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Borrowers are cutting back but still struggling to escape debt, Freedom Debt Relief and Money.com study finds

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Nearly half can make only minimum payments or are behind, while 79% would accept a credit-score decline to become debt free faster

SAN MATEO, Calif., Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Americans carrying substantial unsecured debt are cutting everyday expenses, drawing from retirement savings and trying multiple repayment strategies, yet many still cannot make meaningful progress, according to a new study from Freedom Debt Relief and Money.com.

The study, “Deep in debt, borrowers are cutting back but still struggling,” is available on FreedomDebtRelief.com and as a PDF download.

Freedom Debt Relief, one of the largest and longest-running providers of debt settlement services in the U.S., together with Money.com surveyed 1,800 adults with at least $10,000 in unsecured debt, excluding student loans. The study found that 28% can afford to make only the minimum-required payments, while 21% are behind on at least one account.

The findings challenge the assumption that people remain in debt because they are unwilling to change their habits. Borrowers reported cutting dining, shopping and travel while pursuing a range of repayment strategies. Nearly one-third have withdrawn from retirement savings to pay down debt in the past 12 months, while 24% have borrowed against home equity to consolidate debt.

“There’s a tendency to assume that people get into, and stay in, debt because they aren’t willing to change their habits,” said Freedom Debt Relief President Sean Fox. “This research paints a much more complicated picture. Many people are already making difficult tradeoffs and actively looking for a way to improve their financial situation. Yet they’re still struggling because they don’t know where to start or which strategies are best for their specific situation.”

Borrowers make sacrifices, but still need a path forward

The study found that borrowers are highly motivated to reduce debt. Their goals extend beyond paying down balances or lowering interest: They want to regain control, reduce stress and create greater financial stability.

Key findings include:

Many borrowers are struggling to get ahead: 28% can make only the minimum-required payments, while 21% are behind on at least one account.Debt reduction is both a financial and emotional priority: 48% want to regain control and feel financially stable, while 48% want to reduce money-related stress and anxiety.Cutbacks are part of borrowers’ daily routines: 41% have stopped dining out or ordering delivery and 40% have stopped nonessential online shopping.Borrowers want immediate breathing room: 60% prioritize reducing stress, 57% reducing monthly payments and 56% improving cash flow.Speed can outweigh protecting credit: 79% would accept a credit-score decline to become debt-free faster, including 37% who would accept a drop of 100 points or more.Extra cash would go toward financial security: About 41% would prioritize faster debt repayment, while only 5% would prioritize discretionary spending.

Borrowers also see negotiation as a viable path but may struggle to follow through. While 69% consider negotiating directly with a credit card issuer safe, 14% started contacting creditors directly but did not complete the process. Only about half feel somewhat or very confident speaking with creditors.

That gap highlights how professional debt settlement may provide structure and experienced support for eligible consumers who do not feel equipped to navigate creditor negotiations on their own. Overall, 52% consider debt settlement safe, with past-due borrowers more likely to view it as a safe option.

Freedom Debt Relief launches consumer research initiative

The report is the first study from Freedom Debt Relief Insights, a new research initiative that will draw on original surveys, proprietary data and more than 20 years of experience helping consumers in financial hardship. The initiative will publish research and commentary on the experiences, behaviors and financial challenges of consumers carrying significant unsecured debt.

Freedom Debt Relief Insights aims to provide consumers with clear, practical information while contributing to a deeper understanding of financial hardship among financial services professionals, consumer advocates, researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders.

The full study is available online and as a PDF download.

About Money.com 

Money has a 50-plus-year legacy of guiding people to financial victories with up-to-date information, education, and tools. Money, a digital destination, helps create richer lives for everyone—in every sense of the word. Signature franchises include a bevy of Best-In categories such as Best Places to Live,Best Crypto Exchanges, Best Mortgage Lenders, Best Life Insurance,Best Auto Insurance, Best VA Loans, Best Homeowner Insurance, Best High-Yield Savings Accounts, Best Credit Cards, Best Colleges, Best Student Loans, and Best Student Loan Refinance Companies, with an aim to improve your finances and promote your well-being. For more information, visit Money.com.

