Debt Consolidation Help Blog

posted by Admin on Mar 31

Are you sick of paying interest on your monthly student loans with no end in sight? Afraid of cash-flow problems that may prevent you from paying your student loans on time? I know I was and there is a solution to this problem. It is called student loan consolidation.

What is Student Loan Consolidation?

Student loan consolidation simply means consolidating all your student loans into a single loan with a monthly payment plan. Effectively, all your previous student loans are written off and a new student loan is created which you have to pay off monthly.

Benefits of Student Loan Consolidation

Here are some of the benefits of student loan consolidation

1. Lower monthly payments

By consolidating all your student loans into one loan, you only need to pay off one loan monthly instead of several student loans monthly. Thus, your monthly payment is lower

2. Pay only one loan monthly instead of several student loans monthly

It is a lot easier if you have to manage only one student loan instead of several student loans with different payment deadlines. Also, sometimes with many student loans, you may ended up forgetting to pay one student loan.

3. Low, fixed interest rate

By consolidating your student loans, you will be able to take advantages of low, fixed interest rates. Currently, by law, student loan consolidation rates cannot exceed 8.25%. Furthermore, national interest rates are at a 40-year low therefore this is a good time to get one.

4. No credit card check or processing fees

No credit card check is required during the application of a student loan consolidation. The payment plans and terms are usually quite flexible in that they can customize it according to your financial standing.

5. Make monthly student loan payment electronically

While it is not necessary to make payment electronically, most lenders will knock 0.25% off your student loan rates if you make payment electronically. Also, using direct debit from your bank account will prevent you from forgetting to make a payment.

Sometimes it can get quite confusing as to the qualification of applying for a student loan consolidation. The official stand from the government is that students who are still in their grace period or who are still studying in school may qualify for government student loan consolidation

The government student loan consolidation nowadays are quite competitive compared to private sector, therefore I would recommend going for a government student loan consolidation. With so many benefits of getting a student loan consolidation, it is quite obvious to save money in the long run is to get one.

posted by Admin on Mar 31

When debt becomes very big, people land in a soup, where there are unable to pay the debts. Its estimates that almost 43% of all Americans have taken debts, which they find difficult to repay back. In fact the majority of their debt is credit card debt. Its fairly easy to get a credit card in the US even with a bad credit report. However even then, many people are unable to repay the amount on their credit cards.

Its very simple for people to charge their credit cards for goods and services like vacations, monthly groceries, clothes and furniture and a multitude of other things. Many people pay only the minimum balance required and roll over the amount to another month. In this way, they are incurring charges, which they dont see. Interest charges on credit cards can be quite steep. Thus this balloons into a huge debt. Other debts include being late on mortgage payments, car loan payments, payday loans etc.

Thus when the debts gets too big, then one can use the services of a debt settlement company or negotiator. There are innumerable debt settlement agencies. You can even get a quote from them online. The basic aim of the debt settlement agency is to lower the amount of the debt, reduce the interest charges as well as reduce the tenure payments. They can also help in making the creditors stop the calls. Often when people are behind in their payments, creditors will call them or visit them to intimidate them to pay up early. This kind of harassment can also be stopped by the debt settlement agencies. Of course they might charge a commission or a fees dependent upon the value of your debt.

They can get the debt reduced to almost 75% of the amount. However all cases are taken up on an individual basis. Therefore debt can be settled at 50%, 75% or 60% etc. You need to negotiate with the debt settlement agencies before you employ them.

posted by Admin on Mar 30

According to a Federal Reserve Study more than 43% of all Americans spend more than they earn. Thats quite a large number of people. However this means that 1 out of every 100 families will probably file for bankruptcy in their lifetime. Debts should be taken only if you are sure that you can repay those debts. Else your interest costs will keep mounting and you would be taking more debts just to repay the old ones and falling in a classic case of debt trap.

However in this financial age, where almost anything can be bought on EMIs on monthly installments, you can also settle your debts in monthly installments. This is also one of the reasons why people purchase almost everything including furniture, baby food, and home furnishings on credit, which they find they are unable to pay. The cumulative amount gets bigger and bigger and they find themselves in a soup. However debt settlement can help you to tide over those problems. There are specialized agencies, which can reduce the tenure of the payments, the interest charges and make sure that creditors stop bothering you for the unpaid amounts.

