Provides tips for dealing with debt, discussing how the credit card industry operates, statutes of limitations on debts, interest rates, credit reports, payment, and rebuilding credit. Author: Kevin Trudeau Publisher: Perseus Distribution Services Hardcover, 310 pages ISBN 13: 9780979825811
by Carmen Ulrich When the average college student graduates with $18 560 of debt almost all of it in tuition loans and is lucky to find a job that will pay even $28 000 a year how is he or she supposed to make ends meet? Ulrich a former projects editor for Money offers a step-by-step guide on how to budget your monthly expenses make judicious use of credit cards while avoiding the pitfalls of high interest rates and find the best way to pay off those student loans.
Credit is so easily obtained and credit card applications flow into our mailboxes virtually every day. Many couples find themselves deeply in debt and not even sure of how they got there let alone how they can get out of it. Larry Burkett has the solution!His bestselling book, Debt-Free Living, has been updated and modernized. Debt-Free Living has been providing poignant and biblical teaching on debt for over a decade. This updated resource will teach the consumer about the origin of most financial troubles and help him or her break the ‘debt cycle.’ Debt-Free Living is a necessary resource to battle the temptation and trappings of debt that are weighing you down.
A relatively new approach to debt resolution, debt settlement or debt negotiation is the process of negotiating with creditors to lower the amount that you owe, typically by as much as 50 to 60 percent. A settlement offer is only attractive to a creditor when a consumer is behind on their payments. The reason why this is the case is that statistically a past due debtor is far more likely to either 1) file bankruptcy; 2) never pay the creditor at all; or 3) cost so much money in any collection efforts that a settlement offer is more profitable for the creditor. The financial incentive of debt settlement is clear for the consumer: you are able to cut your balance in half and presumably eliminate interest altogether. The main downside is that since you have to be past due in order for a settlement to be reached your credit will most likely suffer.
• Debt Settlement and Consumers with Good Credit: The impact should be pretty significant, particularly in the short-term. If you have high balances, however, then even your positive credit history is being weighed down by the negative effect that the amount you owe is having on your credit. This being the case other factors that you should consider are 1) when you anticipate using your credit again and 2) what other options are available to you. If you’re retired and not planning on getting another mortgage, then debt settlement is still probably your best option. If you’re 30 years old and planning on buying a home in the next year or two, I’d probably reconsider. And by reconsider, I mean I’d reconsider debt settlement and getting a house. If you’re buried in minimum payments, then the last thing that you should be thinking about is adding on more debt. If you have no real assets (equity in your home, for example), then debt settlement may be a suitable solution because you don’t have any options at your disposal that don’t affect your credit negatively. On the other hand, if you have a lot of equity in your home, then it may be your best option to tap into it because the credit impact of debt settlement may cost you more in the long run if you try to refinance or buy another home.
• Debt Settlement and Consumers with Average Credit: As a result of debt settlement you will still take a sizable hit in the short-term, but it will be far easier for consumers with average credit to restore their score to where it was when they entered the program versus consumers with good credit. Keep in mind, if you’re the sort of consumer that has always made payments on time, but you’re still stuck with a mediocre credit score, then it’s probable that in the long-run debt settlement will help you by eliminating the debt that dragging down the amount owed component of your credit score. With some proactive rebuilding after completing your debt settlement program, you should be in a better position to obtain a loan than when you contacted your debt negotiation company.
• Debt Settlement and Consumers with Bad Credit: For those of us with bad credit (600 FICO score and below), the impact of debt settlement may still be negative in the short-term, but the credit impact will be so negligible that the savings from enrolling high interest credit cards will most likely overcome it. Moreover, if your accounts are already in collections and charged-off, then debt settlement will likely improve your credit score since you’d be paying off seriously past due accounts. If you fit in this boat, then debt settlement is an ideal fit because you save a lot of money while sacrificing much less from a credit standpoint.
Robert Zangrilli
http://www.articlesbase.com/debt-consolidation-articles/credit-factors-to-consider-before-using-a-debt-negotiation-company-139074.html
There is one topic which every time I write about it seems to generate some hate mail while at the same time spawning a flurry of wonderful praise from consumers. Of course, the hate mail is always from a few people that happen to own these “certain types” of businesses I discussed and those businesses of course are Credit Counseling or Debt Consolidation companies; of which many “claim” to be non-profit organizations.
You’d almost have to be an ostrich with your head stuck in the sand to not see or hear at least one advertisement a day from a Credit Counseling or Debt Consolidation Company. However, you can expect this to change and change soon. Since this is a topic which tends to “stir up” the owners of these businesses, I am going to take a different approach by NOT sharing my opinion, but rather, the opinion of others. I will start with the news media and the Internal Revenue Service:
“(NPR News, May 15, 2006). The Internal Revenue Service is revoking the tax exempt status of some of the largest credit counseling agencies in the country. An IRS investigation disclosed that the firms solicited business from people seriously in debt and that they didn’t provide counseling or consumer education, as required.
Prodded in part by a congressional oversight committee and consumer advocates, the IRS began investigating dozens of credit counseling agencies — most holding non-profit status — two years ago. IRS Commissioner Mark Everson says the companies “poisoned an entire sector of the charitable community.”
