Course Disclosures

Pre-Filing Credit Counseling

Financial Education Services is required to disclose the following information prior to each Pre-filing Bankruptcy Counseling Course:
  • Financial Education Services is a non-profit agency dedicated to providing professional financial education and confidential counseling.
  • Funding is provided by client fees for various services and programs offered to the public to cover the cost of providing the service or program. Future funding may be in the form of donations and contributions from entities that support financial education.
  • Our Pre-Petition Bankruptcy Counseling Program is not currently approved in the following states: Alabama and North Carolina.
  • Our credit counselors all hold higher education degrees, are trained and certified in accordance with either the National Association of Certified Credit Counselors (NACCC), or the Center for Financial Certifications (CFC) standards, and have experience in counseling and instruction of financial matters.
  • The Pre-filing Credit Counseling Internet Course is $0.00. The Pre-filing Credit Counseling Telephone Course is $0.00. Financial Education Services accepts credit cards, electronic checks, or money orders. You may also use an Attorney code which you obtain from your attorney if he or she is an Financial Education Services Subscribing Attorney.
  • Financial Education Services does not report any of its clients to any credit reporting agency. Thus, use of Financial Education Services services should not have any impact on your credit report.
  • The course consists of two segments:
    • For the INTERNET Delivery Method: an online component where you will review written materials and enter financial information so we may help you create a household budget, and a follow up counseling course/briefing with a trained counselor via phone or chat.
    • For the Telephone Delivery Method: a recorded component where you will listen to the course content so we may help you create a household budget, and a follow-up counseling course/briefing with a trained counselor.
  • Course materials are provided via the Internet through interactive learning modules for the Internet delivery method. The on-line portion of the briefing and the follow-up counseling courses/briefings can be accessed 24 hours a day/7 days a week and 365 days per year. Your counseling will not be complete until you have completed your follow-up counseling/briefing course. At the conclusion of your follow-up counseling course/briefing, Financial Education Services will provide you with an official Certificate of Counseling.
  • Financial Education Services will assist clients by waiving the course fee if the clients’ total household income is equal to or less than 150% of the federal poverty guidelines set by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Clients with circumstances such as being a single parent, unemployed or is an individual or a relative of an individual in active military duty may also request for a fee waiver. Fee waiver requests may be sent by email to info@financialedservices.org or by facsimile to . Please include an explanation about your hardship. The explanation provided will be recorded for purposes of reporting.
  • Financial Education Services does not pay or receive fees or other consideration for referrals.
  • Upon completion of the course, Financial Education Services will provide a certificate of completion and a written budget analysis.
  • Financial Education Services does not provide Debt Management Plans. The Agency may refer course takers to other approved agencies but you may be assessed additional fees in connection to such referral.
  • Financial Education Services may disclose client information to the United States Trustee in connection with the United States Trustee’s oversight of the agency, or during the investigation of complaints, during on-site visits, or during quality of service reviews. Financial Education Services’s Pre-Filing Credit Counseling Course and Personal Financial Management Instructional Course have been approved by the United States Trustee.


Terms and Conditions


TERMS

Financial Education Services ("Financial Education Services") is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to educating people about personal debt, using credit wisely, and problems related to debt and credit. Financial Education Services currently uses this web site to provide a: (1) Credit Counseling Course for persons who are contemplating filing U.S. bankruptcy proceedings; and (2) Debtor Education Course for persons who have filed U.S. bankruptcy proceedings. You are required to present a Credit Counseling course completion certificate in order to file for consumer bankruptcy and a Debtor Education course completion certificate in order for the Court to approve your bankruptcy petition. Financial Education Services has secured the approval of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) to provide these Courses in the states listed on the DOJ website. If you have any questions, please review the list of authorized agencies in your state as specified on the DOJ website.

