My friend, Laura, wants to take help of a good debt settlement company. She has asked my help to chhose a good one. I have heard about BBB. How can I find Better Business Bureau recommended debt consolidation companies?

Are there separate hard inquiries and soft inquiries? What is basically the difference?

If I am facing difficulty to plan a monthly budget, can I go for credit counseling? or, it's like that I can take help of a counselor only if I'm facing debt problems, i.e. cannot pay back what I owe.

I am Maria. if my house goes in a short sale, do I owe anything more on the mortgage loan?

How do I know that my account has been charged-off?

I am thinking of taking help from a settlement company since I'm not able to pay my debts myself. I'm hopeful that a settlement company can help me by negotiating a lower payoff with the settlement company. However, I have to pay professional fees. But, I'm wondering, are debt settlement fees tax deductible? Can I mention this in my tax documents for the deduction?

I have 2 private loans. Can I consolidate these 2 loans? If I opt for consolidation, will I have to pay less?

I have heard about zero budgeting. Is it different from a monthly budget which most of us (at east I think so) plan?

I have heard that debt settlement helps to get rid of debt by paying less than due. And, settlement companies help you do that. But, some of my friends say that it's not a good option for future financial situation. I want to know - is taking help from debt settlement companies a good option to get rid of dues?

Is there any limit on how many times I can withdraw fuds from my savings account every month? Actually, I don't take out much amount from ATM so that I don't spend much.