Raymond Chabot: Overview
Raymond Chabot is owned by Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton; a firm of business accountants. They are a Quebec based company that is composed of Licensed Insolvency Trustees, financial counsellors and other professionals. Their team of 200 plus professionals is constantly working to provide solutions for any clients with financial hardships, who are looking for a debt-free life.
What Consumers Can Raymond Chabot Help?
Raymond Chabot is a credit counselling agency, so their aim is to help people who are struggling with debt and looking for extra financial knowledge and help to get them through any hard times that arise in the future.
That said, credit counselling is generally provided on a case-by-case basis, meaning your situation will have to be assessed before one of their counsellors can offer up any solutions. In other words, while you don’t have to be in debt to benefit from credit counselling, the strategies offered at Raymond Chabot will be more effective if you’re willing to be open about your problems.
5-Step Assessment
Many consumers suffer from a range of financial difficulties, which is why Raymond Chabot’s assessment process exists. To diagnose your problems properly, one of their counsellors will ask you the following:
- What is your family situation like? The first part of the assessment is so the counsellor can get an idea of how many consumers live in your household (spouse, partner, children, etc.) and which of them are struggling with debt.
- How much debt do you have? Next, you’ll have to be clear about the source(s) of your debt and how much you have, so that they can start narrowing down the treatment that will work best for you.
- What are your employment status and income? Your income may dictate the type of debt relief that makes the most sense for your situation.
- What are your average expenses? For many consumers, budgeting is the issue. A credit counsellor can also teach you how to reduce your unnecessary expenses and change your spending habits. In fact, simple budgeting courses may help you save enough on interest to solve the problem faster.
- What solution(s) are best for your case? The final step will be to determine the alternatives that would help your situation the most. This could be something as easy as credit counselling courses or far more drastic, like debt consolidation, a consumer proposal, or bankruptcy.
You can also complete a basic version of this assessment on the Raymond Chabot website. However, if you prefer to interact with a counsellor one-on-one, you can do so over the phone or at one of their 105 offices throughout Quebec. If you decide that one of their solutions is right for you, keep in mind that you may have to provide certain personal and financial details, such as your:
- Full name
- Date of birth
- Address & citizenship status
- Bank account Information
- Assets & liabilities
You’ll have to be especially truthful to apply for one of their more serious debt management procedures, such as a consumer proposal or bankruptcy. Don’t worry, all your information will remain confidential and the first consultation is free.
What Are Raymond Chabot’s Main Solutions?
Raymond Chabot is a multi-purpose credit counselling agency. Besides their budgeting and financial improvement courses, there are a few more effective (and more drastic) solutions that you can sign up for if your debts can’t be managed conventionally:
Debt Consolidation
If you have several high-interest debts, Raymond Chabot can put you in contact with a financial institution so you can apply for a debt consolidation loan. This is a lump sum of money that you would ideally use to pay off multiple debts at once, leaving you with one monthly payment regime and interest rate to cover.
Consumer Proposal
As mentioned, many Raymond Chabot employees are Licensed Insolvency Trustees, who are trained to oversee debt cases that are serious enough to warrant a court procedure. The first solution they can provide is a consumer proposal, which you can typically qualify for if you have $5,000 - $250,000 of unsecured consumer debt.
Bankruptcy
Your final resort would be to declare personal bankruptcy, which is also a case for your LIT. Here, you can technically qualify with $1,000 of unsecured debt and there is no maximum debt limit. Instead of repaying your creditors, any eligible debts will be eliminated altogether, leaving you with a series of payments over a minimum period of 9 months.
What Are The Pros and Cons of Raymond Chabot?
To sum up our review of the Raymond Chabot credit counselling agency, here’s a small list of their main benefits and drawbacks so you can finally decide whether their services are right for your financial situation:
Pros
- Credit counselling can give you financial knowledge you didn’t have before
- The faster you resolve your debts, the more money you’ll save
- Counsellors and Insolvency Trustees can negotiate with your creditors
- Some procedures end wage garnishment and other debt collection penalties
- Multiple counselling offices located throughout Quebec
- First consultation meeting is free
Cons
- Associated fees and/or court costs may be unaffordable
- Some solutions have a negative impact on your credit and finances
- Services are only available in Quebec
