This week, Beyond Finance, one of the nation’s leading debt help companies, kicked off a new initiative called “Beyond Debt Now” geared toward helping clients who could especially use “a win.” This time, we’re paying off one client’s debt totaling $56,000.
Each month, the company will identify one or more clients for whom we’ll eliminate a portion (or all) of their remaining debt, on us.
The first recipient of the Beyond Finance campaign is Linda Buerkley of Hudson Falls, New York.
Buerkley, 80, is a mother of two and grandmother of six. After falling victim to a targeted scam leaving her with $56,000 of unsecured debt, she turned to Beyond Finance.
“I hoped to receive help during this difficult time, so I joined Beyond Finance. I trusted they would do what they said they would do. They did more than I ever expected,” said Buerkley. “Not only did they help me with my debt, but they also provided free access to group counseling about my finances and how to [better] manage them once I was out of debt.”
Buerkley is just one of the thousands of elderly Americans nationwide scammed out of their savings each year.
“Unfortunately, Linda’s story is not unlike many other Americans who live on a fixed income. As we have seen many times with our clients, that struggle often takes a toll beyond someone’s finances to their mental health and relationships,” said Beyond Finance Chief Operating Officer Lou Antonelli.
Beyond Finance will take on the rest of Linda’s unsecured debt just in time for the holidays and continue to offer free group counseling sessions for the rest of our clients.
“Linda’s story illustrates why we offer and encourage all our clients to participate in our financial therapy sessions,” continued Antonelli. “Debt and financial stress harm more than someone’s bank account; their mental health is at risk. Linda is an active member of our financial stress sessions, so she should be the one to kick off this special journey.”
Beyond team members themselves are the ones who nominate candidates for Beyond Debt Now. Employees identify clients who’ve had an especially hard time, and reward them through the giveaway.
“I have no fitting words to explain how grateful I am other than to say, ‘Thank you,’” Buerkley said. “With this gift and the financial therapy, I know I’ll never be in this situation again. I’m forever grateful for Beyond Finance.”