Archive for March, 2010

Student Debt Help

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010



With the cost of education rising and the easy availability of credit, student debt help is something that more young people are seeking. Student debt relief is available, but as a student you will first want to take the time to understand what type of debt you have and your best option for eliminating that debt.

As a student, your most common types of debt are student loans and consumer accounts, better known as credit card debt. These debts are handled differently when it comes to getting debt help. Credit card debt must be repaid in full for it not to have a serious negative effect on your credit.

This gives you the option of increasing your income or decreasing your expenses. If you can do both, you will have your debt paid off that much sooner. This really is the best way for you to get out of debt, but not all students are in the position where they can use this alternative. Credit counseling is also a choice that you have, provided you are not more than 3 months behind and you are able to make a 2 percent payment on your balances each month.

However, if you have graduated and are having trouble paying your student loans, they cannot be placed in credit counseling. Credit card accounts, utilities and medical bills can be placed in CCCS. A credit counseling service will consolidate all of your unsecured debt and you will make a monthly payment to the credit counseling agency. Your debt counseling company will then disburse this payment to your creditors.

Credit counseling may affect your credit score at first, but as you begin to reduce your debt and make your payments on time, you will see it increase. The most important aspect of getting out of debt is addressing the problem early. So many people wait until the situation has become critical and as a result their options are limited.

As far as your student loans go, you will want to talk to your student loan company and see what kind of hardship programs they have available. They are normally willing to work with you as you try to get your finances stabilized. Ignoring student loan payments is one of the worst things you can do. This is actually true for any payment. Many companies have programs that can assist with student debt help, but you are going to have to talk to your creditors in order to know what debt relief options are available.

By: Marjorie Salada

How Does Debt Settlement Work With Credit Cards?

Sunday, March 28th, 2010



Debt settlement is a debt relief method by which agreements are made between credit card companies and the representing settlement agency, whereby the total amount owed is reduced by as much as 60%. A credit card must be in default before consumers can take advantage of these services, as creditors are more willing to negotiate. A reduced balance, after all, means that the credit card company will not get all of the money they had anticipated. On the other hand, creditors would much rather get paid something toward the debt than nothing at all, such as in the case of bankruptcy.

Like credit counseling, there are some positive benefits related to settling one’s debt in this manner. The total amount to be repaid is dramatically reduced, saving consumers money. Naturally, since there is less money to be repaid, getting out of debt is much easier and quicker. Settlement is a popular debt relief method for this reason. In addition, the road to debt freedom takes less than two years, unlike credit counseling, which could take as long as five years.

While paying down a smaller balance and getting out of debt quicker are positive aspects of settlement, there are a few negatives. While participating in a debt settlement program, consumers will find their credit scores negatively impacted, primarily due to continual past due remarks. Even though the consumer is making monthly payments to the settlement company, their credit accounts will consistently remain past due until paid in full. There is also a small risk of being sued. While most credit card companies will not attempt to file a suit against any settlement participant, a few small, unscrupulous firms will take advantage of the opportunity. Thankfully, any damage to one’s credit report is temporary and fixable.

The primary appeal of debt settlement is the savings. Slashing one’s total debt in half is very enticing. Consumers will wind up owing much less than they would have while paying the minimum payments. On the downside, their credit will be affected, and they will continue to receive collection letters or phone calls.

Is debt settlement right for you? The decision depends on individual financial circumstances. For someone with more than 10K of debt and who is having difficulty staying current on all accounts, then settlement might be the best option. After all, the accounts are already past due, and likely will remain past due. Why not reduce the overall total balance and get out of debt quickly?

By: Hector Milla

Not All Debt Relief Companies Are Created Equal

Thursday, March 25th, 2010



In this day, everything can be brought with your credit, all over the world people are experiencing buy now, pay later fever. Because of this new attitude it is debt relief is becoming big business. People are now turning to debt relief to help them get out of debt and to save their credit for future purchases. There are many programs available that will help you get out of debt and save your credit rating. Choosing a reputable and reliable service can be unnerving because of the overwhelming number of companies offering such services, however not all of them have your best interest in mind and will take your money and do nothing to help your situation, except put you further in debt. There are great ways of safe-guarding yourself against unscrupulous programs and finding wonderful ways to get you out of debt.

Debt Settlement

The mission of debt settlement companies is to help debtors pay off their debts; these companies are hired to negotiate with the creditors to get them to work with the debtor in their quest to clear up their credit. The debtor then agrees to pay the debt settlement company for helping them out of this situation. In looking for a dept settlement specialist you should be concerned about their reputation, you will want to research their background before giving them your money. Another point of business would be how much they charge as well as what services they provide. Get everything in writing, and never wire money to find out information, let them know you are interested but you like to see in writing everything they are trying to tell you.

Debt Consolidation

Debt consolidation is the act of taking out one big loan to pay off a lot of smaller loans, the purpose being to create only one payment and hopefully a lower interest rate, in addition to saving you from going into default on those other loans or credit cards. Debt consolidation is a great program that will save you from losing your other valuable assets and lowering your monthly payment to something you can actually pay. Finding a good company is a matter of research and word of mouth, the best ones are usually not for profits, because they are acting in your best interest and are usually monitored by the Federal government.

Credit Counseling Companies

Credit counselors will teach you ways to lower your existing debt and work with you to keep your debt more manageable through a number of programs that they will help you learn. They make suggestions and help you fix the trouble areas. Most credit counseling agents will also offer both debt settlements and debt consolidation. In finding a good counselor you should look for price, reputation and availability. You will also want to look for counselors who are extremely knowledgeable about different avenues for you to use to clear up your debts.

By: Brian Miller