Debt Consolidation Tips

For a growing number of Americans, debt is a serious problem, and one that can sneak up on you. The first step toward controlling your debt is being aware of it. Once you've established that you need to consolidate and pay down your debt, the following ten possibilities may be useful to you. Most of these tips allow you to get control of your down debts. If you want immediate help, we have screened providers that will get you a free consultation by entering your information into the savings center on the right of this page.

1. If you own your home and have enough equity in it, take out a home equity loan or line of credit. Not only can you use the money for anything you would like, including debt consolidation, but the interest you pay on the loan will be tax-deductible so you will save in more than one way.

While some of these options may be more desirable than others, and most come with their own set of complications and consequences, keep in mind that they are likely preferable to continuing to struggle with unmanageable debt.

2. Refinance your home and take cash out at closing. This will help you pay down your high-interest debt without too much difficulty, and can be tax deductible. It saves you money and gets you a lower monthly payment. Just make sure that there is no possibility of missing a payment, because you don't want to face a foreclosure because you transferred too much unsecured debt to secured debt.

3. Take out a personal or signature loan. Weigh this option carefully, as the interest rate on this type of loan may not be significantly lower than what you're already paying.

4. Do you own a car, boat, motorcycle, etc. with a free and clear title? If so, take out a title loan. Make sure you're getting the rate you want. Also, be certain you understand the terms (will you get to keep your car, boat, or other collateral, or will you have to turn it over to the lender for the term of the loan?). Get a clear idea of the payment schedule, as failure to meet any of the terms may leave you without ownership of your property or will you have to turn it over to the lender for the term of the loan?). Get a clear idea of the payment schedule, as failure to meet any of the terms may leave you without ownership of your property.

5. Sick of getting those introductory 0% interest credit card offers in the mail? Before you throw the next one away, consider how much interest you could save by consolidating all your debt onto a new card. Be very careful, though. If you continually open new cards and close older ones, you're not helping your credit rating. If you would like to consolidate all your debt onto a single card, consider keeping at least one of your older cards open with a small balance as well.

6. Renegotiate with your creditors. Your creditors may require that you incur no additional debt while working to pay off what you've already accrued. And they are under no obligation to agree to renegotiation; however, it is often to their advantage as well, since it means they will eventually collect.

7. Consult a debt consolidation service. Make sure you're working with a service that does not charge you high fees. Check with your local Better Business Bureau or other consumer protection agency. You'll likely sacrifice two things to work with a debt consolidation service: your freedom to open and use additional credit lines and, in many cases, your credit rating. The service will usually ask you to make one monthly payment that it will then use to pay your creditors.There are two main types, debt settlement and credit counseling. Debt settlement can hurt your credit score, but will lower your monthly payments and save you the most money without filing bankruptcy. Credit counseling lowers your interest rates and your monthly payments by less.

8. Borrow the money from family or friends. It probably will save you interest, but the list of associated problems can include the potential for damaged personal relationships, the expectation of a return of the favor years down the road even after what you borrowed has been repaid, and the possibility of legal action against you by someone who was previously a good friend or close family member.

9. If you have life insurance, borrow money against your policy. Strictly speaking, you don't ever have to pay the amount back if you can't or don't want to, but it will be deducted from the amount paid to your beneficiaries. For this reason, planning to pay the money back is advisable.

10. If you have a 401-K or other employer-sponsored retirement account, borrow part of the money to pay down your debt. This should be used as a last resort, however. If you cannot pay the money back within five years, you will be assessed the taxes and penalties associated with the early withdrawal of the funds.

Debt Settlement

The economic slow-down has affected every one. Plenty of people have either lost or are losing their jobs and are facing the effects of this global economic meltdown. It's also led to a large number of people going under debt, as we are unable to pay our loans.

One wrong financial decision can lead you into debt getting out of which is going to be a difficult task in present context.

To help the people deal with their financial crisis, there are various Debt Settlement services available. The debt settlement servicing is a new concept, which has become popular because of the advantages it offers to those who are already under the debt trap. The debt settlement servicing will decrease your debts by combining them into four large amount of debt. There are also various debt settlement companies in the market, which offer debt settlement advice and guidance. Debt settlement is perhaps the best way to dissolve your bad debts, and without query far better than being accounted as bankrupt. If you're planning to go for debt settlement, there are a few important points, which four must be aware of: - You must know that the debt settlement servicing company takes care of all types of loans - secured and secured. - When you get debt settlement service, your debts will be combined together so that the premium value to be paid decreases. A successful debt settlement will help you to write off your bad debts at a discount of about 30- 40 per-cent. This is the basis advantage as the burden of the loan gets reduced.

When you avail this service, you can either do it on your own and there will be no need to make an extra payment. In this case, the debt settlement servicing company will give you advice and tips on the financial matters. On the other hand, you can also take the help of an arbitrator who will handle your debt settlement case but here you will need to pay a minimal fee set by the company.

The debt settlement servicing will relieve you from the stress and also we can easily negotiate with all the creditors on your behalf. These factors make debt settlement the best alternative out of all.

Freedom Debt Relief Customer Review

Question: Is Freedom Debt Relief a good option for debt relief? Can you please do a review of freedom debt relief for me to determine if they are the BEST debt relief option for me?

Thank you. Gracie P. 

Answer: Gracie - thank you for your question on Freedom Debt Relief and debt relief options. We researched Freedom Debt Relief and have some good information to sharewith you. 

