{"id":10197,"date":"2021-04-05T08:45:40","date_gmt":"2021-04-05T15:45:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/?p=10197"},"modified":"2025-08-26T17:01:32","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T00:01:32","slug":"personal-debt-check-up-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-ignore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/personal-debt-check-up-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-ignore\/","title":{"rendered":"Personal Debt Check-Up: What to Look for (and What to Ignore)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Are you feeling unsure about where you stand when it comes to debt? Learn some key factors to consider when you\u2019re evaluating your personal debt situation and overall financial health \u2013 we\u2019ll also note some things you can disregard, and where to get help if you\u2019re a BC resident looking for professional debt management services or advice.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Personal Debt Assessments \u2013 Why &amp; How<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Just as it\u2019s a good idea to have a regular check-up with your doctor and dentist, and routine maintenance done on your vehicle, checking in on your finances is key to keeping on top of money matters. Without a regular check-in it can be all too easy to simply navigate on financial \u201cauto-pilot\u201d and not recognize when things are headed for trouble, particularly when it comes to debt.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>How Do you Feel About your Debt?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>First and foremost, set aside \u201cthe numbers\u201d &#8211; you are often the best gauge of your own financial health. If you\u2019re feeling any of the following in relation to managing your debt or overall financial situation, it may be a clear sign that it\u2019s time to seek professional debt advice:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Overwhelming stress about your finances\n<ul>\n<li>This debt-stress often manifests with physical, emotional and\/or psychological impacts<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Worry, anxiety or fear about money and debt<\/li>\n<li>Alienating yourself from family or friends due to embarrassment or stress about spending or debt<\/li>\n<li>Ongoing arguments with your spouse or partner about money<\/li>\n<li>Constantly thinking about your debt<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Many people find themselves frustrated trying to get to debt-free, and often feel as though their best efforts just haven\u2019t been enough to pay off all their debt. In our experience as Licensed Insolvency Trustees, a debt-cycle or money problem can happen to anyone and there are many factors and events outside of our control that can derail even the best laid plans.<\/p>\n<p>Although it might initially feel defeating to ask for help, a Licensed Insolvency can be a great resource to you in clearing debt and meeting your debt-free goals. At Sands &amp; Associates we take a non-judgmental and supportive approach to debt help services \u2013 you can even connect with one of our friendly debt help experts from the comfort of your home. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/free-debt-consultation\/\">Book your free debt consultation here.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>When it comes to \u201con-paper\u201d tactics, you can start your personal debt assessment with the following:<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Check Your Credit History<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Even though it\u2019s generally recommended to review your credit report about once a year, this is a financial chore that often falls by the wayside. From inaccuracies and errors to fraud and other surprises, an unkempt credit history can be hiding a lot of financial hassle \u2013 don\u2019t get caught unaware!<\/p>\n<p>There are two main credit bureaus in Canada: Equifax and TransUnion. It is a good idea to check your reports with both since one may have different information than the other. There are a couple of ways you can access your credit report:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Online: By visiting the website of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumer.equifax.ca\/en\/personal\/products\/credit-score-report\/\">Equifax<\/a> you can complete a request to have your credit history reports mailed to you (recommended), or for a cost you can access your credit history reports online. For TransUnion, you can complete requests to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.transunion.ca\/product\/consumer-disclosure\">obtain your Consumer Disclosure<\/a>.\n<ul>\n<li>If you opt for this route, make sure you\u2019re not inadvertently signing on for subscriptions or information that has a cost &#8211; different \u201cpackages\u201d that contain additional information will be available for purchase. <strong>You only need to see the basic credit history report or Consumer Disclosure, which is free.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>By mail: You can fill out and submit forms to request a copy of each of your credit reports be mailed to you. You can obtain copies by mail for free once a year!\n<ul>\n<li>You\u2019ll need to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/downloads\/\">fill out the request forms in entirety<\/a>, attach necessary identification documents and either mail or fax the request form to each credit bureau. Alternatively you can call either agency to request copies of your credit reports be mailed to you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Though it may seem surprising at first read, one thing you <u>DON\u2019T<\/u> need in evaluating your personal debts is your credit score, as outlined in further detail below.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Your Credit Score<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>A credit score alone is not an accurate rating of your financial health and cannot be relied on to gauge your finances on a daily basis.