Debt.com » Ask The Expert » Ask The Expert: How Do I Know You’re For Real? [video]

Updated
Published

Ask The Expert: How Do I Know You’re For Real? [video]

A reader is skeptical of financial experts — and he has a point.

Question: I got a question I bet you won’t answer. How do I know you and all these other “money experts” are for real? What if you’re just trying to rip me off?
Last year, I asked a question to the Get Out of Debt Guy, and he never got back to me, even though he always says he wants questions. If he never got back to me, I don’t think you will, either. I bet you aren’t even an “expert.”

Sean Paul in New York

Howard Dvorkin CPA answers…

Obviously, I am answering your question, but not because you dared me. I’m answering it because, quite honestly, it’s a good question.

I encourage anyone seeking expert help with their money to be wary. One way to verify if a financial counselor is legitimate: See if other credible sources quote him. So for instance, last year I was interviewed by US News and NBC News.

Have they published any well-reviewed books? I have two for sale, Credit Hell and Power Up. Finally, how long have they been a financial expert? I’ve been doing this for more than two decades.

As for my friend Steve Rhode, a.k.a. the Get Out of Debt Guy, I can tell you this: He’s only one man, and he’s incredibly thorough. So when he chooses a question to answer, he spends a lot of time on it. That’s why he can’t get to everyone.

In fact, I asked Steve to explain how he researches the questions he gets. Here’s what he had to say…

The last thing I can tell you, Sean Paul, is to trust your gut. If you read columns and Q&As from the likes of Steve Rhode and myself, do they sound like experts wrote them?

In other words: Do they promise the world, or do they spell out a plan? Do they explain the complex in plain English, or do they simply say, “Trust me?” Don’t trust, Sean Paul. Verify.

https://youtu.be/iuMvjDBsj70

Have a debt question? Can’t find what you need to know? We can! Submit any debt or finance question you have, and we’ll tap a pro who will respond as quickly as possible.

Get AnswersCall To Action Link

TrustScore 4.6

Debt.com

Debt.com AI Agent

FIND THE RIGHT DEBT SOLUTION FOR YOU

Contact us at (833) 609-9571

Step 1

How much do you owe?

$25,000