loan

Co-signing a car loan for your kid sounds like one of those classic “helping family” moments. Then one missed payment later, your credit score starts wobbling like a shopping cart with one broken wheel. Suddenly, you’re discovering that lenders don’t care whose name was supposed to handle the payments—they just see two people equally tied to the debt.

You co-signed your daughter’s loan because you wanted to help her get ahead. Years later, your phone starts ringing with calls from debt collectors demanding payment. It can feel shocking, especially if you thought the loan was her responsibility.

You took a debt consolidation loan offer believing it would simplify your finances, but hidden fees and higher interest rates have left you worse off than before. We look at possible ways to move forward.

We all need a little help now and then. But there are definitely some loan requests that should probably never see the light of day.