\u00a0It\u2019s also important to note that whatever credit score is calculated by the credit bureaus, each lender uses their own set of calculations to calculate a credit score for their purposes which could be quite different than the score you are able to access directly from Equifax and\/or TransUnion. Also consider the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Person A has what they would consider an optimal credit score and makes their minimum monthly payments on time, keeping their account in good standing \u2013 but they can\u2019t afford to pay off their debt outright, nor will they be able to have the balance to zero even in the next 5 years.<\/li>\n<li>Person B has just finished a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/personal-debt-consolidation\/personal-bankruptcy\/\">personal bankruptcy<\/a> proceeding and, therefore, immediately following the personal bankruptcy, Person B\u2019s credit score will be poor. However, they\u2019re now debt-free and can start to rebuild and accumulate savings because of the \u201creset\u201d the bankruptcy has provided.<\/li>\n<li>And then there\u2019s Person C who has only one credit card, which they use only infrequently as they often pay cash for purchases and always pay any balance in full each month. Having a minimal credit history makes it difficult for lenders to assess their \u201clendability\u201d, therefore they have a lower score than a person who may juggle multiple accounts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Quite often despite good-standing credit, lenders determine that a person is essentially maxxed-out, meaning that \u201cgood\u201d credit score may not provide much (if any) advantage when it comes to assessing your progress in paying off debt. It\u2019s also important to know that a credit score can change rapidly.\u00a0 People often go from very poor credit scores immediately following a bankruptcy to having rebuilt credit sufficiently to qualify for a mortgage if desired in as little as two to-three years following the conclusion of their insolvency proceeding.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Calculate Your Debt-to-Income Ratio<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Your debt-to-income ratio is a personal finance ratio often used by lenders when you\u2019re applying for credit, but it is also a measure that can be useful for you to see just how \u201caffordable\u201d your debt-load may be. Here\u2019s how to find your ratio:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Add up your gross (before tax) monthly income<\/li>\n<li>Add up your debt payments plus monthly rent or mortgage payment as well as child support you may pay\n<ul>\n<li>Rent\/mortgage<\/li>\n<li>Credit card payment<\/li>\n<li>Student loan payment<\/li>\n<li>Car payment<\/li>\n<li>Other monthly debt payment<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Divide the total of your monthly debts by your monthly gross income and multiply by 100. This percentage is your debt-to-income ratio.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Some experts <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/financial-consumer-agency\/services\/credit-reports-score\/improve-credit-score.html\">suggest<\/a> that your total debt payments (including a mortgage) should add up to no more than 35-40% your gross monthly income. If you\u2019re not a home owner and are looking at this ratio with money owed on debts <em>other than mortgage debt<\/em> (but including credit card balances, vehicle loans etc.), then the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/financial-consumer-agency\/services\/credit-reports-score\/improve-credit-score.html\">recommended<\/a> consumer debt payments are no more than 15-20% of your gross income.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It\u2019s important to remember many guidelines are primarily <em>for lenders<\/em> in gauging whether or not to issue you credit, with the thought that low debt-to-income ratios indicate a person is more likely to manage their monthly payments well and repay the debt over time.<\/li>\n<li>When it comes to the question of \u201chow much debt is OK?\u201d, the answer to that largely depends on your personal circumstances. An \u201cideal\u201d debt-to-income ratio for you personally may be much lower than for a lender.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Consider how much of your income is going towards servicing your debt, as well as your housing costs. A high debt-ratio may be an early indicator that your debt load has the potential to become unmanageable \u2013 be wary if debt is taking a significant amount of your income as this can indicate a highly risky overall financial situation.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/after-making-a-consumer-proposal-what-you-need-to-know\/\"><em>From records to credit scores &#8211; What You Need to Know After Making a Consumer Proposal<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Do you truly know where all your money is going? Whether you are trying to achieve your debt-free goals, or are already there and wanting to maintain your financial health, having a balanced budget is key:<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Check in With Your Budget<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>One of the biggest mistakes people make when it comes to budgeting is simply not comparing their estimates of what they will bring in and plan to spend with their actual incoming and outgoing funds.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A successful budget should be tracked, checked and revisited regularly. For many people this will be part of an ongoing monthly plan.<\/li>\n<li>Though putting money aside for savings often comes last in terms of priorities, it\u2019s important to know that savings can be a major advantage during a financial emergency. Consider the following:\n<ul>\n<li>Do your income, household expenses and debt payments leave you enough room for: emergency savings, retirement needs, other financial goals (vacation, large purchases, etc.)?