Sometimes the Only Option you Have Open to you is to Consolidate Debts and Loans
By
To consolidate debt or not to consolidate debt, that is truly the question, if you will forgive the Shakespearean reference! When you are in debt up to your ears, when your creditors are hounding you day and night, and when you feel like your very life’s blood is being wrung out of you in effort to squeeze more money out of you, sometimes the only option you have open to you is to consolidate your debts and loans.
However, if you truly are in up to your ears in problems because of your never ending debt problems, then the very last thing that you want to do is to rush in and consolidate your debts without having a clue as to what it means to consolidate debt.
And although it is quite simple really, and takes only a little bit of your time to find out how to consolidate debt, and about the firms that will consolidate debt, some people give in to the pressures surrounding them and make one bad decision after another regarding their debt problems.
It is to stop this that you need to take a deep breath, sit back and look at your problems head on. If you have gotten to the point where you are thinking whether or not to consolidate debt, then you need take a good hard look at what you are facing.
For instance, if your monthly payments are too high, or you have too many creditors to pay off monthly, you might want to think about consolidating your debts into one, but then you will also have to look at the flip side of this particular coin as well.
If you rush into things, without looking to see what you are getting yourself into, you could find yourself in a lot more trouble than you bargained for, on the other hand, if you do your homework well and you know exactly what you are doing, you could find that you are better off than before you thought to consolidate debt and loan problems.
So, make sure that you don’t finally end up with a higher interest loan from the debt consolidation companies than you need, and make sure that you don’t get a secured loan from them to cover your unsecured loans.
And when you are looking at getting out of debt and if you are still thinking about whether to consolidate debt or not, make a point of investigating all of your options first, this way you won’t be caught unawares after you have made a crucial decision.
Watch the video related
Some of the principles behind consolidating your debt explained.
Help answer the question
How do you know which debt settlement or debt consolidation program to choose, when theirs 1000's out there?
How do you know which program is good and which one is right for you. I heard their is a way to check there beruo report or something, not sure what its called. How can you see the results and reputation of the debt settlement program or debt consolidation program.
consolidation debt
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14 Comments
October 14th, 2009 at 6:27 am
Why would you want to get out of debt? Why did you get in debt in the first place? Ask yourself these questions. If you have no intention of destroying your credit cards after you consolidate the debt, then why bother? If youre not going to change the person in the mirror, then why would your risk your house? Dont do it. Cut spending and pay off your debts smallest to largest. Never pay a credit card before you pay your house, food, lights and transportation cost.
October 14th, 2009 at 6:42 am
Nope. Most charge insanely high fees and most don't work. You are only going to improve the situation by actually paying attention to your finances. If your situation is dire – try Dave Ramsey. He's hard core but his plan works – but only if you grow up and get serious.
October 14th, 2009 at 6:43 am
Call the hospital and see if they have any programs that can help. Last month when I ended up in the ER with my gallbladder we got put on a payment plan where we only pay off $28 a month until the bill is gone. The surgeons office also worked out a plan where we actually only have to pay half of what the bill would have been (because my dingbat husband cancled our health insurance back in May *smacks head against wall*).
October 14th, 2009 at 7:05 am
Many thanks
October 14th, 2009 at 7:18 am
If you still owe money on your house. The argument is dont pay it off because you can write off the interest. Consider this:
If you make 100,000/year in salary at 25% thats 25,000 dollars. If you pay 10,000/year in interest on a mortgage and deduct it from your taxable income. Thats 90,000 on 22,500 in tax. It reduces your taxes by 2,500/year. Would you send a bank 10,000 to not send the government 2,500? If you didnt like having your house paid off, you could always get a loan.
October 15th, 2009 at 9:26 am
Debt consolidation is an option, and you should look into it. Just be careful about WHAT you're getting into. Some plans, because of their higher APR rates get you into more trouble than you were.
Also, some lenders look poorly upon it later on. Some institutions believe that it really is a black mark. It will depend upon the types of deals that your particular company or lender work out, and of course, your own individual circumstance. For some with absolutely NO way out, debt consolidation is a welcome option.
Take a good hard look at all the options and plans offered, and don't let a single company pressure you into something you just can't do. Make sure that you're comfortable with the plan offered before you commit to it.
In any case, it doesn't hurt to investigate debt consolidation as an option. It doesn't cost you anything to find out more information about it.
If you want a place to start your investigating, there's information and listings for debt consolidation providers on the page listed below. You'll probably find something of use there:
http://axalda.info/debt-consolidation.html
October 15th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
I would suggest not going through a debt consolidation company because there are many bad ones out there. Plus borrowing money to pay off your loans to get one payment is like "Borrowing from Peter to pay Paul" as my grandparents told me once. If you do a search on the internet, many of the loan consolidation companies are listed on Rip Off Reports website.
Here is some advice to do this on your own. With only $6,000 in debt, you should be able to do this fairly quick. Others are using the same method with over $100,000 in debt. It works.
First thing of course would be to cut up the credit cards and make a commitment to never charge again. Then follow the following plan.
Make a list all your debts by amount you owe from smallest to largest. Then begin by paying the "most" amount you can each month to the smallest debt with the idea of paying it off quick. Then, only pay the minimum payment on the larger debts. Continue doing this every month until you have the smallest one paid off. Everytime you pay off a debt, call the company and tell them to close the account … that you paid off the debt and that you do not want to leave the account open. They will try to talk you into leaving the account open. Don't do this as it is too convenient and you will be tempted and will sink into debt again. You then start paying the most you can on the next smallest debt in line and go on from there until you have each paid off. Every time you get any extra money, whether it be $5, $10 or more, apply it against your debt even if you have already sent in a payment. You can send in payments more than once a month. Don't go out to eat. It's "beans and rice, rice and beans" as Dave Ramsey always says which just means (cheap meals that you can fix at home). LOL Also do things to make money like garage sales, sell on eBay, get a second job, anything to help you get money to apply toward that debt. It's not about obtaining the best credit score, it's about eliminating the debt.
