Good debt versus bad debt - What you must know

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Online Debt Consolidation Loans
Debts are a result of loans that one had taken on several occasions to satisfy one or the other personal need. Borrowing loans is thought to be an easier way to accomplish desires. But, at times it may become tough for you to handle debts. Remembering whom to pay, how much and when is a difficult task. Online debt consolidation loan in such circumstances can work as an effective solution to secure... Read debt consolidation article



Decrease Debt - Top 10 Ways
Home is where the debt is.

Debt reduction is about spending less money so you can pay off your current debts while not accumulating more debt. Car payments, Christmas shopping, and credit cards enable the amassing of debt rather quickly. When bills are coming every day and you don't know where to turn or how to save any more money, look at your own home.

Everyday, you leave a... Read debt consolidation article



Good debt versus bad debt - What you must know
Debt has been a part of every body's life and personal debt gradient is on the rise because credit hasn't been easier to receive. In everyday life, most of us would not have enough finances in one go when it comes to paying for our apartments or children's college education. Hence we borrow in one form or the other to get the expenses meet.

Debt is not a simple concept to comprehend, but in fact is a bit difficult one to get hold of. Ideally, as per financial experts' statements, a person's total monthly long term debt payments - which includes credit cards and mortgage - should not exceed 36 percent of his/her gross income for a month. This is the bench mark mortgage bankers take in to consideration while appraising the creditworthiness of a potential borrower.

It is very easy to spend far more than what one could afford. It is interesting and intriguing that a large number of people does exactly this and fail to recognize that they are heading down in an abyss - the deeper you sink, the more difficult will be the chances of a recovery. That is unbridled spending. But to avoid debt is not a smart option either. If properly handled, debt can be money spinning as well. That brings us to the concepts of Good Debts and Bad Debts. Let us see what are the differences between good debts and bad debts?

The secret of acting smart with the money is all about learning to discern between good debt and bad debt. Unfortunately this is something that most people around the world fail to be experts in. Good debt is something that helps improve your financial position or net worth. That is, in simpler terms, a good debt increases cash flow. That is, mortgage debt, for example, is good debt. You are borrowing money from someone, but you're getting a tax advantage so that you are able to cancel interest on an asset that's gaining in value over time. Also you can live there.

On the other hand bad debt can occur when you buy something that goes down in value immediately. That is, when the thing that has been brought on credit does not have the potential to increase its value. Purchase of disposable goods or durable items or, as commonly found, the use of higher interest credit cards can lead one into bad debts. Ideally, debt-to-income ratio of a person shouldn't go above 20 percent. That is - while adding up all of your non-mortgage loans, credit cards and outstanding charges - it should not exceed 20% of the annual income. If it goes beyond the 20% mark, that is bad debt and it doesn't go down well in his/her credit reports even if payments are made in time.

To conclude, debts can be productive if properly and rationally exploited. It is financially draining to incur bad debts but if you could gain more by investing the borrowed money than the interest associated with the credit, then it is good debt which is useful. Managing one's debt and hence the finances might need a bit of brain scratching. But it is not that enigmatic for a common man to comprehend. After all it is no rocket technology. It is all about learning to manage your finances!

Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.cashbazar.com. Visit his website for the latest on personal finance, debt elimination, budgeting, credit cards and real estate.

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Consolidate student loans

If you have just graduated from college, the likelihood is that you are under a large amount of debt in the form of student loans. You might be wondering if there is any way to reduce the amount you have to pay. One solution for reducing your debt is to consolidate your student loans.

Student loan consolidation is similar to refinancing a house on better terms: although the principal of the loan will not be affected, the interest rates you can lock in when you consolidate student loans to a fixed rate can be substantially better, reducing your monthly payments by up to forty percent. Plus, you might be able to stretch out your payment time to reduce your monthly payment amount even further.

The disadvantage when you consolidate student loans during your initial six-month grace period is that you must start making your payments right away. This can be difficult if you have not found a job after graduation, although you can wait until just before the grace period ends to consolidate, and still receive the lower rates. Furthermore, once you have consolidated your student loans, you cannot un-consolidate them again, so make sure to consider your choice carefully.

How is Interest Calculated When I Consolidate Student Loans? When you consolidate student loans, your lending company pays off your government loan and issues you a new loan under its own name. The typical way to determine the interest rate on the new loan is to take the average interest rates on all of the student loans, and offer a new rate that is an eighth of a percentage point higher (up to a maximum interest rate of 8.25%).

Although agreeing to a higher interest rate might not sound like a good reason to consolidate student loans, this rate is fixed over the life of the loan, whereas the government rates will fluctuate. Since rates are at an all time low right now, locking in the current rates might be a good idea. Furthermore, many banks give you ways to bring down the percentage rates. For example, some lending institutions will drop the rate by as much as a quarter point if you agree to automatic deductions from a checking or savings account, whereas others drop the rates after a certain number of timely payments. As an additional bonus, there is no penalty for paying off your consolidated loan early.

When Would You *Not* Want to Consolidate Student Loans? Before you decide to consolidate student loans, you should carefully consider your alternatives. For example, did you realize that it might be possible to have your student loan cancelled altogether? Student loan forgiveness options include volunteering, for the Peace Corps for example, or working for the government in a low-income area as a teacher or doctor. Cancellation is not possible, however, after you have consolidated your student loans. If this kind of work interests you and is available, it could be a better option than loan consolidation.

Another time to hesitate before you choose to consolidate student loans is when you are close to finishing your payments. Stepping up the payments and saving yourself some interest and the hassle of consolidation might be more advantageous to you.

Finally, there are loans that you might want to keep open because they offer special advantages. For example, if you are considering going back to school and you have a Perkins loan, you would not want to consolidate that with your other student loans.

The government will pay all interest on Perkins loans while you are in school, but if you have chosen to consolidate student loans, you will not be able to receive this benefit. You could always choose to leave any special kinds of loans out of the consolidation mix, however.

About the author Mark Kessler..His website is quickly becoming recognized for it's wealth of information and resources on everything you need to know about student loans. Check it out right away, your bank account depends on it! Go to ==> Student Loans 411


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Good debt versus bad debt - What you must know
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