<\/li>\n<li>Set up automatic withdrawals to a savings account (even if it\u2019s a small amount) each month so you\u2019re saving something.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Although any type of debt be difficult to manage if you find yourself in a position where you can\u2019t make your payments, not all debts are created equal in terms of urgency if you are struggling to maintain payments. As outlined below, certain debts have a much higher risk of compounding into an ongoing problem if they go unpaid.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Types of Debt You Carry<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>When you assess your debt consider and categorize with some of the following in mind:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Provided they are affordable, debts you incur with the <em>expectation of a future benefit<\/em> such as a mortgage on your home or a student loan to pursue a career.<\/li>\n<li>Debt you incur for something that <em>loses value or benefit quickly. <\/em>A common example would be non-essential credit card purchases where you will carry a balance.<\/li>\n<li>Many debt management professionals caution that two types of debt that could be considered \u201curgent debt\u201d and potentially a sign that you may be headed towards financial trouble:\n<ul>\n<li>Payday loans (and\/or instalment loans through \u201cpayday loan lenders\u201d)<\/li>\n<li>Government debt (taxes, outstanding student loans, etc.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/having-government-debts-forgiven\/\"><em>What Can You Do About Government Debts? Here\u2019s what you need to know.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p>As well as how much and the types of debt you have also consider your:<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Payment Habits<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Are you able to make all your payments on time, every time \u2013 or has your personal financial situation left you falling into (or near) warning-sign habits such as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Shuffling money from one credit account to another (ie., Taking from one credit card to make a payment on another).<\/li>\n<li>Trying to ignore your debt, or avoiding account balances (or hiding them from your partner).<\/li>\n<li>Accumulating more debt:\n<ul>\n<li>Relying on credit to meet day-to-day living expenses.<\/li>\n<li>Considering (or already) using payday loans.<\/li>\n<li>Taking on more\/new debt while you are working on paying off a consolidation loan.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>One payment distinction that should <u>NOT<\/u> be taken as a measure of success:<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Only Making Minimum Payments<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>As a direct result of high interest charges and fees, only making your minimum monthly payments on credit card or line of credit debts often means you\u2019re stuck in a debt repayment cycle that can last for many years and stop you from truly making progress towards being debt-free. Even a small $1,000 balance on a credit card that charges 18% interest could take up to 10 years to pay off making just the minimum monthly payments due!<\/p>\n<p>Try doing the \u201cRule of 60\u201d math:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Divide your total <em>non-mortgage<\/em> debts by 60 \u2013 does the number look like a monthly payment you could afford in order to pay your debts off in 5 years?<\/li>\n<li>If that 5-year figure barely fits your budget (or not at all) then you may benefit from restructuring your debt working with a Licensed Insolvency Trustee to put together a debt payment plan.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Whether your debt-free goals feel within reach or seem too far away to imagine, know that you are not alone &#8211; Sands &amp; Associates is here for you if you need professional debt advice at any point. BC residents can access qualified government-endorsed debt help services by connecting with a Licensed Insolvency Trustee (no referral is needed) and confidential debt consultations are always free. Our caring debt management specialists across the province are here to help with non-judgmental advice and solutions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Get professional help assessing your debt and explore all your options for becoming debt-free \u2013 knowing is not owing! <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/free-debt-consultation\/\"><strong>Book your free confidential debt consultation<\/strong><\/a><strong> with a friendly debt expert today. <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you feeling unsure about where you stand when it comes to debt? Learn some key factors to consider when you\u2019re evaluating your personal debt situation and overall financial health \u2013 we\u2019ll also note some things you can disregard, and where to get help if you\u2019re a BC resident looking for professional debt management services [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":10198,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[261,263],"tags":[38,39,74,44,37,53,117,120,101,100,242,43,238,98,70,204,35,54],"class_list":["post-10197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-debt-free-living","category-expert-debt-advice","tag-bankruptcy-bc","tag-bankruptcy-trustees","tag-bc-debt","tag-budgeting","tag-consumer-proposals","tag-credit-card-debt","tag-credit-counselling","tag-credit-counsellor","tag-credit-report","tag-credit-score","tag-debt-advice","tag-debt-consolidation","tag-debt-help","tag-financial-literacy","tag-financial-stress","tag-licensed-insolvency-trustee","tag-sands-associates","tag-savings"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.3 (Yoast SEO v26.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Should I Get Debt Help? Assess Debt Health | Sands &amp; Assoc.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn what to look for, what to ignore and where to get professional help when evaluating your financial health and personal debts.