无债一身轻PhilosophyAn unmanageable load of personal debt can create a long-term nightmare. Here's a look at some smart methods for getting out from under it.

As business owners, we like to think we're pretty savvy about using loans and credit lines to finance our receivables and boost our companies' working capital. But as consumers and homeowners, we're not always so disciplined.

"As you accumulate debt, you eventually reach a point where the monthly fees and interest become larger than your ability to pay," says Stephen Craig, a bankruptcy attorney and founder of Trident Debt Solutions in Denver, which specializes in alternatives to bankruptcy. "It becomes a weight that you carry with you everywhere you go."