Freedom from Credit Card Debt

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Personal Debt Problem
Consumer debt is a problem that affects millions of people. While the average household debt ranges from $6000 - $8000, there are individuals living with a $20,000 and $30,000 credit card debt - sometimes higher. Overcoming debt is challenging, but possible. Here are a few tips to help you eliminate your debt.

Eliminate Credit Card Debt without Bankruptcy

Although there is ... Read debt consolidation article



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Online debt management sources provide financial tools and options for anyone interested in budgeting, controlling spending, debt relief, investing, retirement, mortgages, and education accounts for children. There are non-profit agencies, Christian financial ministries, law firms, money management companies and debt relief businesses that can assist you in all your credit debt management interest... Read debt consolidation article



Freedom from Credit Card Debt
Credit card debt have you drowning financially? You're not alone. The average American household carries $9,205 in credit card debt, according to CardWeb, an online industry tracker. Not managed properly, this debt can come to eat up all of your disposable income leaving little or nothing for bare necessities. Some people in this situation respond by charging more but that will only get you further in trouble.

Fail to plan and you plan to fail

There is this cliche' that states that if you fail to plan you plan to fail. The first thing you need to do is evaluate where you want to be. Do you want freedom from your credit card burden? Is so, you need to develop a different action plan to the one you are currently following. Makes sense doesn't it?

Start by listing all of the debt you currently owe along with a list of what your monthly obligations are for each debt. At the top of the page, list the amount of income available to pay these debts after essentials like food, hydro, etc... are taken out. When listing essentials, it's important to include a certain amount for clothes, medical and entertainment because no matter how good your intentions, you will spend some money in these areas. If you budget ahead for them, you are less likely to just waste it.

Start paying one credit card first

Don't try to pay off all of your credit cards at once. Doing this will take too long and end up discouraging you. You're better off concentrating on getting one card paid off, then putting the money you've freed up from that one card and applying it to the next one and so forth.

Which credit card charges you the highest rate of interest? Start with that one. Pay the minimum due on all of your credit cards expect for the one you have chosen to focus on first. On that card, put as much money as your budget allows onto the card after all of your expenses and debts have been factored in. Keep doing this month after month until the credit card balance goes to zero.

Loose all credit cards except one

Plan to keep one major credit card for unexpected expenses, car rentals and emergencies. Get rid of all your other cards as you pay them off. Most people can't resist the temptation to spend money on a clean card. If this describes you, you're better off without many credit cards than you are to get right back into deep credit card debt.

Follow this plan, and depending on how much you owe, in a year or so, you should have pretty much achieved credit card debt freedom!

Joe Duchesne is the webmaster of Bootdebt.com a website dedicated to helping people with credit card debt, debt consolidation, getting out of debt and becoming financially literate. Reprint freely as long as you keep this resource box and include a live keyword rich link back to my website.

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Student Loans Cannot Be Wiped Through Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy is in the news these days, as Congress has finally overhauled the Federal bankruptcy law after years of talking about it. The credit card companies, rightly or wrongly, have been pressuring members of Congress to tighten the bankruptcy statutes, saying that too many people were willfully spending money they couldn't repay with the intention of avoiding paying the money back by filing for bankruptcy. That will soon change, and those with student loans may pay a heavy price.

Most everyone knows that consumers with problem debt who are unable to pay their debts may file for bankruptcy under Chapter 7 of the Federal bankruptcy code. This allows for the court to basically wipe away all of the debtor's bills and allows them to start over. It's not entirely free; the bankruptcy filing stays on the debtor's credit report for the next ten years and may affect their ability to buy a home, borrow money or obtain employment. What many people fail to realize is that while installment loan debt or credit card debt can be wiped out through filing for bankruptcy, most student loans cannot. In fact, thanks to legislation enacted several years ago, most any loans acquired for education, including those issued by for-profit agencies, may not be eliminated through filing for bankruptcy.

What this means for those with student loans is that they will need to be repaid. If bankruptcy is inevitable, those with outstanding student loans should contact their lenders and see if they can't negotiate a repayment plan. Those with Federally funded student loans should contact their lender soon, as rates for student loans will go up on July 1, 2005. Now would be a good time to consolidate student loans, as the rates can be locked in for the long term. If these options are not viable, then holders of student loans should simply be aware that their lenders and their lenders' loan collectors will be keeping in touch with them for the foreseeable future. Those with student loans and other financial problems should also be aware that Federal bankruptcy law will change in October, 2005, making it harder to file for bankruptcy. If you have problem debt, now would be a good time to consider meeting with a credit counselor.

©Copyright 2005 by Retro Marketing.

Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm devoted to informational Websites, including End-Your-Debt.com, a site devoted to debt consolidation and credit counseling, and StructuredSettlementHelp.com, a site devoted to information regarding structured settlements.


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Freedom from Credit Card Debt
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