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/personal-debt-check-up-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-ignore\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Personal Debt Check-Up: What to Look for (and What to Ignore)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn what to look for, what to ignore and where to get professional help when evaluating your financial health and personal debts.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/personal-debt-check-up-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-ignore\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sands &amp; Associates\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SandsAssociates\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-04-05T15:45:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-27T00:01:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Evaluate-Personal-Debt-e1617294723571.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"650\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"650\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Blair Mantin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Blair Mantin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/personal-debt-check-up-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-ignore\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/personal-debt-check-up-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-ignore\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Blair Mantin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bce0833a5a7c2b89498e7d357aa214bf\"},\"headline\":\"Personal Debt Check-Up: What to Look for (and What to Ignore)\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-04-05T15:45:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-27T00:01:32+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/personal-debt-check-up-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-ignore\/\"},\"wordCount\":2121,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/personal-debt-check-up-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-ignore\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Evaluate-Personal-Debt-e1617294723571.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Bankruptcy BC\",\"Bankruptcy Trustees\",\"BC Debt\",\"Budgeting\",\"Consumer Proposals\",\"Credit Card Debt\",\"Credit Counselling\",\"Credit Counsellor\",\"Credit Report\",\"Credit Score\",\"Debt Advice\",\"Debt Consolidation\",\"Debt Help\",\"Financial Literacy\",\"Financial Stress\",\"Licensed Insolvency Trustee\",\"Sands &amp; Associates\",\"Savings\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Debt-Free Living\",\"Expert Debt Advice\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/personal-debt-check-up-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-ignore\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/personal-debt-check-up-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-ignore\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/personal-debt-check-up-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-ignore\/\",\"name\":\"Should I Get Debt Help? Assess Debt Health | Sands & Assoc.\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/personal-debt-check-up-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-ignore\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/personal-debt-check-up-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-ignore\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Evaluate-Personal-Debt-e1617294723571.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-04-05T15:45:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-27T00:01:32+00:00\",\"description\":\"Learn what to look for, what to ignore and where to get professional help when evaluating your financial health and personal debts.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/personal-debt-check-up-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-ignore\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/personal-debt-check-up-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-ignore\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/personal-debt-check-up-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-ignore\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Evaluate-Personal-Debt-e1617294723571.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Evaluate-Personal-Debt-e1617294723571.jpg\",\"width\":650,\"height\":650,\"caption\":\"Debt health tips from Licensed Insolvency Trustees Sands & Associates\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/personal-debt-check-up-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-ignore\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Personal Debt Check-Up: What to Look for (and What to Ignore)\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/\",\"name\":\"Sands & Associates\",\"description\":\"Trustee in Bankruptcy\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Sands & Associates\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/sands-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/sands-logo.png\",\"width\":306,\"height\":99,\"caption\":\"Sands & Associates\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SandsAssociates\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/sandstrustee\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/sandstrustee\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/sands-&-associates-trustees\/\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sandsassociatesbc\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bce0833a5a7c2b89498e7d357aa214bf\",\"name\":\"Blair Mantin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/51398c078da19a02d414cfcd51f6dfb0b14d8020d9c38b9b3fbf15994e4d7005?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/51398c078da19a02d414cfcd51f6dfb0b14d8020d9c38b9b3fbf15994e4d7005?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Blair Mantin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/sands-trustee.com\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Should I Get Debt Help? Assess Debt Health | Sands & Assoc.","description":"Learn what to look for, what to ignore and where to get professional help when evaluating your financial health and personal debts.