About AskSteveFirst
Our mission
People facing debt problems are often asked to hand over their phone number and wait for a call before they understand any of their options. AskSteveFirst exists to change that order. We help people organize their financial picture privately, understand the debt-relief paths available to them, and decide for themselves whether and when they want to talk to a professional.
Who is behind the site
AskSteveFirst is built and maintained by a small team focused on consumer debt education. Our editorial content is written and reviewed internally against publicly available government and nonprofit sources, which are listed on our Sources and Methodology page.
Steve's role
Steve is the founder of AskSteveFirst. He sets the editorial direction, decides which topics the site covers, and reviews plain-language explanations of debt-relief options before they are published. Steve is not acting as your attorney, financial advisor, or credit counselor, and nothing he writes here is individualized advice.
How our content is created and reviewed
Guides are drafted in plain English, checked against publicly available federal and state court, government agency, and nonprofit sources, and reviewed internally before publication. Pages that depend on figures that change over time, such as income thresholds or exemption amounts, are revisited periodically. Our standards are described in our Editorial Policy, and mistakes can be reported through our Corrections Policy.
How the service is funded and whether referral relationships exist
AskSteveFirst is free to use. The site is currently funded by its founders, and the participating-professional program is still being built. AskSteveFirst does not currently receive referral or marketing compensation from attorneys, credit counseling agencies, or debt settlement companies, and it does not sell your personal information. If we introduce compensated relationships in the future, we will disclose them on this page, and compensation will not change how debt-relief options are compared or how educational estimates are calculated.
What AskSteveFirst is
AskSteveFirst is an educational website. It provides plain-language explanations of common debt-relief options and a private tool, the Financial Snapshot, that generates educational estimates based on the information you provide. It also gives you the option to request professional help when you decide you want it.
What AskSteveFirst is not
AskSteveFirst is not a law firm, debt relief company, credit counseling agency, lender, or government agency. It does not provide legal, tax, or financial advice, and using it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Any estimate generated on the site is an educational estimate, not a guarantee of eligibility or outcome, and it does not replace review by a qualified professional.