Yes, Freedom Debt Relief ( Freedom Debt Relief website ) appears to be a very good option, if you are seeking debt resolution or negotiated debt settlement. If you want to see a Bills.com review of Freedom Debt Relief, you can follow this link or just read on below: 

Freedom Debt Relief Review 


I'll also share some of the basic homework for you, and the facts, but be sure to pick the solution that is right for you: 

1. Freedom Debt Relief first joined the Better Business Bureau many years ago (joined the BBB 5 years ago). 
2. Freedom Debt Relief appears to be one of the largest debt resolution firms in the country, settling over $100 million in client debts per year and managing over a billion in consumer debt (making them one of the largest). 
3. The Founders of the Company are Stanford Business School alumni with impressive backgrounds in the financial services industry. 
4. One of the Founders of Freedom Debt Relief is on the Board of Directors of The Association of Settlement Companies (TASC) and was a Founding Board Member of USOBA -- as elected by their peers in the industry. So their competitors think they are good too and they conform to industry standards on compliance and best practices. 
5. They've won many awards (Best Places to Work in Phoenix, Best Places to Work in San Francisco, Entrepreneurs of the Year from Ernst & Young, Fast 100 list by Entrepreneur Magazine, Inc 500, etc)

6. Their debt consultants are IAPDA certified and they are one of the few companies to be TASC and BSI certified for excellent customer relationships. 
7. They look solid and credible, having been around long enough to have thousands of graduates and to have dialed in their systems and business procedures. 

Since we believe that Freedom Debt is a very good option, we also want to make sure that you do your homework on debt settlement and make sure that this is the right debt relief option for your situation, since debt settlement is not a perfect solution for everyone. 

If you are interested in general in negotiated debt settlement, I can give you the following facts: 

Debt settlement, also called debt negotiation, is a form of debt consolidation that cuts your total debt, sometimes over 50%, with low monthly payments. Debt settlement programs typically run around three years. It is important to keep in mind, however, that during the life of your debt settlement program, you are NOT paying your creditors. This means that a debt settlement form of debt consolidation will negatively impact your credit rating and you will likely get some collection calls and have to partner with your firm to get totally debt free. However, debt settlement is usually the fastest and cheapest way to debt freedom, with a low monthly payment, while avoiding Bankruptcy. The trade-off here is a negative credit rating versus saving lots of money and a low payment. 

So, we think that Freedom Debt Relief could be a great choice for you! 

In the spirit of full disclosure, we do consider Freedom Financial Network and it's related entities as sister companies and think very highly of the teams at Freedom. 

I hope this information helps you: Find. Learn. Save. 

ps. You can contact them directly and find out for yourself: 1-800-544-7211 or at their website: Freedom Debt Relief 

This articel is taken from the Bills.com blog.

Credit Card Debt - Troubling you?

If you’re carrying several credit card balances, it’s almost always wise to consolidate them. You can opt for a home equity loan, which will drastically reduce the interest rate and probably get you a tax deduction. Be careful that you don’t overborrow though, because you are risking your home by opting for a loan. You should also avoid creating new debt while paying down a home equity loan.

If you’re not comfortable borrowing against your home to pay off credit card debt, then a balance transfer is the next best option. These offers usually have a very low interest rate for a limited time. Pay as much as possible toward the consolidated debt every month. If you have a 0% transfer for 12 months, then 100% of your payments will go toward the debt rather than the interest. For many people, this is a significant savings and allows them to finally get out of debt.
Finally, if you can pay off your credit cards in less than six months, then consolidating is probably not necessary. Although it may save you a few dollars in interest, the transfer fees may cancel out any savings.

If you’re tired of receiving numerous bills and want to streamline your financial life or save money, then consolidation is usually a very good way to do both. Before you opt for consolidation, carefully consider the costs and benefits and then make the best choice for your situation.

I have been looking at some debt consolidation companies and Freedom Debt Relief seems to be top of my list.

Obama's Government - Updates

A few blogs that I read on some blog regarding the Obama after he came into power.

• GM's CEO Wagoner steps down after a behest of Obama's Government
• THE DIVINE RIGHT OF OBAMA
• Obama's "Industrialists"
• Obama's Earmark Reform? ShamWow!

Tell me what you think about these blogs.

The Crash of 2009 Is COMING To YOU!!

 

The biggest immediate problem I foresee is what is going to happen to the unemployed when they run out of bennies? Are they going to be forced to rob you or me? Me thinks so. Is this the fema camp first candidates?I hope they take the meth freaks while they are at it. We need Jobs morons . And give good business plan people startup bread for small american industry. End the fed but how? Let's get organized soon or perish

Poor Credit Score? Find The Best Bad Credit Card

Having a poor credit rating can badly limit your choices of credit cards. Most credit card companies are likely to turn down your applications, making things hard for you at a time when you most need a credit card. luckily though, that’s not the end of it as you have another alternative of bad credit cards. logically, this is a momentary solution until you can get back on your feet. Bad credit cards can also be used to help you recover your credit score, as long as you pay your credit card bills on time, that is. The only drawback to this would evidently be the higher than usual APR interests.
Nevertheless, if you are willing to give collateral to the credit card company, you may qualify for a secured bad credit card with a lower APR. This way, you can still earn interests on your collateral, and at the same time enjoy good rates. The downside is you may be charged other fees such as annual fees or start up fees.
Before you apply for a bad credit card, it is wise to do your homework first. As bad credit cards are usually offered to those with poor credit ratings, the APR would unlikely be low. Thus, comparing the various offers of bad credit cards out there would be a wise move.
One of the main factors of thought includes the upfront fees that credit card companies would charge you. In order to make a sensible evaluation, it’s best that you have a plan to pay off your debt before your interests snowball. Other factors that you can use to help you make a better decision would be to evaluate the reward programs that your bad credit card can offer. If you are entitled for retail discounts at specific retail stores when you charge to your bad credit card, this would be even more enticing.
With all these factors to consider, it is clear that you should look around before you apply for a bad credit card. Compare and contrast the various fees and rates of the candidate companies. Only after careful thought should you take the next move and submit your application.