships this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
The CDC has logged outbreaks in 2024 on 14 cruise voyages, but three ships were hit in December. This is the only month this year when the CDC has reported three confirmed norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships and there’s still more than a week to go before the month ends. In all, 301 passengers and crew members fell ill during the December outbreaks, health officials said.
Those on Princess Cruises’ Ruby Princess, on a trip around Hawaii’s island, and Holland America’s Rotterdam and Zuiderdam voyages, both in the Caribbean, mostly dealt with diarrhea and vomiting.
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Two Holland America cruise ships hit by norovirus
The most recent outbreak was on Holland America’s Rotterdam ship, which set sail on Dec. 8 and is set to end its Caribbean
trip Friday in Fort Lauderdale.
Officials said 83 of the 2,192 passengers on board and 12 of the 953 crew members were sickened.
“At Holland America Line, the safety and well-being of our guests and crew is our top priority. During the current voyage, a number of guests on Rotterdam reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illness,” a Holland America spokesperson said. “The cases have mostly been mild and quickly resolving.”
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In response to the outbreak, there was additional cleaning and disinfection. Sick passengers and crew members were isolated. Stool specimens were collected for testing. The cruise line also consulted with the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program.
Once the Rotterdam ship arrives in Fort Lauderdale on Friday, it will undergo a comprehensive sanitization process before its next trip, according to the cruise line.
There was also a norovirus outbreak on Holland America’s Zuiderdam voyage earlier this month. Over the course of the Dec. 4-Dec. 11 voyage, 87 out of 1,923 passengers were reported ill, in addition to four of the 757 crew members, according to health officials.
A Holland America spokesperson declined to comment on the Zuiderdam outbreak because the voyage had already ended.
Norovirus, the “cruise ship virus”
Princess Cruises also dealt with a norovirus outbreak this month on its Ruby Princess ship during a cruise that started on Dec. 2 and ended on Wednesday. The ship started its journey in San Francisco and toured around Hawaii, according to CruiseMapper.
In all, 103 of 3,001 passengers and 12 of 1,142 crew members onboard reported being ill.
The Ruby Princess was also subject to increased cleaning and disinfection procedures, according to the CDC. Stool specimens were collected for testing and sick passengers and crew members were isolated. The cruise line consulted with the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program.
CBS News has reached out to Princess Cruises for comment.
There are about 2,500 reported norovirus outbreaks in the U.S. each year. Norovirus, which is sometimes called the “cruise ship virus,” causes more than 90% of diarrheal disease outbreaks on cruise ships, according to the CDC. However, norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships account for only a small percentage of all reported norovirus outbreaks.
“Norovirus can be especially challenging to control on cruise ships because of the close living quarters, shared dining areas, and rapid turnover of passengers,” according to the CDC. “When the ship docks, norovirus can be brought on board in contaminated food or water; or by passengers who were infected while ashore.”
This year, the CDC has logged outbreaks on 14 cruise voyages. Norovirus was listed as the causative agent for most of the outbreaks, though one was caused by salmonella and one was caused by E. coli. The causative agent of one outbreak remains unknown.
Norovirus outbreaks are usually more common during cooler months, typically happening from November to April in countries above the equator, according to the CDC.
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