Ready to consolidate your debt? Not so fast. Do these things first to improve your chances of getting real relief.

Your mortgage dreams just got more expensive as the Fed holds rates steady through summer. Credit card debt remains costly while savings accounts get a temporary reprieve from declining yields.

SEATTLE — When you're trying to get out of credit card debt, it can be difficult to see your balance climb and feel like there is no way out. Tori Dunlap, founder of the financial education company ...