Where we stand
The Real Debt Guy is not FCA regulated.
The Financial Conduct Authority regulates firms that give financial advice, manage your debts on your behalf, or contact creditors to settle debts for you. The Real Debt Guy doesn't do any of those things, so The Real Debt Guy is not authorised by the FCA. This page explains what that means for you.
What The Real Debt Guy actually is.
The Real Debt Guy is an independent debt-information service. We publish plain English articles and guides about how UK debt works, run the free Budget Planner, and offer paid one-to-one services where we help you draft your own correspondence to creditors.
Every letter we help with is written in your words, addressed from you, sent by you, and signed by you. You read every draft, change anything you want to change, and approve it before it goes out. Nothing is submitted to a creditor without your say-so.
In plain English.
What The Real Debt Guy does
Publishes independent debt information, offers the free Budget Planner, and provides paid one-to-one services such as the Clarity Call, Private Call, Letter Audit, Full Support, and the Community. Helps you draft your own letters to creditors, in your own words, for you to approve and send.
What The Real Debt Guy doesn't do
Doesn't give financial advice. Doesn't contact creditors on your behalf. Doesn't collect payments on your behalf, hold client money, or act as a debt-management or debt-adjusting firm. Not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority.
How The Real Debt Guy is different from a debt management company.
A regulated debt management company runs a formal plan on your behalf. The Real Debt Guy helps you handle things yourself with drafts you approve. Here's the difference, line by line.
| The Real Debt Guy | Debt management company | |
|---|---|---|
| FCA authorised? | No. Independent information and correspondence-drafting only. | Yes. Authorised and regulated by the FCA. |
| Who writes the letters? | You do. The Real Debt Guy helps you draft them in your words. You approve and send. | They do. Letters go from the firm to your creditors on your behalf. |
| Who talks to creditors? | You do. The Real Debt Guy never contacts your creditors. | They do. Creditors deal with the firm, not with you. |
| Who holds the money? | You do. The Real Debt Guy never collects or holds any money owed to your creditors. | They collect a single monthly payment from you and distribute it to your creditors. |
| Fee structure | Fixed prices for each service. Pay only for what you use. | Usually a monthly management fee, often taken from the payment you make into the plan. |
| Regulated advice? | No. The Real Debt Guy doesn't give financial advice or recommend a debt solution. | Yes. Regulated firms can recommend a specific debt solution based on your circumstances. |
If you want a firm to run a formal plan on your behalf, or regulated advice about which debt solution suits your circumstances, that is a service FCA-regulated firms provide, not The Real Debt Guy.
Why this matters when choosing us.
The Real Debt Guy suits people who want to stay in control, understand what's being said to their creditors, and handle things in their own name. Every letter comes from you, so your creditors are talking to you throughout.
If you need regulated advice about which debt solution to choose, or you'd rather have a firm handle everything on your behalf, The Real Debt Guy isn't the right fit. Free regulated debt advice is available in the UK from charities and other services.
Still not sure if The Real Debt Guy is right for you?
Take a look at how we help, or book a Clarity Call and we'll talk it through. Ten minutes on Zoom, £27.50, no pressure to buy anything else.