About Freedom Debt Relief

Freedom Debt Relief is one of the largest and longest-running providers of debt settlement services in the United States. We help consumers take control of their finances by giving them a proven plan to relieve their debt burden — and in the process, help them make better financial decisions in the future. Working on behalf of its consumer clients, Freedom Debt Relief negotiates with creditors to reduce the amount of debt they owe. Freedom Debt Relief is an accredited debt settlement company based in San Mateo, Calif., and has served more than 2 million consumers, helping to resolve over $22 billion in debt since 2002.

Press Contact

pressinquiry@freedomdebtrelief.com

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SOURCE Freedom Debt Relief

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New Treasure Hunt Series Offers $1 Million Grand Prize

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SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Krypto Chase today announced the launch of an ambitious nationwide treasure hunt competition that will span all 50 states, beginning with Utah. The series will award a $5,000 prize in each qualifying hunt before culminating in a national championship where one finalist will win a $1,000,000 grand prize.

The first qualifying event will take place along Utah’s Wasatch Front. Participants will solve a series of cryptic clues that lead them to real-world locations using the Skavengerz mobile app. The first competitor to successfully complete the hunt will receive the $5,000 prize, payable in either Bitcoin or cash, and advance to the Krypto Chase National Championship with a chance to win the $1,000,000 prize.

“Our vision is to create an experience that challenges people to think, explore, and discover new places and new adventures while competing for meaningful prizes,” said Jeremy Lyman, founder of Krypto Chase. “Whether you’re an experienced puzzle solver, an outdoor adventurer, or someone looking for an unforgettable weekend experience, Krypto Chase offers a unique opportunity to compete for life-changing prizes.”

Unlike traditional treasure hunts that rely on printed clues or social media posts, Krypto Chase combines cryptography, GPS technology, and real-world exploration to create an interactive, competitive adventure. Throughout each hunt, participants will receive clues, navigate to hidden locations, and verify their progress through GPS technology built into the Skavengerz platform.

The competition is powered by Skavengerz, a location-based adventure platform that enables organizations to create interactive real-world experiences using GPS, QR codes, trivia, and digital checkpoints.

“We built Skavengerz to inspire people to get off the couch and explore the real world,” said Nate Alder, CEO of Skavengerz. “Partnering with Krypto Chase demonstrates how our technology can transform treasure hunting into an exciting, large-scale experience that combines adventure, technology, and friendly competition.”

The date of the Utah qualifier will be announced after the first 200 participants have registered. Hunts are expected to begin on a Friday morning, with clues released through the Skavengerz app, and conclude no later than Sunday evening when the winner is confirmed. Registration for each qualifier hunt is limited to 5,000 participants.

Additional competitions in other states will be announced as registration milestones are reached.

Although participation in the Skavengerz app is free, competitors in the Krypto Chase treasure hunt who wish to qualify for the $5,000 prize and the $1 million national championship must purchase an official Krypto Chase ticket at www.kryptochase.com.

Registration is now open at www.kryptochase.com.

About Krypto Chase

Krypto Chase organizes real-world treasure hunting competitions that combine puzzle solving, navigation, cryptography, and technology into immersive outdoor adventures. Beginning with 50+ qualifying events and culminating in a national championship, Krypto Chase offers participants the opportunity to compete for significant prizes while exploring remarkable locations across the United States.

About Skavengerz

Skavengerz is a location-based adventure platform that helps destinations, tourism organizations, businesses, and event organizers create interactive real-world experiences through GPS challenges, scavenger hunts, trivia, QR codes, and gamified exploration. The platform encourages people to discover communities, attractions, and local businesses through engaging mobile adventures. App demo video click here

Media Kit

For additional media updates click here

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-treasure-hunt-series-offers-1-million-grand-prize-302901997.html

SOURCE Krypto Chase

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World Micro Highlights Flexxon Long-Lifecycle, Radiation-Hardened Storage Solutions for Aerospace & Defense

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Supporting long-life programs with fixed-BOM storage solutions designed for demanding aerospace and space environments

ROSWELL, Ga., Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — World Micro, a global distributor of electronic components and supply chain solutions, is highlighting its relationship with Flexxon and the company’s specialized storage portfolio designed to address a growing challenge across the aerospace and defense industry: maintaining reliable storage technology throughout programs that may remain in service for decades.

