Apr 06

The first principle towards settling your debt and moving towards a debt-free existence is in prioritizing your debt. What you must hold on for now to and what you must clear immediately is the first step towards debt management. A good debt management and prioritization of you loans settlement will get you out of debt. This article will give you some information guide on your debt management.

Which loans to prioritize?

Logically, the one with the highest rate of interest is the one that should be cleared quickly.

Two types of loans that should be cleared as soon as possible are personal loans and credit card loans.

The interest rate on these loans is the highest. On credit cards, it amounts to around 24% per annum (at 2% per month). A personal loan should be around 18% onwards. Even if you get the personal loan at a discount, it would be around 14% per annum.

Which loans can be serviced over time?

In your debt management process, there are loans which you need to prioritize to pay them off first, but there are loans which you could service them over time to reduce your loan repayment burdens. These loans can be serviced over time:

  • 1. Loans with low or no interest rate
  • 2. Loans with tax benefits

Home loans and education loan offer tax benefits and can be settled over time. Same for loans to family or friends, which are either interest-free or carry a low rate of interest.
The loans which you can close now

If you are in the bad debt situation, it is critical for you to close as much of loans as possible in the short period of time. Look at your asset list and see whether you have loan on these assets. For instance, you take a car loan for an asset – which is the car. In such a case, you can sell the car and close the loan.

If you are really struggling to pay your home loan, shifting to a smaller home or more economic location is solution for it.

Switch to Other Loans

As you know credit card interest rate is high and you might not able to clear it in short period of time; then, look for an alternative and switch it to a financier who will charge you a lower rate of interest.

For credit card, there is service call balance transfer. Say you are paying 2% or 2.25% per month on your card. You can go in for another credit card. They will pay back the bank and transfer your loan onto the new card. For the first six months, they will give you a lower interest rate. Say 1.5% or 1.75% per month. This lower rate of interest will help you pay back more.

For home loan, there are home loan packages which offer a very loan interest rate in the first 3 to 5 years; some even offer 0% interest rates in first 1-2 years. Take up these benefits by refinancing your home loan.

Summary

Almost all people have debt in somehow or rather and debt is the worst poverty. Being in debt is bad enough and not managing it well is worse. Know your debt and manage it property and you will get out from debt one day.

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Dec 23

If you monthly repayments for all your debts excluding mortgage or rent are exceed 30% of your monthly income. Then, you are at an uncomfortable zone for your personal financial condition; actions are needed to reposition your debts condition to avoid moving to a bad debt situation.

This article will outline a few alternatives for getting out of debt.

DIY (Do It Yourself)

You may contact all your creditors and initial the negotiation sessions with them and let them your current debt status. Creditors sometimes are willing to negotiate lower payments or interest rates, or waive late charges and other fees, because they realize that it's better to receive some of the money owed than none of it.

While swiping the credit card is a very effective way to pay for your expenses, it may cause you into a debt trap. Thus, cutting up your credit cards (you may keep one or two credit card for emergencies usages) definitely be your wise decision. Always paying off debts with the highest interest rates first, you may need to get a second job to increase your monthly income to bear for the repayment.

But, many people lack the self-discipline to follow this approach. To successfully get out of debt using this approach, a good self-discipline is very important to keep it up.

Debt consolidation

In a typical debt consolidation, you consolidate your existing debts and mortgage payment into one, larger mortgage payment, sometimes at a lower interest rate. You take out a loan, often using your home as collateral, the lender sends you a check and you pay off your creditors. This approach may cause you to lose your home if you miss your monthly repayment, so don't fall behind!

But, if you are a kind of person who have a habit of buying on credit and carrying large balances on your credit cards, debt consolidation won't fix your underlying spending problem.

Credit Counseling If you are not a good negotiator, a credit counseling service is able to conduct the negotiations for you and provide additional guidance as part of a debt management program. You send a single payment each month to that organization, which then pays all of your creditors on your behalf.

In addition to establishing a structured payment plan based on your debt, a credit counseling agency may also be able to negotiate benefits for you, like lowered interest rates and waived late and over-the-limit fees. They can also respond to collection calls on your behalf, saving your from harassment.

Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy should only be you very last resort solution when you really can't find other solutions. Bankruptcy has many undesirable consequences that will follow you for many years, it will remain on your credit report for 10 years; almost no lender will even consider you as a borrower for at least 2 years.

Although bankruptcy may fix your short-term problems, because it stays on your credit report for so long it should only be used in extreme situations. Many people who file bankruptcy make the mistake of doing so without fully exploring their options, and never realize they have other, more viable choices that will allow them to preserve their credit standing.

Summary

Bottom line: Know that you have options for getting out of debt, and explore them fully. The key is finding the right solution for you.

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Dec 21

Owing large sums on your credit cards and other bills is a very stressful situation. Every dime of your paycheck is allocated before you even cash it, you have collection agencies calling you both at home and at work, and you constantly have to worry about making ends meet. Worst of all, with the incredibly high interest rates you're paying.

Under such an overwhelming condition, you may run out of mind and calmness and can't think of a solution but you are disparately needs a solution to get out from debt. If you mind is blank and your heart is screaming for help to get you out from debt. You need help. Let see what you can do to reduce your debt problem while working out to get rid of it.

Reduce or cut down your expenses

Sit down with your spouse or your family members and list down all your family expenses. Then, discuss and brainstorming on any expenses which can be reduced or eliminated. Expenses in entertainment, dinner at restaurant, movies, gaming and travel can be eliminated; you are fighting with debts, so put aside all these can help you to save a good amount of money. Try to cut down expenses in food and household expenses, preparing meal to work, eat your dinner at home could eliminate unnecessary waste of money. You will be surprised that by proper budgeting, you can save quite a significant amount of money; and you could use the saved money to pay down you debt.

Cash out with your asset

If you have more that one car, sell one of them to cash out money for paying down your debts. And if you own a house, you can refinance it for the same purpose.

Go for debt consolidation

There are many experts in the finance world who you can get help from. Call up a few debts' consolidation agencies and ask for their debt consolidation programs. They may want to meet you up for detail discussion on your debt situation. Meet them up and talk with them on your actual situation and see what they can offer to you. It won't cost your any fee in meeting up the debt consolidators, but from the discussion with them, you will better know you available options.

Basically, a debt consolidation is a process of combine multiple, high-interest loans (debt) into a loan with a single monthly payment on a lower interest rate. The consolidator will negotiate on your behalf with your creditors to outcome with a win-win plan which will benefit both you and your creditors. You normally will get a low interest rate and waive part of your debt and in return, your creditors will get you to continue repaying your payment instead of declaring bankruptcy and they get nothing.

Bankruptcy is your last option

If none of plans can get you out from your debt, then bankruptcy is your last option. With filing a bankruptcy, you will get rid of your debts instantly and relief you from the harassing call of your creditors. But before opt for this option; you need to understand the consequences of bankruptcy, your bad credit record will remain on your credit report for 7-10 years. But the good news is you could rebuild your credit and improve your credit rating after the bankruptcy and even before these negative records expire.

Summary

Owing large sums on your credit cards and other bills is really stressful, pull yourself out from it as quickly as possible. There are many options available, choice the option which best suit your current debt condition.

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