Reducing Debt - How to Avoid the Pitfalls of Creeping Debt

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Online payday loan sites - What you must know about payday lenders
Payday lenders all over the country are using the technology of the Internet to move their check cashing stores from the street corner to the World Wide Web. The Internet gives customers the relaxation of getting payday loans in the comfort of their own homes. But, there are many catches to be aware of when it comes to these companies. According to BankRate.com, these sites require a st... Read debt consolidation article



Debt Reduction Program - Become Debt Free
Designing a debt reduction program can be the best way to solving your financial crisis when you are in a lot of debt. Debt and the interest rates attached to each debt makes the balance increase at fast rate.

This is especially true when you either pay only the monthly minimum. If you ever want to become debt free a debt reduction program is critical to make debts disappear.

... Read debt consolidation article



Reducing Debt - How to Avoid the Pitfalls of Creeping Debt
Reducing debt usually isn't a high priority for people until they have already gotten into trouble with overspending. Using a few basic guidelines, and debt calculations, can help you see when your debt load is getting into the danger zone.

Budgeting Guidelines

Creditors use budgeting guidelines when reviewing and approving credit. If your debt exceeds the financial communities recommended guidelines, then you have a higher risk of credit applications being denied.

Getting, and keeping, your debt in line with recommended budgeting guidelines, is an important step in debt reduction.

Use the following recommended budgeting guidelines (the same ones used by Financial Institutions) to review the items in your budget:

Housing 35% - Mortgage or rent, taxes, repairs, improvements, insurance, and utilities;

Transportation 20% - Monthly payments, gas, oil, repairs, insurance, parking & public transportation;

Debt 15%* - Credit cards, personal loans, student loans & other debt payments;

All other expenses 20% - Food, insurance, prescriptions, doctor & dentist bills, clothing & personal;

Investments & Savings 10% - Stocks, bonds, cash reserves, retirement, rental real estate, art, etc.

Debt Income Ratios

The second step is calculating your debt income ratio. Once you know what your ratio is, you will understand just how important debt load is to your overall financial picture. Your debt income ratio is the percent of your monthly take-home pay that goes to paying debts.

You calculate it by taking the amount needed to repay debts each month, including rent or mortgage, and divide by your take-home pay (your net pay after taxes). Remember, this is "Debt" ratio, so only include actual debt repayment in the calculation.

Credit To Debt Ratio

Just because you pay off a credit card is no reason to close your account. One little known fact about the Credit to Debt Ratio is the reverse effect it has on your credit score. If you pay off a credit card, and close the account, you are actually negatively impacting your credit score.

The reason for this negative effect is in the calculation of the Credit to Debt Ratio itself. This ratio is the relationship of your debt total vs. your credit limit.

You calculate it by dividing the total credit limit of all credit cards and loan accounts by the total of the actual debt (spent total). Now, if you pay off a credit card, you are reducing the actual debt, which is great, but, if you close the account, you are also dramatically reducing the credit limit you have, and usually by a higher percentage than the debt reduction.

Pay Yourself First

Essential to long-term financial success, and protecting your future, is paying yourself first. While this may seem easy to do, it happens to be the last thing most people do, instead of first. Debts and other financial obligations, money for entertainment, and other spending always seem to take a higher priority. All I can say is, STOP! Think about it, if you aren't worth being paid first, then who is? Always put something away in your savings, and leave it alone. It doesn't matter if it's only $5 a week, just do it!

Snowball The Credit Cards

Last, but not least, is making extra payments, not just the minimum payments, on your credit cards. You have probably already seen this many times, but it just can't be stressed enough. Paying just $10 extra a month on a credit card, above the minimum required payment, can cut your repayment term in half, if not more! So, squeeze out that extra payment, however small, every month, and take advantage of the compounding effect of snowballing your debt away.

The Power of Financial Knowledge

Remember, you don't have to be a financial whiz to understand what's going on with your credit and debt. Just a few simple calculations, and an eye on the future, will go a long way to help you succeed financially and keep your debt under control. Be safe, be smart, do the math!

Related articles:

Compare the pros and cons of debt consolidation loans, service companies, and credit counseling.

http://www.debtsteps.com/consolidate-debts.html

Understanding how your credit score can affect your debt relief choice

http://www.debtsteps.com/credit-score.html

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About The Author

Debs is the editor of www.DebtSteps.com where you can get the answers you need about debt relief, consolidation, credit counseling and more. Free subscrption and money management worksheets http://www.debtsteps.com/debt-help.html

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Debt recovery - Making it easy

OK, so you are up to your head in debt. You are stressed out, it is now affecting the way you function and absorbing most of your daily thoughts. You have no idea what to do.

OK, first things first. Take a step back and try and look at things with a clear head. Your debt is manageable. If you have many bills and just can't afford them all, the first thing you should consider is a debt consolidation loan.

A debt consolidation loan will help you out by consolidating all of your debt into one monthly payment that you can afford.

Second of all, figure out what is an affordable amount of money, that you can afford to pay monthly. You want this to be a fair amount of cash, however you still need to account for some money for yourself to prevent yourself from slipping further into debt.

The next step is to cut up your current credit cards. I know I've fallen into this trap on numerous occasions; I didn't cut up my credit cards and planned to use them for 'EMERGENCY ONLY'. Well, a few months roll by, and that new shirt, and that tank of gas add up to ANOTHER full credit card. If you no longer have credit cards, you can't be tempted to use them.

Finally, you need to correct the problem by killing it at the root. Start saving 5-10% of your income and start saving to purchase those things you want or need. The immediate gratification of making a purchase will wind up haunting you in the long run. Rationalize every purchase and try to take into consideration if this purchase is a rational one or one based on emotion. If it is based on emotion, think about how purchasing this item will make you feel, then imagine the stress of being in debt. If you managed to make your way out of debt at least once in your life, I'm sure your urge to purchase this item will quickly fade.

Follow this simple outline, and your journey to become debt free will be under way.

About The Author

Ryan McKenzie

For more debt recovery information check out my web site at http://www.debt-recovery-online.com


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Reducing Debt - How to Avoid the Pitfalls of Creeping Debt
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