Can a collection agency legitimately compel you to pay back a debt that was discharged in a bankruptcy decades earlier? Or is that the sign of a shady agency, trying to pull a fast one by preying on your guilt and lack of legal expertise? The Bankruptcy Adviser knows the difference. Read on for his answers.

As today's lending requirements remain tight, credit is harder to come by, and it's tough to get an above-average credit score. So it's crucial that you know what's true about your credit report, and what isn't. Especially because what you believe can hurt you if it's not true. Read on to lean about the 10 most common misconceptions -- and the truth behind them.

Will credit-card issuers respond to a request for lenience from someone suffering through the recession and struggling to make payments? Or is a credit counselor a better option? For some frank answers (and, possibly, some good news), read on.

It may sound like a desperate choice, unless you're truly desperate: paying Uncle Sam by credit card. The I.R.S. allows this option, and you'll even earn your usual rewards for doing it. But be careful -- if you don't need to take on additional debt to cover your tax bill, the strategy is about as unwise as it is unappealing. Read on to learn more.

The bad economy means parents can't afford tuition, which means kids are taking on more of the cost themselves, which means their credit cards are busting at the seams. Are we going to be paying for that trickle down for years to come?

Your card's been cut off abruptly -- that's bad news. Here's some worse news: You found out when you tried to use it in front of clients, at a restaurant. Furious? Here's the worst news of all: It's happening more and more, and there's not much you can do after you've been cut off without warning. But a couple of tips might keep you from getting dumped. Find out how.

Some Citibank cardholders have been encouraged to make a deal this spring: pay more than the minimum, and get as much as $550 credited to your account. Oh, and stop using your card for up to eight months. And agree to have your credit limit lowered, whether you complete the promotion or fail. Sound like a good deal? Well, maybe for the right customer. But for others, it's a serious gamble. So what's this offer really about, for Citibank and its customers? Read on to learn more about the perils of the cash-back offer.

While nearly three-quarters of identity-theft victims scratch their heads, wondering just how their security was compromised the rest of us know exactly whodunnit: a desperate relative, an untrustworthy co-worker -- even, believe it or not, a so-called "friend." For more results from a shocking survey, read on.

Have you noticed recent changes to your credit cards that you hadn't counted on? Perhaps a hike in your interest rate, or in the minimum payment due? Or maybe something's dropped -- say, your credit limit? Well, you wouldn't be alone. Seems these days that anything goes in the wild, woolly, desperate world of credit cards, and the risk-averse institutions that issue and back them.

So how can you protect yourself from the unexpected? Read on for a handy guide to today's minefield of credit-card booby-traps.