You can get more help on how to accomplish this by reading and listening to Dave Ramsey. He has a talk show which you can hear on line through his archives, or live on line, or by radio by entering your zip code and find out what time of day his show airs. Plus there is a lot of reading material on his site to get you started. In addition, he has forums from his site to get help and advice from other people who are in debt. Dave has been there (with debt) and knows what it is like and is now helping people to get out of it. There are people that have followed this method with over $100,000 in debt and have gotten it paid off without going through bankruptcy and without getting some debt help company to do it for them. Dave's website link is below. I would also consider getting his book if you can. I gave mine away a few days ago to someone else on Yahoo Answers who is trying to do the same thing. It is worth the money and not that much, but you can obtain much information just by reading his site, going into his forums (there is a free trial offer) and listening to him on air.
I hope this information helps you and you get the relief you need. Best of wishes to you.
http://www.daveramsey.com
October 16th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
you skirted around the issue, not in a bad way, but you never said, “refinance your house to include all your credit card debts, car loans, childrens school” i would have like a solid example.
October 16th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Most of the debt repair/consolation/settlement companies want their fees up front and leave you credit trashed.
Check nfcc.org for listings legit non-profit credit counseling services. They can help you set up a budget and work out clearing up your debt.
You can tackle your debt yourself by putting every extra penny on the highest interest rate debt, while making minimum payments on the rest. When the highest is paid, move to the next, till they are all paid off.
It will take 2 or 3 years but if you work at it, you'll be out of debt with a good payment history.
October 16th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Thanks for the great words on the principles behind lending. The higher the risk, the higher the required rate of return! In real estate loans, the higher the LTV, the higher the rate of return required by the lender. Debt consolidation can be a great thing under the right circumstances. Here’s link to a video that talks about how the baning and credit card industries operate. Check it out… /watch?v=0bGjYAL2Jds
October 16th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
Stay away from any that charge a fee.
Most if not all of these companies will trash your credit.
What they do is not pay your creditors for months and then try and settle for less under the threat of bankruptcy. No special skills. They just don't pay.
Your creditors do not have to deal with these people because it is your debt.
Also, If they don't pay you creditors. You, and you alone are still responsible for the debt. Your creditors will sue you and not the company you hire.
October 17th, 2009 at 12:51 am
Hi, Jimmy:
First, I already answered a related question, so I've copied that answer below after the dashes.
If your number one objective is to simply improve your credit, you could just wait it out for another 2 years until the debt is 7 years old. You can then ask for it to be removed from your credit report. If this is your objective, then don't pay the debt. Records on your credit report are good from 7 years of last transaction so any payments or charges you make resets that 7-year clock.
Personally, I've never used a debt consolidation company because I've felt capable of trying the same tactics myself. Granted, these companies are professionals and may get special "deals" and privileges that I wouldn't get, but I've still been pretty pleased with my own results.
Before using a debt consolidation company, I recommend trying your own hand at it. Contact your creditors. Before you do, determine how much you can afford to pay in a monthly payment. Even better, if you have some money saved up as a lump sum, you can try to pay them off in a couple of chunks. The more money you can give them at once, the better your negotiating power.
If you're in collections, ask the creditors by how much they'll reduce the total amount owed if you pay now/in 30 days/in 60 days/within a year.
If you're not in collections yet, ask the creditors how much they'll reduce your total interest. Some companies (e.g. Discover used to do this) will even suspend interest entirely while you're in re-payment. Of course, you can't use the credit card during that time, but you're saving money and salvaging your credit.
Good luck!
———————–
There are several benefits to credit card consolidation:
- Convenience (only one or two payments)
- Easier to manage (less likely to forget a bill!)
- Possibly a lower combined interest rate
Generally, when companies help you by consolidating your credit cards, they contact the credit card companies on your behalf and try to negotiate a lower interest rate (you can do this on your own, by the way). Then, the companies can take one of several methods for that single consolidated payment. Options include…
- Financing your debt themselves and then THEY pay your creditors
- Helping you find a financier to consolidate your debt
- Having you roll all of your debt under one of your existing accounts and pay off the others
As such, credit card consolidation does not affect your credit rating. In fact, the results of consolidation are often positive simply because it's easier to manage and you may pay less interest.
All this being said, I've never used a consolidation agency because I never wanted to pay the fees. Instead, I contacted my creditors myself and asked for the best possible interest rate they could give me, and asked what kind of arrangements I could make to manage debt. In general, they all worked with me.
By the way, here's one thing to consider when paying off your debt: Bad credit falls off your credit report 7-10 years after your last transaction. So, if you have a liability that is 6 years and 10 months old, carefully consider whether you pay it off or not. If you touch that account at all, even if it's to pay it off, suddenly that 7-year period is renewed. So, the choice you have to make is: Do you want something that was bad and is now paid on your credit report for another 7 years, or do you just want it gone entirely?
There are some ethical questions there, too (e.g. if the debt was yours and you were above 18 at the time, you should pay the debt to be ethical). These are questions that only you can answer. But, when working with a consolidation company, make sure they only consolidate the accounts you want them to touch.
Good luck.
October 17th, 2009 at 2:21 am
For my debt issues I would go here: http://www.direct.gov.uk
They are extremely helpful and are a mine of Free relevant information about debt consolidation.
Another source of Free info
http://debt-help-debt.blogspot.com/
October 17th, 2009 at 10:27 am
They are ALL SCAMS. Don't get ripped off.
Go see a local non-profit debt counselor. They will elp you with a budget and help you work with the creditors. No fast easy fixed.