With most American households deep in debt, its no wonder that people are searching for ways to ease their financial burdens. As a direct result, debt consolidation has become a multi-million dollar industry. Scores of people subscribe to its services. But do they really need to? Although an individual could obtain a similar overall outcome by tackling his or her situation personally, the advantages of using a solid and reputable organization should not be summarily dismissed. A good debt consolidation company employs trained and experienced professionals, and it's likely that they could achieve creditor negotiation results a bit more quickly.