Everson says in many instances, companies were organized merely to funnel business to loosely affiliated for-profit companies. Many of the firms spend millions of dollars on commercials that urge anyone with debt to call them to solve their financial woes. And because tax-exempt organizations are not bound by the federal do-not call list, the firms were able to randomly call consumers, pitching their services under the guise of a non-profit counseling service.
The IRS investigations are also likely to affect consumers, thanks to a new bankruptcy law that requires consumers considering bankruptcy to get counseling before they are allowed to file. The IRS wants to ensure that only legitimate non-profit agencies are doing the counseling. In addition to the actions announced Monday, the IRS is sending more than 700 compliance letters to the rest of the credit counseling industry (END).”
Since almost all Credit Counseling and Debt Consolidation companies claim a non-profit status, I feel most consumers are easily sucked in with their skepticism and defenses at bay. After all, when most of us hear the word “non-profit” the first thing we usually think of is a church or homeless shelter.
From the NPR article and the actions of the IRS, I think it’s fair to assume that many of these “non-profit” organizations have been operating under a scenario similar to that of a wolf guarding a hen house. However, this doesn’t mean all credit counseling and debt consolidation companies are bad but… you do need to know the truth about how they operate and their limitations.
The first thing you want to understand is these companies are ALL more interested in making money off you than they are in preserving your credit rating. The bottom line with either credit counseling or debt consolidation is that it absolutely ruins your credit. I can just hear the companies arguing this with a consumer right now, telling them nonsense like “It helps your credit since it tells creditors that you’re working on your situation and not just running away from it.” Listen… if one these places tells you that than watch out. Why? Because they will lie to you about other things as well!
One of the first actions these programs usually requires you to do is for you to CLOSE all your revolving credit accounts. You then make payments to the organization and they take care of everything for you. What this says to all your creditors (as well as anyone considering giving you credit) is that you are so out of control with your finances that you can’t even manage paying everyone back on your own. Therefore, you’re hiring someone else to do it for you!
99% of the time these companies will claim they can negotiate with your creditors and get interest rates reduced thereby saving you money. While this is true, what’s also true is you can easily negotiate these same rates as well as they can by just calling your creditors yourself. You’d be amazed at how many of your creditors would love to hear from you (especially when the chips are down!). Not too mention, any money the counseling company was to save you would more than likely be sucked back up by their monthly fees (usually around $500 to $1,000 per year).
This brings us into a whole other dynamic of their business model. Because these companies always make their money off of monthly fees paid by the consumer, the longer they can keep those monthly fees coming in the more profitable their business will be. It’s for this reason that most consumers who sign up with these companies usually find themselves on payment plans with the lowest monthly payment possible (which turns out to also be the LONGEST payment plan as well). Not surprising is it?
Am I against Credit Counseling and Debt Consolidation companies? Absolutely not. After all, there are millions of people in America who will never be able to manage their finances. Credit to them is a destructive addiction much like alcohol or drugs and they will never be able to control it. Instead, it will always control them. We’ve all seen these people. Every time they are extended credit shortly thereafter they are in financial trouble (usually blaming it on some external factor). For these people I think these credit and debt counseling programs can be a good thing (as a ruined credit report is not a hindrance to them but actually an asset). It keeps them out of future financial trouble by forcing them to live their lives on a “cash and carry” basis; which is ultimately conducive to a better standard of living down the road.
On the other hand. If you’re good with your finances and have control with credit but went through some type of hardship beyond your control in the past (i.e. divorce, job loss etc); then the services of these companies will never be for you. You will do far better and preserve your credit rating by taking matters into your own hands. Reason being is that you understand your credit rating is a powerful tool that can help you move ahead faster, help others and help yourself as well as create the life you want. It all comes down to self management. We all know that those who cannot manage themselves will ultimately be managed by others. Credit is no different. When you learn to manage it well, you are the master and it is the servant.
If you care about your credit and want to benefit from it in the future, then you will never rely on a credit or debt counseling service to help you get out of any trouble you find yourself in. Instead, you’ll look inward and get yourself out while preserving your credit rating the best you can. Credit and debt counseling is for people who are “ok” with throwing their credit rating in the trash so they can have “someone else” manage their payments for them (since they are unable to manage them themselves). And again, as far as negotiating interest rates, you can do just as good as them or better. If you don’t believe me just call any of your creditors and straight out tell them your situation. You will quickly find you don’t need to be afraid of them. They just want to get paid like the rest of us.
Jay Peters
http://www.articlesbase.com/credit-articles/facts-you-should-know-before-considering-credit-counseling-or-debt-consolidation-139190.html
http://www.TheDebtReliefReview.com – Credit Card Debt Relief is something on a lot of American's minds these days. With the slow economy and housing market crash, bills are piling up for people & they need debt relief for their credit cards & other bills.
Duration : 1 min 16 sec
My credit rating is probably better than the average as I pay all my credit bills on time, but I’d like to consolidate all the debt for a lower interest rate, with an eye on paying it all off faster. Would it be better to pay off the balances individually than to consolidate? How will zero credit card balances effect my credit rating?
Any suggestions, and any recommended books, would be appreciated. Thank you!
Consolidating debt is an ideal way to reduce your amount and tenure of debt. You make a single payment to one lender on a certain date and this will help you clear off the debts faster.
I would recommend you to visit this site for more info about consolidating debt:
http://www.debt-explained.com/category/Ways-to-Consolidate-Debt.html
http://www.bankruptcyaccess.com/credit-card-debt/