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/personal-debt-check-up-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-ignore\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Personal Debt Check-Up: What to Look for (and What to Ignore)","og_description":"Learn what to look for, what to ignore and where to get professional help when evaluating your financial health and personal debts.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/personal-debt-check-up-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-ignore\/","og_site_name":"Sands &amp; Associates","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SandsAssociates","article_published_time":"2021-04-05T15:45:40+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-08-27T00:01:32+00:00","og_image":[{"width":650,"height":650,"url":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Evaluate-Personal-Debt-e1617294723571.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Blair Mantin","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Blair Mantin","Est. reading time":"10 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/personal-debt-check-up-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-ignore\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/personal-debt-check-up-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-ignore\/"},"author":{"name":"Blair Mantin","@id":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bce0833a5a7c2b89498e7d357aa214bf"},"headline":"Personal Debt Check-Up: What to Look for (and What to Ignore)","datePublished":"2021-04-05T15:45:40+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-27T00:01:32+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/personal-debt-check-up-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-ignore\/"},"wordCount":2121,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/personal-debt-check-up-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-ignore\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Evaluate-Personal-Debt-e1617294723571.jpg","keywords":["Bankruptcy BC","Bankruptcy Trustees","BC Debt","Budgeting","Consumer Proposals","Credit Card Debt","Credit Counselling","Credit Counsellor","Credit Report","Credit Score","Debt Advice","Debt Consolidation","Debt Help","Financial Literacy","Financial Stress","Licensed Insolvency Trustee","Sands &amp; Associates","Savings"],"articleSection":["Debt-Free Living","Expert Debt Advice"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/personal-debt-check-up-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-ignore\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/personal-debt-check-up-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-ignore\/","url":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/personal-debt-check-up-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-ignore\/","name":"Should I Get Debt Help? Assess Debt Health | Sands & Assoc.","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/personal-debt-check-up-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-ignore\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/personal-debt-check-up-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-ignore\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Evaluate-Personal-Debt-e1617294723571.jpg","datePublished":"2021-04-05T15:45:40+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-27T00:01:32+00:00","description":"Learn what to look for, what to ignore and where to get professional help when evaluating your financial health and personal debts.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/personal-debt-check-up-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-ignore\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/personal-debt-check-up-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-ignore\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/personal-debt-check-up-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-ignore\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Evaluate-Personal-Debt-e1617294723571.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Evaluate-Personal-Debt-e1617294723571.jpg","width":650,"height":650,"caption":"Debt health tips from Licensed Insolvency Trustees Sands & Associates"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/blog\/personal-debt-check-up-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-ignore\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Personal Debt Check-Up: What to Look for (and What to Ignore)"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/","name":"Sands & Associates","description":"Trustee in Bankruptcy","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/#organization","name":"Sands & Associates","url":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/sands-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/sands-logo.png","width":306,"height":99,"caption":"Sands & Associates"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SandsAssociates","https:\/\/x.com\/sandstrustee","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/sandstrustee","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/sands-&-associates-trustees\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sandsassociatesbc\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bce0833a5a7c2b89498e7d357aa214bf","name":"Blair Mantin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/51398c078da19a02d414cfcd51f6dfb0b14d8020d9c38b9b3fbf15994e4d7005?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/51398c078da19a02d414cfcd51f6dfb0b14d8020d9c38b9b3fbf15994e4d7005?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Blair Mantin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/sands-trustee.com"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10197"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10197\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12547,"href":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10197\/revisions\/12547"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sands-trustee.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}