Credit Repair & Debt Freedom

Course Syllabus

Course Description

This course takes you past the credit basics of BTO 103 and into a full, practical plan for getting out of debt and rebuilding your financial name. You will look at debt through Scripture with grace instead of shame, build a complete debt inventory, read a sample credit report line by line, dispute errors and recover from identity theft, learn your rights when collectors call, and handle court debt and child support through the proper official channels. You will compare two payoff methods with worked month-by-month examples, practice negotiating payment plans, learn to spot predatory lenders, and rebuild credit step by step. Every activity can be done on paper, and you never need to share your own reports or account numbers in class.

Faith Integration

Scripture speaks honestly about debt: the borrower is servant to the lender (Proverbs 22:7), and the righteous pay what they owe (Psalm 37:21). Scripture also speaks of a God who forgives debts we could never pay and sets captives free. In this course we hold both truths together. We face what we owe with honesty and courage, we refuse shame as our master, and we work steadily toward freedom so that the only debt we keep is the debt of love (Romans 13:8).

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

1. Explain what Scripture teaches about debt, repayment, and freedom, and respond to money mistakes with grace rather than shame.
2. Build a complete debt inventory that separates consumer debt, court obligations, and child support.
3. Read a sample credit report, explain in general terms what credit scores measure, and calculate credit utilization.
4. Dispute inaccurate information and follow the official steps to recover from identity theft.
5. Describe your rights when dealing with debt collectors and respond to collectors in writing.
6. Prioritize court-ordered obligations and child support and know where to get official and legal help.
7. Compare smallest-balance-first and highest-rate-first payoff methods and build a month-by-month payoff schedule.
8. Recognize predatory lending, rebuild credit safely, and create a personal Debt Freedom & Credit Rebuilding Plan.

Course Materials

• This student workbook
• Calculator (if allowed by the facility) or scratch paper for hand calculations
• Sample credit report, sample collection letter, and sample debt statements (provided in class; never your own)
• Pen or pencil with eraser
• A private folder for any personal notes you choose to keep

Weekly Schedule

How You Will Be Graded

To pass this course: earn 70% or higher overall and attend at least 80% of sessions.

Classroom Covenant

• We begin and end each session in prayer. Participation in prayer is always welcome, never required.
• What is shared in class stays in class. We protect one another's stories.
• We speak with respect, listen without interrupting, and disagree with grace.
• We come prepared, do our own work, and ask for help when we need it.
• We follow all facility rules. Safety and security come first.
• We believe the best about one another and about what God can do.

Support & Accommodations

If reading, writing, vision, hearing, or any other need makes a part of this course harder, tell your instructor privately. Materials can be read aloud, enlarged, or completed orally. Missed sessions can be made up using the module pages. If you are transferred or released, your completed work stays on record and you can finish online.

Welcome

Welcome to Credit Repair & Debt Freedom, the third course of the Faith-Based Financial Stewardship certificate. This companion walks beside you with a weekly reading, five devotions for the days between sessions, and a Quick Guide you can carry home: dispute letter steps, collector scripts, payoff methods, and official places to get free help. You never need to write your real account numbers in this book.

How to Use This Companion

• Read the weekly reading after each class session. It takes about 10 minutes.
• Reflect on the questions. These are for you; you do not have to turn them in.
• Meet with God through the five daily devotions between sessions.
• Keep the Quick Guide at the end to carry home after release.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.— Psalm 119:105 (KJV)