Today is: Friday, 21st November 2008

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Debt Consolidation And Other Ways To Consolidate Your Debt

By Hugh Thorpe

Debt consolidation is something thousands of people actually need. Every month there are tons of bills that come in. There are utilities, car loans, student financing repayment, health insurance, mortgage or rent, cell phone, cable, gas and groceries to be paid. And by the time you get done with those, the next round is due. No doubt you’ve probably wished that there was an easier way to do all this. There is; like I mentioned above, we call it debt consolidation. By debt consolidation you will end up with fewer payments to write out each month and save yourself money and time.

Use Credit Cards

You can consolidate debt by using credit cards. The goal is to take all of the credit cards that are currently in your possession, and try and find the lowest interest rate between all of them. After you find the lowest issuer, try to transfer all of the balances over to one credit card. You will have one large balance, instead of ten semi-large ones, and you will also only have one payment to make a month. You can also apply for a new card and make a transfer so that you only have two cards, with obviously two payoffs. This is pretty much what we mean with credit card debt consolidation. However, be careful when applying for new cards. Too much credit can equal a lower rating for your credit score.

Home Equity Debt Consolidation

Another method you can use is home equity consolidation loans. With this kind of finance you can borrow against the value of your home with a fixed amount of money for a standard period of time. Usually this type of financing will offer lower rates, lower payments, and their amounts can be tax deductible if you itemize. You may also choose to refinance your home and take out money in order to pay for some of your bills.

Consolidate Debt with Personal security Financing

There is also another type of loan called a personal security loan. This loan can be tricky because the only thing that you are offering for a guarantee is yourself. These loans are more risky so it is likely that the loan will be more expensive, and you will be repaying on that loan for an average of 10 to 15 years. The personal loans can be harder to get if you have a substantial amount of debt.

Debt Counseling

You may seek counseling for your debt, but a credit counselor doesn’t actually do debt consolidation, rather they will work out a feasible payment schedule for you to follow. You will make one payment to the credit agency and they will turn around and pay your bills. However, most do not offer this service for free, so make sure that you are unable to get your act together before enlisting the help of a professional.

Debt Settlement

Today many people choose to have a debt settlement company speak to creditors on their behalf. When using this option you stop paying your bills and the creditors contact your debt settlement company instead of you. Then the two sides will negotiate a way to reduce the amount of your balances, sometimes up to as much as 50%. With this option people often find that they are out of debt within two years.

When it comes to being in debt remember that you are not the first, nor the last person to be in a tight situation. Before debt totally consumes your life investigate some of the more common solutions to managing your finances. Try to find other people who may have gone through the same thing you are experiencing and see what they did to get themselves out of debt. Did they use bankruptcy, debt consolidation or something else?

Consolidate Debt Loan - Google News
Money Management Don’t get swamped by student loans - Morgan Messenger

Money Management Don’t get swamped by student loans
Morgan Messenger, WV - 22 hours ago
When you consolidate, you take out a new loan that is equal to your total debt and use it to pay off all your existing balances. ...
Working to Thaw Credit Markets: Social Lending Site LendingClub ... - MarketWatch

Working to Thaw Credit Markets: Social Lending Site LendingClub ...
MarketWatch - Nov 20, 2008
... Club platform have an average FICO score of 704 and state their intended use of loan proceeds for purposes such as debt consolidation, home improvement, ...
Freedom Debt Relief Offers Answers, Clarity for Those Struggling ... - PR Web (press release)

Freedom Debt Relief Offers Answers, Clarity for Those Struggling ...
PR Web (press release), WA - 6 hours ago
Debt consolidation rolls multiple debts into one loan or into a mortgage. It may or may not bring lower payments. Borrowers using a mortgage to consolidate ...
Athens Township: ATA Prez.: Debt consolidation could eliminate ... - Morning Times

Athens Township: ATA Prez.: Debt consolidation could eliminate ...
Morning Times, PA - Nov 17, 2008
We’re working with a local bank to consolidate our loans and pay off some of the loans we have due shortly, and that way we would be saving money in ...
UTSA changes federal financial aid application process - UTSA Today

UTSA Today

UTSA changes federal financial aid application process
UTSA Today, TX - Nov 19, 2008
The direct loan program also offers advantages over FFELP if students want to consolidate their loans. In FFELP, students who consolidate federal loans with ...
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