They may however charge a fee dependent upon the amount of debt that you may have. Debt settlement agencies or negotiators are willing to help you settle all types of loans, however they are called more to settle credit card debts. America as a nation is prone more to spending on credit rather than in cash. Then the credit card balances are unpaid and this is when the trouble starts. You can even find debt settlement agencies online and get a quote from them. Be wary of fly by night operators and ask for references when dealing with debt settlement online agencies. Dependent upon various financial considerations, debt reduction can wary for people. Some people may get their debt reduced by 20%, some 50% and still others by 70%. Therefore its important to negotiate with the debt settlement agencies before you sign them up.

posted by Admin on Mar 30

If you think that being bankrupt is the worst thing that could happen to you than think again! Yes you are right?Worst is yet to come, but of course you can control and eliminate that worst scenario by simply making correct decisions! Hiring a wrong attorney for filing your bankruptcy can be like a nightmare coming true!

So it is better that before hiring you do some research and make sure that you find an attorney who could really show you way attorney who could really show you way out from the bankruptcy mess!

Facts about selecting the Attorneys:

As most of the attorneys are usually overworked, they arent able to give ear to full details of your case. You may feel that your attorney isnt pursuing your case the way you want him to pursue and ultimately you will feel irritated.

Many of the attorneys arent qualified enough to lead your bankruptcy case. So such attorneys dont fulfill your expectations. Certificates are important indicators to judge whether the attorney is qualified enough or not.

Asking from friends wont take you to any good lawyer, unless your friend has gone through filing for bankruptcy but it may be useful to take advice from legal professionals.

You can even go to a bankruptcy court and observe the attorneys there. Maybe during your observation, you will find some attorneys who are good enough for you.
Once you find the attorney, you can satisfy yourself completely by asking him the right questions. A short conversation can tell you a lot about the attorney you have chosen. You can ask him about his expertise and his working and consultation hours. After conversation, you can evaluate the attorney to see if that attorney is really right for you or not!

Once you select the attorney, you must discuss with him what type of bankruptcy should you file? There are eight different types for filing bankruptcy. You attorney can best point out which type suits you for filing bankruptcy.

Secondly, you need to ask him how you can file for bankruptcy. You have to file for your bankruptcy in the state where you are living. The Attorney can prepare the necessary paperwork that would be needed to present to the courts.

Thirdly, you must know the fees that are involved in the filing for bankruptcy. The total fees will comprise of the attorneys fees plus the court fees that you need to submit to file for your bankruptcy.

Fourth, you must know where you should file your bankruptcy claim. You need to consult your attorney on how to get there and what documentation is required.
Finally you must know the after effects of filing for bankruptcy. As soon as you file for bankruptcy, creditors will receive notification from the courts and will not be allowed to contact debtor for payments. A hearing in court will be set. The case will proceed depending on type of bankruptcy filed.

Remember that this is your fight, so you have to be really involved in it and follow the case. You just cannot leave everything on the attorney!

posted by Admin on Mar 29

Individuals in debt who wish to make use of the services of a debt management firm should do research before committing themselves. An unscrupulous debt management firm can harm a debtors interests in many ways, so make sure to keep the following 4 things in mind before hiring a debt management firm:

1. Avoid any agency that calls you by phone or sends you spam: Most debt management firms advertise in the yellow pages or on the Web, but do not over-aggressively solicit clients. Therefore, there is a good chance any company which does so is not on the level. Debt management companies that follow a cold calling policy or send unsolicited emails will usually not be able to provide any solid references. Most of these companies do not even keep a reserve fund, which serves as a guarantee for the debtor that his creditors will be paid.

2. Non-profit agencies do not necessarily offer better service: First, not all non-profit debt management firms offer their services free; some firms charge up to 15% of the debt amount. Being a non-profit organization does not make a debt management firm a better and more efficient service provider than those that charge for the services. In fact, companies charging for their service are under an obligation to free their clients of debt as efficiently as possible because they are making a profit from their work and their profitability is directly linked to their credibility and reputation in the market.

3. Never part with credit card information on the phone: A reputed and honest debt management firm will never ask you to provide your credit card number or bank information on the phone. This is because they understand that callers can be impersonated; moreover, the increase in online frauds is reason enough for individuals in debt to be extra cautious when checking out debt management firms. Debt management companies that are acting in good faith will never ask a prospect or an existing client to part with sensitive information of any kind over the phone.

4. Dont believe anyone who offers a deal thats too good to be true it probably is: Often debtors come across debt management deals that promise to reduce their debt by half in short time. This rarely happens; however, the debtor does end up paying high fees and a substantial upfront amount to the debt management company. Such companies also discourage debtors from communicating with their lenders; this is never a good idea and invariably leads to a negative impact on the debtors credit rating. If a debt reduction company promises to offer more than some interest reduction and counseling on getting out of debt and staying debt free, the claim should ideally not be taken at face value.