.....that is what a friend told me he owes.

I ALMOST DIED!!!

I cannot imagine sleeping at night under those circumstances.
That translates to approximately $10K per year in interest alone.

I recognize life's events take one on a bad ride sometimes and those credit cards help out but, in this case, it is all attributed to trying to live a life he should not have.
This debt is due to living larger than the means to pay the debt.

I truly hope this guy is the exception rather than the rule but sadly, with today's economy, many seem to be on the same ride.

Use those cards wisely folks!!!
They are a vicious cycle if not managed properly.
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That's why I have a 1500 euro max on my creditcard (a max I never reach though). 28% is outrageous.
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Now that's just stupid. Unless he's got terrible credit, he's got to cut up those cards and consolidate. He shouldn't close the CC accounts though. Leave them open but never use them. It looks much better on your credit report which will allow you to get those consolidation loans.
Hopefully he's got some equity in a home. The first step to getting out of a hole is to stop digging.
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I see this all the time, people are already figuring the loop holes of the new bankruptcy laws.

What bothers me the most, if you know how to do this, you can have a pretty darn good life and "get away" with it.

While I understand hard times, I am a grad student after all :-) the majority I see is just, spending more then you have.
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Just another reason I haven't owned a credit card in at least 10 years now. If you can't pay it off in a month or two, you don't need it.
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They really come in handy and actually invaluable at times.
The thing to do is to manage it and not let it take over.
If you can charge what you can pay in a month or two, awesome!
If you need to charge something that you can't pay right away, look for places with "same as cash" deals, where if you pay it within the period allowed, you pay no interest.
If you can't find any "same as cash" deals and have to use a high interest card, focus on paying that off right away. It is the worst kind of debt anyone can possibly have.
I feel fortunate that my card charges me 6% and heck if they get to see much interest money out of me.
Right now, they are getting 6% on a 0 balance.
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Yup yup

I linked mine to do auto pay outta my checking, so it's a debit card that gets reward and ups my credit rating :-)
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A good credit counselor (or even a quick phone call) should get this reduce to zero percent. It's happened to several people I know who got trapped by the whole consumption lifestyle thing and very easy credit of the recent past.
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Mark,
I told him I was going to find some services that help out with this.
Does anyone know of any reliable ones?

I know of places that advertise a reduction in the debt, of drastic amounts but I am sure that sets one's credit back quite a bit.
I suppose to be able to reduce the interest significantly would be of tremendous help to pay the principal off rather than $10K a year in interest and never being able to get out of it.
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Minor thread jack, but I just tried to use a Capital One Visa card I've had for 10 years to find out the account had been closed because of inactivity. I haven't used it in two years. I've got great credit and was never late on a payment and would be, I thought, a great low-risk customer :-)

It stinks because it was my first card - I got it when I was 18 - and the closing of the account will affect my credit score and I'm in the process of looking for a house.

Might be a good idea to make a call if you've got a Capital One card you haven't used for a while.
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Interesting.
I just went to BrandsMart a couple of weeks ago and purchased a fridge, using their "Same as cash" that I love so much, as my money is put aside, earning interest while I pay them none.
When I went to pay with their credit card, I found out it had been closed for inactivity of 1 year, not even 2 as in your case.
I had to open a new one but it was well worth it for the 12 month same as cash promo.
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Man, that guy needs to consolidate and figure out his budget quickly!
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There are no more loopholes...that's why they can legally charge 28%. Coming out of individual BK without unsecured debt to repay is virtually impossible after the last changes to the BK laws
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If you can find a "good" credit counseling company it will pay off for you in the future because your debt will be repaid faster than you could pay it off at 28% and then you can work on your credit rating. Should you continue to pay at a rate of 28% it will take you double or tripe the time to pay it all off plus you run the risk of getting into financial problems with interest that high where you can't even afford to make the minimum payment.
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Two words 'Dave Ramsey':-)
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three words "stop buying ****":-)
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Hmmm, I was debt free until my father in law had was ran over by a bus on his motorcycle in South America. I am $50K in debt on three cards, because where he lives there is not any health insurance. So what do you do? I had to do the right thing and now he is walking again. Yeah it sucks and I am stressed out to the max. When it comes to a family crisis, I had to do the right thing. Presently, I am check to check in hopes of never being in debt. I guess cigars are an outlet for my stress. Do I purchase cigars, yes, but not often. Thanks for listening to my dilemma. Chao.
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There are, you just have to be a lot more clever, old laws it was so simple buy nice house get a degree nice car. For legal and ethical reasons I hope you understand I can not post how to pull this off. But I assure you I do know there are ways to do it.
old laws were nearly as simple as :

I don't want to pay it back.
Uncle sam : k
You hahahahaah

Now with a few K hidden away in under 1 year 700+ credit rating.

It really was that simple still rather disgusting.
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Bummer! Did he get in trouble with the crazy cigar deals?
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Brent,
That is the kind of debt that while you may worry about it, your heart should feel good that it is for the sake of a human life as opposed to that of my friend.
His is attributed to nonsense spending that was totally avoidable. He didn't need to have those toys but just didn't know how to hold back.
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