It usually starts with a stack of envelopes on the kitchen counter that you’ve stopped opening. The first few times the phone rings from an unknown number, you answer; by the tenth time, you just flip the phone face down. Debt has a way of shrinking your world until the only thing you can see is the balance you can’t quite clear. Debt settlement isn’t a magic trick, and it isn't a government handout. It’s a gritty, practical negotiation. Essentially, you or a representative r