<prompt> Human: My mom: TL;DR up top My 66 year old mom makes about 41k per year and has about 21k in credit card debt from buying gifts for family and toys for orphaned children. She was an orphan in an eastern European country growing up so shes got a soft spot for kids. How do I help her dig her way out of this one? Age: 66 turning 67 this year. Base Gross Salary 41,664 worked in the same company for 41 years. Monthly Gross avg. 3472Monthly Net post taxes etc. avg 2440 401k: 80k currently putting about 10 with company matching up to 6. Total Savings: 4000 Credit Score: 727 remarkably good considering the situation. Minimum Monthly Expenses: Rent: 1000 Medical Insurance: 133 Car Insurance: 75 Fuel: 100 Internet: 130 she has no alternative providers where she lives. Laundry: 50 Food: 550 Car Payment 200 Total Monthly Expenses: 2238Debt: CARE Credit healthcare financing credit card : 7969 23 interest Car Payment Remaining: 2350 counted the monthly payment above Retail Credit Card 1: 4039 24 interest Retail Credit Card 2: 3016 24 Interest Retail Credit Card 3: 1787 23 interest Retail Credit Card 4: 634 26.5 interest Retail Credit Card 5: 460 20 interest Retail Credit Card 6: 414 26 interest Retail Credit Card 7: 397 22 interestShe is pretty much paying minimum or slightly above minimum payments on each. Total Debt: 21,066Thoughts and Questions On My Moms Situation1. STOP USING ALL CREDIT CARDS IMMEDIATELY She hasnt even spent most of that money on herself. Its almost all been on gifts for family and donations to orphaned children groups. She doesnt keep any of the receipts so I cant write them off as donations etc. I have recommended that she finds other, less expensive ways to help the kids. By volunteering and donating time. Her broken english makes it a bit hard, but Im working on ways to help her fulfil her desires to help others in a non self-destructive manner.2. Of the 4,000 in savings, use 2,000 to immediately clear off Retail Credit Cards 4-7. Is this a good idea? 3. ?? Should she get a loan for the remaining approx 19k in debt. That way she could pay off all of these high interest credit cards and replace them with one monthly payment but wit hopefully a lower interest rate? 4. She wants to dip into her social security and start collecting payments while she continues to work. That way she can use that money to pay off the debt while she continues making an income. Is this even allowed or recommended?5. At her age, she is eligible to dip into the 401K money. Is this a good idea? 6. My mom has broken english and frankly has no concept of what an interest rate is. What are the odds that I, as her 30 year old son, can take on the retail credit card companies and find a way to negotiate her debt down? Is this a valid strategy that works? She isnt in collections and is actually in great standing with all of them. How much time does this take usually. I obviously have my own family and job to take care of but I want to make sure I can help my mom as well. Should I contact a debt negotiating service on her behalf? 7. Any other ideas, recommendations, advice are welcome.  <response>: So, this is a really tough financial situation. Its just... tough.To answer each of your questions to the best of my knowledge: 1. Yes, stop using the credit cards. I also think some debt consolidation may be in order. If theres any way to transfer all of the CC debt onto the card with the lowest rate and then start paying that one off, I think that could be really handy. Even if you cant get it on the lowest card, I think getting things down to one payment and having only ONE credit card to buy things with could be psychologically valuable. Make things a little less overwhelming. 2. Financially, I think this is a good idea, as the interest shes going to earn on that 2,000 is WAAAY less than what the interest is going to cost her on the credit cards. However, I think youd have to ask yourself what kind of emergency cushion she has or needs at her age. What are the odds that shell have an unexpected medical or other expense pop up without warning that exceeds 2,000? Whats her insurance deductible? Maybe make sure she has the cash on hand to cover that at any time before you pay down debt. 3 If possible, try to get all her credit card debt in one place. Sometimes people have trouble understanding in a real way that owing 400 to 12 different people is the exact same amount as owing 4,800 to one person. Having your debt spread all over the place makes it seem like its less than it is. So get it into one place--ideally the lowest possible interest rate--and then start paying that card. Destroy all her other cards once theyre paid off.4 I dont have the knowledge to answer this question for you at all. Other folks are recommending that she not do this, and I always feel like its prudent to avoid taking retirement benefits if you can. 5 Same as above. My only other advice is psychological more than anything else. Its not hard to see a pretty straight line running from your moms own childhood as an orphan to her current need to help orphans at all costs. I dont know your mom, but if you asked me to guess at the motivations of someone who was an orphan herself and is now sacrificing her own well-being in order to support orphans, I would guess that she feels some considerable guilt. Like, it may well be that she grew up in some horrific conditions--you know, I havent exactly heard the best things about orphanages in Eastern Europe--and she feels guilty that she escaped and survived while so many other children around her didnt. So the only way to assuage the guilt now is to sacrifice her own well-being to help the orphans that she didnt help when she was so focused on her own survival as a child. Thats my guess, and its probably wrong. But one way or the other, I think there are some important conversations to be had that go beyond credit card debt is a bad idea that might help your mother start to take better care of herself. 