As major semiconductor manufacturers continue transitioning away from legacy NAND technologies, aerospace and defense manufacturers face a fundamentally different challenge than commercial electronics companies. Platforms with 10, 15 or 20-year lifecycles cannot simply redesign every time a storage component reaches end-of-life.

Through its relationship with Flexxon, World Micro can help customers address this challenge with storage solutions designed around long-term availability, fixed-BOM support and continued production of legacy formats. Aerospace and defense organizations evaluating NAND obsolescence, upcoming redesigns or long-term storage requirements are encouraged to engage World Micro early to explore available Flexxon solutions.

“For aerospace and defense customers, component availability isn’t simply a procurement issue—it can become a program continuity issue,” said Vladimir Prevot, VP of Supply Chain. “Our relationship with Flexxon gives us another way to help customers plan around obsolescence and support platforms with lifecycles that extend far beyond those of typical commercial electronics.”

Storage Designed for Long-Life Aerospace Programs

Flexxon’s approach to product longevity is particularly relevant to aerospace and defense applications, where qualification requirements, redesign costs and long program lifecycles make component changes significantly more complex.

Flexxon supports customers with fixed-BOM solutions extending beyond ten years and a commitment to maintaining products while customers continue to require them. This approach provides aerospace and defense manufacturers with an alternative to repeatedly redesigning systems around changing commercial NAND roadmaps.

World Micro works alongside customers to identify these requirements early, helping pair long-term component availability with broader strategies for obsolescence management, supply continuity and lifecycle planning.

Spotlight: Flexxon Radiation-Hardened Storage

One area of particular interest is Flexxon’s RAD-HARD NAND storage portfolio, engineered for aerospace and outer-space data applications where storage devices may be exposed to demanding environmental and radiation conditions. 

The portfolio includesFlexxon PCIe SSDs (HIX Series), eMMC (XTRA VII Series), and Memory Cards (FxAdv II Series). Depending on the product family, available capabilities include capacities up to 8TB, hardware power-loss protection, AES-256 and TCG OPAL data encryption, FIPS 140-2 certification, and extended operating-temperature support. 

Flexxon’s radiation testing addresses several conditions relevant to space applications, including Total Ionizing Dose (TID), Single Event Effects (SEE), neutron radiation and Total Non-Ionizing Dose (TNID), alongside temperature and vacuum testing. 

Potential applications identified by Flexxon include satellites, rovers, telescopes, defense and intelligence systems, weather sensors, communications infrastructure, GPS, IoT and 5G systems. 

Combining Specialized Technology with Supply Chain Support

For World Micro customers, the value extends beyond access to the technology itself. World Micro combines Flexxon’s specialized storage portfolio with supply-chain expertise supporting aerospace and defense manufacturers navigating component shortages, obsolescence, long-term availability and demanding program requirements.

Together, the companies provide customers with another option for addressing a question that is becoming increasingly important across long-life programs: How do you design today for technology that still needs to be available years—or decades—from now?

“Flexxon’s long-lifecycle philosophy aligns extremely well with the customers World Micro supports,” added d Dan Ellsworth, President & CEO. “When a platform has to remain operational for decades, continuity matters. We want to help customers identify technologies and supply strategies that can support the full lifecycle of their programs.”

Learn More

To learn more about Flexxon’s radiation-hardened storage solutions or discuss long-term storage requirements for an aerospace or defense program, contact World Micro at info@worldmicro.com.  

About World Micro

World Micro is a global distributor specializing in electronic components and supply chain solutions for military, aerospace, industrial, and high-reliability applications. With a focus on speed, service, and dependable fulfillment, World Micro supports customers worldwide with responsive sourcing, logistics expertise, and value-added distribution services.

About Flexxon

Flexxon is a global leader in industrial NAND flash storage devices and next-generation hardware-based cybersecurity solutions. Rooted in its deep expertise in memory and storage technologies, Flexxon’s memory business has long served specialized industries such as the medical, industrial, automotive, and aerospace sectors with highly reliable, high-performance storage solutions designed to withstand extreme environments.

