Bury your head in the sand when faced with financial trouble and you'll only compound matters.

Not only will your tough luck continue and likely worsen, your eyes will really smart from all those tiny, gritty particles.

But seriously, the point is, doing nothing, procrastinating and clinging to denial will work against the fast action necessary when your finances get scrambled.

The National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) says Americans habitually turn their backs on signs they could be facing a financial meltdown instead of quickly getting the help they need.

To help them home in on -- instead of copping out of -- their financial funk, the foundation suggests taking a test to help recognize when professional help could be warranted.

Answer "true" or "false."

1. I always pay only the minimum credit card amount due.

2. My credit card balances increase each month.

3. There are arguments in my home about money.

4. I sometimes hide purchases from my spouse.

5. I now charge items that I used to pay for with cash.

6. I've considered bankruptcy.

7. I use cash advances to meet my obligations.

8. Most of my credit cards are near the limit and I'm applying for new credit.

9. I do not know my total indebtedness.

10. I skip paying my bills some months, or I pay late.

11. I have no savings.

12. I am consumed with thoughts of debt.

13. My debt interferes with my job and/or home life.

14. Collectors are stalking me.

15. I've tapped my retirement accounts to satisfy debts.

16. If I get fired, I would immediately face financial crisis.

17. I use balance transfers.

18. I have no emergency savings account.

19. Next month's bills arrive before I've paid this month's.

20. I do not open my bills when they arrive, or soon thereafter.

Answer "true" to more than two or three of those questions and it's time to call for reinforcements, credit counselors or others who can help you get a handle on your financial failing, says Gail Cunningham, spokesperson for the NFCC.

The first step toward a financially stable tomorrow is facing your situation today and doing so quickly.

"Whether the problem stems from a lack of financial education, financial mismanagement, concerns over meeting the mortgage payment, or if bankruptcy is being considered, sitting down with a trained third party will add insight to the situation," said Cunningham.

The NFCC as well as the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies (AICCCA) can get you a referral.

Other help is available from a host of groups, including NeighborWorks of America; Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN); U.S. Department Of Housing and Urban Development; and local community and social service programs.

Published: February 7, 2008

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Broderick Perkins parlayed a career in old-school journalism into a contemporary digital news service that really hits home. The award-winning consumer journalist, originally from Wilmington, DE, is founder, publisher and executive editor of the bootstrap DeadlineNews Group, a Silicon Valley-based editorial content and consulting service specializing in residential real estate, consumer news and related editorial consulting services. The DeadlineNews Group includes the website, DeadlineNews.com, offering real estate editorial content and consulting services, and its back shop, the Deadline Newsroom, an open house on news that really hits home. Perkins obtained his formal journalism education from University of Delaware and a journalism boot camp, the Institute of Journalism Education at the University of California-Berkeley. He went on to 20 years of service as a daily newspaper journalist at the Wilmington, DE News Journal and San Jose, CA Mercury News. Perkins covered housing on the San Jose Mercury News reporting team which earned a General News Reporting Pulitzer Prize in 1989 for coverage of the Loma Prieta earthquake. He has also produced real estate, consumer and small business content for the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, RealtyTimes.com, Nolo.com, Better Homes and Gardens, the National Association of Realtors, Homestore/Move and Intuit/Quicken among more than three dozen publications. In addition to managing the DeadlineNews Group, Perkins most recently served as chief editorial consultant for Nolo's Essential Guide To Buying Your First Home, Nolo, and writes real estate television scripts for RealtyTimes.com.