The following are the Terms and Conditions for the use of this web site, as well as a statement of the Financial Education Services Privacy Policy. You should read these Terms and Conditions and the Privacy Policy before using this web site (the “Website”). If you approve of the Terms and Conditions, by indicating your assent at the bottom of this section, you will then be able to access the rest of this Website. If you do not approve of the Financial Education Services Terms and Conditions, you should exit this Website at this time.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Nothing herein shall apply to actions or claims under the provisions of the United States Bankruptcy Code, 11 U.S.C. Sec. 101 et seq. Personal Use. This Website is for your personal use only, and only for use in connection with securing a certificate of completion of a Course (the "Certificate") for the purpose of filing for personal bankruptcy. The materials of the Credit Counseling Course are copyrighted by a party who has licensed Financial Education Services to use the materials as provided in these Terms and Conditions, and the materials of the Debtor Education Course are copyrighted by a different party who similarly has licensed their use by Financial Education Services. Those materials may not be copied, distributed, or otherwise published for the benefit of any person other than yourself and, if applicable, your spouse for the purpose of satisfying bankruptcy law requirements and no other rights in those materials are granted to you. Law Firm Use. Separately set forth below is a copy of the Attorney Agreement that can be accepted by duly licensed attorneys who wish to assist their clients in the use of this Website by becoming Subscribing Attorneys. Each such attorney should become familiar with the provisions of these Terms and Conditions so as to be able to advise and perhaps assist their clients who might be using this Website. Submission of Personal Information. In order to secure the Certificate(s) required by the United States Bankruptcy Court, you will need to submit specific information concerning yourself and, in the case of the Debtor Education Course, specific information that identifies your bankruptcy case. We will only ask you for the information needed for the purposes of issuing your course completion certificates. Set forth below is a copy of the Financial Education Services Privacy Policy, which you should read before you agree to take a Course. That way you will be able to understand how Financial Education Services protects your personal information. It will, of course, be important for you to enter that information accurately. Financial Education Services is not responsible for any adverse outcomes that are the result of the specification of erroneous or inaccurate personal information. Account Number, Password, and Security. In order to protect your personal privacy while still assuring that you will be able to secure your desired Course Completion Certificate(s), Financial Education Services will assign you a personal account number and then you will be able to select your own personal password. In addition, you will be asked to provide a personal security question and the answer, so that you will be able to access your account if you forget your account password. Once you secure a personal account number and select your personal password, you should take great precaution to preserve their confidentiality. Payment. Prior to taking a Course, you will be required to pay the specified fee for the Course and issuance of the required course completion certificate(s). In connection with making that payment, you will be requested to submit either your credit/debit card information or your checking account information, through which the specified fee can be paid immediately. Alternatively, you will be able to inform Financial Education Services that you will send a money order for payment of these rendered services. Although we accept money orders as a courtesy to our clients, we cannot guarantee that we’ll receive your money order in time to allow you to complete your course. That’s why we highly recommend the use of check, debit, or prepaid credit cards with the Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover logos on them. In fact, prepaid credit cards are just as readily available as money orders at most neighborhood supermarkets and pharmacies. Completion of Course. In order to successfully complete a Course, you will have to finish all the required financial learning modules and accompanying Course assessments. Furthermore, upon finishing the Course, you will have to validate your personal and, in the case of the Debtor Education Course, your bankruptcy case information to ensure that the Certificate(s) will be processed correctly. If there is any missing or potentially inaccurate information, a Financial Education Services representative will attempt to contact you by phone or by email. Financial Education Services is not responsible for any adverse outcomes that are the result of the specification of erroneous or inaccurate personal information. Issuance of Certificate. Prior to taking a Course, you will be able to select the method by which the Certificate showing completion of the Course will be delivered to you. The choices are: (1) by United States Postal mail, (2) by email, or (3) by fax. Limitation of Liability. As with all Internet facilities, Financial Education Services cannot assure the performance of the Internet or the various connections and equipment through which your Internet connection is being made. Financial Education Services’S SERVICES AND THIS WEBSITE ARE PROVIDED “AS IS, WHERE IS, AND AS AVAILABLE.” Financial Education Services MAKES NO REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY WHATSOEVER OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY SET FORTH IN THIS WEBSITE. IN ADDITION, Financial Education Services SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR OTHER INJURY IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH OR ARISING OUT OF YOUR USE OF THIS WEBSITE. THE AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF Financial Education Services AND OF ANY LICENSOR OF MATERIALS CONTAINED ON THIS WEBSITE SHALL BE LIMITED IN ALL EVENTS, REGARDLESS THE NATURE OF ANY CLAIM, TO THE AMOUNT OF FEES PAID BY YOU TO Financial Education Services. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES, IN WHICH CASE THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS AND EXCLUSIONS MIGHT NOT APPLY TO YOU. Your Acceptance and Agreement. By clicking the "I Agree" button on the disclaimer page, you will be entering into an agreement with Financial Education Services to the effect that you understand and accept the provisions of the above Terms and Conditions and you agree that you will be bound by and will act in accordance with those Terms and Conditions. You will also be acknowledging that you have read and accept the Financial Education Services Privacy Policy.