PERSONAL FINANCE GET SOME ADVICE TODAY You can avail of help from MABS in a number of ways
THE Money Advice and Budgeting Service is a service that provides help and support to individuals who are experiencing financial difficulties. We guide and support people in dealing with their financial crisis and support them in taking control and managing their finances. Financial worries can cause anxiety & stress in their own right but adding financial pressures and dealing with creditors can be overwhelming to deal with on your own.
We offer a free, independent and strictly confidential service and our service is open to anyone trying to manage personal debt or multiple debts. We will listen and put you first, seeking to find the best solution for your situation. We will work to ensure our clients are getting all the entitlements, resources and assistance that is available to them. If you have problem debt, or finding it difficult to negotiate with your creditors or the phone calls are becoming too much and it is too overwhelming to deal with, then MABS can help and support you. We have experienced Money Advisors ready to meet with you to discuss your situation and assist you with preparing a budget, suitable to your individual/ family needs and liaising, if necessary, with your creditors on your behalf.
MABS has more than twenty years of experience helping people with all kinds of personal debt. Our money advisors work with clients with a wide range of personal debts, including mortgage arrears, personal loans, utilities arrears e.g. electricity, gas, phone, credit card debt, hire purchases, rent arrears, court fines, catalogue debts, sub-prime loans, legal moneylenders. It is never too late to pick up the phone and call our service for assistance and advice. You can avail of help from MABS in a number of ways: Our face-to-face service, providing budgeting and advice on your financial situation
This can be done by making contact with our local office and speaking with a Money Advisor directly to arrange a suitable appointment. Your advisor will discuss your situation and look at options that may be available to you taking into consideration your household income and expenditure.
Dedicated Mortgage Advisor, providing assistance under the Abhaile Scheme to help homeowners find a resolution to home mortgage arrears. It provides vouchers for free financial and legal advice and help from experts, which are available through MABS. If you are in serious mortgage arrears and your lender has moved to take legal action against you, then our Dedicated Mortgage Advisor will be able to assist you with advice and support.
Court Mentor Service, providing support to clients preparing for attendance in court. If you are attending a repossession hearing in the Circuit Court, MABS now has a Court Mentor who will be present and able to tell you what is happening in the Court, what other supports are available to you and, if you wish, refer you to the local MABS for support with your mortgage arrears case.
Voluntary arrangements and personal insolvency. Many people who come to MABS are assisted in reaching a voluntary arrangement with their creditors. This means that both you and your lenders are agreeing to a new arrangement – it is voluntary, and the particular details of the arrangement and its consequences will be discussed with your Money Adviser. Since 2013, new statutory solutions are also available, as new law in insolvency was introduced. Such arrangements are approved through the courts, so accessing these is a little different. Again, your Money Adviser will explain these to you as they may suit your situation. One of the solutions under this insolvency legislation is a Debt Relief Notice (DRN), which is available through our MABS service. Debt Relief Notice, designed for people who have very low disposable income or assets and will allow for the write-off of qualifying debt up to €35,000.
Education. MABS has a long history of supporting people who are working through problems with debt. But just as important is the work we do in helping people avoid getting into debt in the first place - our work in money management education.
MABS is aware that each of us has very different needs when it comes to money. We know that one size does not fit all, and so we tailor our money management education programs and resources to suit specific groups of learners. We try to keep our resources relevant to you - helping you learn the skills that will make it easier for you to help yourself. MABS does this work in a number of ways. In some cases, our Money Advisers deliver education programs to groups in their local areas. This is dependent on the local MABS office’s priorities and capacity at any one time. We also work with other organisations to create learning resources that can be delivered to learners by others.
Helpline. Our Helpline is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm (0761 07 2000), if you would like to call us and discuss your debt issues. Many of our clients use a combination of our online resources and our Helpline to negotiate with creditors themselves. Other clients use the online resources and the Helpline as a first step to attending at one of our offices. When you call our Helpline, or call one of our offices, you will be asked for a little information about your situation. This is done to help us determine how best to help you, and how urgent your situation is - if you are in the middle of a crisis, you will not be left waiting.
If you would like more information on any of the help listed above you can call your local office Arklow 076107 2390 or Bray 076107 2250 or our National Helpline 076 107 2000 which is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm.