Debt Counseling - Clearing Debt Load

[ Bookmark this page! ] [ get HTML Version ]

How to Stop Debt Collection Agency from Harassment
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act was passed in 1977 to protect you from abusive debt collectors. Here are rules a third-party debt collector must follow:

Contacting a debtor. A collector may contact you in person, by mail, telephone, telegram or fax. However, a debt collector may not contact you at inconvenient times or places, such as before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m., unless you agr... Read debt consolidation article



Credit card debt problems and solutions
You're burdened with crushing debt and at the end of your rope. There's got to be a way out. You go to the door every day, expecting bad news. Your minimum credit card payments are eating up most of your paycheck every two weeks. You can't go to dinner, go on a trip, or save for your kid's education, and it just keeps getting worse. You're using your credit cards for living expenses now. This real... Read debt consolidation article



Debt Counseling - Clearing Debt Load
It was my wife who first introduced me to debt counseling and I thought it would be just another agony uncle whom I would have to deal with. However, it was not late that I was proved wrong. It was through debt counseling that I survived the deadly debts to recount its benefits.

Debt counseling is the advice offered through experts on several debt related issues. Debt counseling has a two-pronged strategy. While the advice focuses on ways to counter the current debt load, the borrower will also be informed of methods to prevent debts from originating. Thus, debt counseling plays defensive as well as a preventive role.

The defensive strategy will be employed for situations where the debt load is sufficiently large. In my case, the debt load was substantially large. My personal savings and monthly income would have lessened the burden a little. But, there were other expenses too that needed to be paid through the same limited income. By channeling my income towards debt settlement, I would only have paved way for newer debts.

Debt counseling showed the way out. Large number of people in the UK owe their freedom from debts to debt counseling. In fact, the very first lesson that I learnt from debt counseling is that I was not the only person who had debts. There were many others who have even messier finances. The statistics are really appalling. How come so many people, belonging to so rich a country as the UK, be so vulnerable to debts? However, people do incur debts. A desire to have almost every material comforts, often pushes people to spend rashly. On most occasions, the expenditure is without any consideration for the sources of payment.

However, as the pressure of the creditors mounts, the very first priority of debt counseling will be to design a way out for the debtors. Presently, there are a number of debt elimination options available in the UK, namely debt consolidation loans, debt consolidation mortgages, debt consolidation through remortgage, home equity loans and credit cards. Each option has its own set of advantages and disadvantages, and it will be really difficult to make a choice for one of these. Through debt counseling, borrowers can also get help during the product selection process.

Since I had a large debt load, the debt counselors suggested that I take up a debt consolidation loan. They did not force the product on me. This is one of the peculiarities of debt counseling. The debt counselor presents an impartial view of the various products. However, not all debt counselors adopt a similar view. Most of them will sell their products in the guise of debt advice. Borrowers need to stay clear of such advisors. As in medical sciences, second opinion is always beneficial during selection of debt settlement products. There are a large number of profit and non-profit agencies and individuals who provide genuine and professional advice. Some of these, like Independent Financial Advisors are bound by the rules laid down by the Financial Services Authority to offer genuine advice.

The preventive role of debt counseling is more of an advisory nature. The aim of this exercise will be to instill debt sense in the people; though this will prove a Herculean task, given the strange relationship of people with debts. The role may take the form of a face-to-face meeting with an individual, or a conference wherein a number of people are addressed at one time.

During these sessions, the debt counselor advises borrowers of ways to deal with debts. Debt consolidation loans and debt consolidation mortgages can at the best relieve individuals of debts for sometime. However, if the individual does not improve his spending habits, he will again have a large debt load. Through preventive debt counseling, the debt counselor aims to strike at the roots of the debt.

Some of the principal debt counseling tips include:

Do not spend more than what you earn.
If the expenditure is necessary, then a provision needs to be made for its payment.
Every individual must prepare a priority list showing the importance of each expenditure.
Try to generate newer sources of income.
If a debt has been incurred, then it must be repaid with priority.

Preventive debt counseling tips are not new to people. They may have heard of them from their parents or recited them in moral science classes, but all these lessons vanish while spending. A workable debt counseling method must be practical enough to be implemented. The borrower's finance needs to be studied exhaustively for finding an effective solution. No debt counseling is complete without the borrower's participation. Consequently, borrowers need to tread safely on any debt decision that they make.

Alex Jonnes is associated with Easy Debt Consolidations. He has a Masters in Business Administration and writes on various finance related topics. To view his writings, please visit http://www.easy-debt-consolidations.co.uk

What do you want to do?
Bookmark this page before you lose it
Search this site for FREE information
Help spread the word. E-mail this page to a friend

Student Loan Consolidation Secrets

Why Consolidate Your Student Loans?

It's January of your senior year and time to start thinking about all those loans you took to help pay for college. Between Stafford Loans, Perkins Loans and all the rest, between subsidized and unsubsidized you begin to realize that a year from now you will have run out of grace period and have to start paying back all those loans. You're going to be paying back eight different loans at eight different interest rates and eight terms. It's time to start thinking about a student consolidation loan.

A student consolidation loan could be worth it just to simplify your repayment schedules. But more importantly, if you can get a loan with a lower interest rate than you are paying on your school loans, then you can save yourself some money. If the consolidation loan extends the length of your student loan payback term, then it may have the added benefit of lowering the monthly payment now (when you aren't making a large salary). You can always increase your payments as your salary grows.

How to Consolidate Your Student Loans

After deciding to consolidate your student loans, the next step is to figure out how to go about it. You may have several choices of lenders, and what you choose could affect the amount you ultimately pay. Choose carefully.

The Department of Education provides the Federal Direct Consolidation Loans Program. Numerous states have student consolidation loans, some for your federal loans and others for your state loans. Then there are private lenders offering consolidation loans as well. You might first check with your current loan providers to see what they have to offer. They may have a better deal for current customers.

Federal Direct Consolidation Loans

Federal Direct Consolidation Loans are run by the US Department of Education and provide a means to combine multiple Federal loans into one.

You can apply online for the Federal Direct Program by visiting the FDCL website at https://loanconsolidation.ed.gov/appentry/appindex.html.

State Student Consolidation Loans

Several states offer consolidation loans as part of their education loan programs. Check with your state to see if they have a loan consolidation program.

Private Student Consolidation Loans

Private loans can not be consolidated under the Federal Direct Plan. If you can't qualify for the federal and state student loan consolidation programs because you have private loans, there are many lenders who make private consolidation loans available to students. Check with your own lenders first to see if they have a consolidation program.

Ken is a successful writer and online entrepreneur. He has developed http://www.college-loans.us as a portal for presenting articles, information, resources, news and links about college scholarships, grants and loans.

Copyright 2005, Ken MacKenzie http://www.college-loans.us


Top rated articles for debt consolidation

1. Debt consolidation with low interest rates
Credit that cannot be managed or is not being repaid requires debt consolidation. Debt consolidation offers borrowers with a chance to repay their high interest loans at low interest rate. You must be... Read debt consolidation article

2. Pay Off Debt - Debt Management Tips
Paying off debt is a great feeling, plus you save thousands in future interest payments. Your credit score improves with reduced debt levels, qualifying you for lower rates on future credit. Plus, you... Read debt consolidation article

3. Loan companies - Prime and sub prime lender market
Has anyone noticed how many loan companies now fill up the commercial breaks? Sofa, after of sofa of happy couples are shown, with carefully manipulated stereotypes discussing the consolidation of the... Read debt consolidation article

4. Get Out of Debt - A Teacher Takes Responsibility
I teach second grade. I wouldn't trade this job in for the world. As a kid when I read the book a Wrinkle In Time I couldn't believe by reading I could travel through time and be transplanted somewher... Read debt consolidation article

5. Credit management - Step by step
The key to survival for any business is efficient credit management and debt recovery. In dealings between businesses, a supplier is expected to allow a customer time to pay for the goods o... Read debt consolidation article

6. Reducing Debt in 5 Easy Steps
If you have incurred substantial personal debt, consider these options: budgeting, debt consolidation, credit counselling from a reputable organization and working with your creditors. You will need t... Read debt consolidation article

7. Escape the Debt Trap
Many people fall into the trap every day. They start to use their credit cards more and more, just a little bit at a time. One day they wake up deep in debt. The average American consumer has 9 credit... Read debt consolidation article

8. Debt settlement services - What you must know
Your credit card bills are stacking up and for whatever reason you don't have the means to pay the debt. You definitely have choices when you are in this predicament. You can choose to do nothing and ... Read debt consolidation article

9. Bad debt - A primer
We imagine that when we borrow money or owe money and fail to pay, we become a bad debt. But when we see a bank making a profit of $10.64 billion, whilst boasting $3.28 billion of bad debts... Read debt consolidation article

10. Repair Your Bad Credit and Personal Loan Record Starting With Your Credit Card Debt
Credit card debt is easy to ignore. You make the monthly minimum payment on your credit card debt and you just keep charging. Have you thought about the fact that you are spending your retirement mone... Read debt consolidation article

1. Debt settlement and income taxes - Your questions answered
2. Debt Consolidation Loans and Info
3. Debt Consolidation - Overcoming it
4. Credit card debt consolidation - Important factors
5. Growing Debt Problem
6. How to choose the right credit counseling agency
7. Debt consolidation - What really is debt consolidation
8. Get Out Of Debt Legally
9. Consumer Debt Elimination Strategies
10. Student Loan Consolidation Plans

Debt consolidation, debt counseling and debt management in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi,



Debt Counseling - Clearing Debt Load
Debt consolidation, debt counseling and debt management services in Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania,

Debt management, debt counseling and debt consolidation in Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.