Learn more at www.worldmicro.com.

For pricing and inquiries, please contact World Micro at:

Email: info@worldmicro.com

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SOURCE World Micro

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Cox Automotive’s VinSolutions Embeds Fullpath’s AI-Powered Customer Data Platform Directly into Mutual Clients’ CRM

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ATLANTA, Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Cox Automotive’s VinSolutions, the industry’s number one CRM trusted by thousands of dealerships nationwide, today announced a milestone upgrade: All mutual Fullpath and VinSolutions clients will have an embedded Customer Data Platform (CDP) with AI insights built in, powered by Fullpath technology.

“Other CDPs are mostly focused on data ingestion, structuring and organization. With Fullpath’s CDP in VinSolutions, we put the power of that data directly in the hands of sales reps to personalize every interaction and close more deals,” said Paulo da Silva, VP of Digital Commerce, Cox Automotive. “What’s unique about Fullpath and VinSolutions is that the embedded CDP can also be upgraded seamlessly with Agentic AI capabilities to make that enriched data truly actionable.”

Dealers who run both VinSolutions and Fullpath already know the value of unified customer data. What’s new is where that intelligence now lives: directly inside the VinSolutions CRM record sales reps already use every day, not a separate screen to check. A marketing director can target shoppers who are in-market; a GM or GSM can see which deals are closest to closing; and the sales team walks into every conversation with AI-powered insights already on the record they’re viewing — no extra login, no separate tool.

The VinSolutions integration with Fullpath’s CDP provides three major value points for dealers:

One less system to log into: Their existing CDP instance is now accessible directly through VinSolutions.More customer context: The AI summary powered by Fullpath is surfaced in the customer profile, giving users additional insight at critical moments of engagement.Website activity in VinSolutions: Fullpath website data is now visible directly in the VinSolutions’s timeline.

“This release brings the industry’s most powerful first-party data and AI-powered customer intelligence directly into the CRM dealers use every day,” said Jessica Stafford, SVP of Consumer Solutions, Cox Automotive. “Capabilities that used to require a separate platform and a separate budget, are now built directly into the system they already know. Only Cox Automotive can deliver this supercharged value at scale.”

“Bringing Fullpath’s CDP intelligence directly into VinSolutions feels like watching two powerhouse digital platforms lock together,” said Don Erwin, Marketing and Communication Director for Mtn View Automotive Group, in Chattanooga, TN. “Suddenly, the customer profile isn’t just a CRM record — it becomes a living picture of that shopper’s journey, interests, activity and intent. This integration doesn’t simply pull back the curtain on the customer; it practically tears it away, giving our team a level of visibility we’ve never had inside the CRM before.” 

“The pace and depth of innovation that has defined Fullpath will accelerate now that we’re part of the Cox Automotive portfolio,” said Aharon Horwitz, CEO & Co-Founder, Fullpath. “Nobody else can pair our AI with data at this scale. That’s going to drive value for dealers — and for this industry — that no one else can touch. And this is just the first move. There’s a lot more coming from Cox and Fullpath together.”

The embedded CDP upgrade is being rolled out to all customers who have VinSolutions CRM and Fullpath through the end of the year. For more information, reach out to your Fullpath Customer Success Manager.

About Cox Automotive
Cox Automotive is the world’s largest automotive services and technology provider. Fueled by the largest breadth of first- and third-party data fed by 2.3 billion online interactions a year, Cox Automotive tailors leading solutions for car shoppers, auto manufacturers, dealers, lenders and fleets. The company has 29,000+ employees on four continents and a portfolio of industry-leading brands that include Autotrader®, Kelley Blue Book®, Manheim®, vAuto®, Dealertrack®, NextGear Capital™, CentralDispatch® and Cox Fleet®. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., a privately owned, Atlanta-based company with $23 billion in annual revenue. Cox Automotive has been included on Glassdoor’s Best Companies in Tech & AI 2026 and Best Place to Work in 2026 lists. Visit coxautoinc.com or connect via @CoxAutomotive on X, CoxAutoInc on Facebook or Cox-Automotive-Inc on LinkedIn.

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SOURCE Cox Automotive

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