Mounting personal debt can put ever-increasing pressure on a household’s finances and lead to possible long-term credit problems. Finding a solution to personal debt is not always easy.

Several Web sites provide insights on how to manage and consolidate debt.

¢ Bankrate.com (www.bankrate.com/brm/news/debt/debtguide2004/consolidating-debt.asp) explores the causes of debt, hidden debt dangers and ways to eliminate it.

¢ DebtSmart (www.debtsmart.com/pages/article-0category.html) contains articles devoted sorting out debt issues in dozens of categories.

¢ DebtWizards.com (www.debtwizards.com/consolidate.html) discusses how debt consolidation services work.

¢ Federal Trade Commission (www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pu-bs/credit/kneedeep.htm) provides several options for getting personal debt under control.

¢ SmartMoney.com (www.smartmoney.com/debt/) has a wide range of debt management tools and information.