I never considered legitimate debt consolidation to be very harmful to debtors but after reading this article by the WSJ I have begun to think twice about the topic. So when debt consolidation services offer “one low payment” many are tricked into thinking their troubles are over and slip back into the same pattern of overspending that got them into debt in the first place. This problem is made even worse by those who think that a home equity line of credit will save them. There are legitimate debt consolidation services available, but be sure to do your homework before using one.