Debt Relief Advice that Works

If you once have been caught in the debt trap, how do you come out of it and be debt free? We are different and each of us has our own lifestyle and our own financial state, so the way to debt elimination is different from person to person. One plan will be good for some, but not for others. You have to be certain that the plan you choose, whether it is debt consolidation or another plan, will be the best for you with regard to saving both time and money.

Search for advice

A debt counselor has debt help as a profession. He or she helps to find the right debt elimination plan for different clients, dependent on which financial situation they are in. This is the first natural step out of your debt prison and on your way to freedom of debt.

So, choosing the right debt elimination plan means;

• decreasing the time and money required to eliminate your debt
• lowering your stress associated with the financial situation you are in.

Debt stressors have a huge impact on our lives especially on our health – the longer you procrastinate the decision of eliminating your debt, the more likely you will be able to reduce your health and even destroy yourself and you’re your life.

Consolidating Debt

The purpose of Consolidating Debt is to decrease the number of bills and payments that you have to make each month. So, what you are doing is consolidating your bills into one easy payment. This will

• save you money
• help you to eliminate your debt faster as well and
• be an excellent way to reduce your stress
• If you are in a situation with multiple loans that you are making monthly payments on, you also have many different interest rates to pay.
• When the number of bills are growing, there is an increased chance of making mistakes on your payments. The results can be money out of the window, like for instance increased fees. And this does not bring you to the road of debt reduction, but to even more debt.

Consolidating your debt will lower the risk of

• missed payments
• bounced checks
• excess interest
• decreased credit rating - which will have big consequences for future loans and credit cards that you want to apply for
• stress caused by the debt that looms over your head
• other mistakes, which means more money out.

As time goes by and you experience that your debts are really being paid off, you’ll see the light at the end of the tunnel; eliminating your debt will be an obtainable goal.

Terje Brooks Ellingsen is a writer and internet publisher. He runs the website 1st-In-Loan.net Terje gives advice and helps people with personal financial issues like consolidation loans and

debt consolidation

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

permalink

What is a debt management system, and when do you need it? Like any kind of management system, debt help systems can be good or bad. We will take a look at what you can do to manage your debt better. One element is paying off debt, but that’s not the only one. It is much more than paying off your credit cards, and doesn’t end when you pay off your mortgage or car loan either. You have to make a system of good money management, and follow this system in your daily life. Here are the key elements in such a system:

Make a budget

The purpose of making a budget is to keep track of the money that comes in and get’s out of your economy. This is basic in every financial system and absolutely necessary to stay on track. Unfortunately too few people are actually doing this and many are even living above their means. Approximately 10 percent of the American people spends 10 percent more than they make each month. If this can be called a system for managing debt, it’s indeed a bad one.

Follow your budget

Now, it’s necessary and great to make a budget. But you’ll also have to follow it. There’s no meaning in using time and effort on making it, if it’s only function is to stay in a drawer.

The first symptom of not following it is experiencing a growing need for debt relief. As soon as you eventually see this, you must put all your effort in getting back on track. This might take a bit of time, but it’s absolutely obtainable.

What to do if you get off track

If you for some reason do not follow the budget you have made, you need to find a program that can help you get back on track again.

There are many such programs that can help you obtain debt relief. What such programs have in common are that they

• help you organize a plan to pay off debt
• offer advice on how to stay on track with your budget.

The criteria for chosing a plan is that it must be realistic with regard to the time it will take to bring you back on track. If you make goals that are too high, you are setting yourself up to fail, which means a big risk of falling back into your old habits. The average length of a credit-counseling program for example, can range from four to six years.

Credit counseling

This kind of program for managing your debt, is to create a realistic budget, adjusted to the new financial situation you are in right now. Counselors are professionals, who teach their clients good money management.
You can also get help to reorganize your debt payments. This is done by consolidating all your monthly payments into one. You don’t have to pay each creditor bill by bill. The various payments are automatically distributed to all of your creditors, from this single payment. This normally means decreased interest rates and no over the limit or charging late fees.

Loan consolidation

Loan consolidation programs have much in common with the type of program described above. The main difference here is that all your debt is consolidated into one loan, which usually has a low interest rate.

Debt negotiation

This kind of program is also called debt settlement. The main element in this way to manage your debt is to outsource your problems to a debt negotiation firm, which negotiate with your creditors to reduce the total principal of your debt. The main difference from counselling is that your amount of debt are modified, not the interest rates.

This is the most radical program and is probably the quickest way to debt relief there is. In USA the average length of a such a program is three years.

Terje Brooks Ellingsen is a writer and internet publisher. He runs the website 1st-In-Loan.net Terje gives advice and helps people with personal financial issues like
getting out of debt and
debt consolidation

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

permalink

On October 17, 2005 President Bush’s sweeping bankruptcy reform law goes into effect forever changing the rules of debt collection in this natiion. Consumer advocates and the public appear to be completely unaware of the total and complete victory of the creditors under the new legislation. This article opens the door to the Trogan Horse so that consumers can prepare themselves for the worse.

The most important aspect of the bankruptcy code was the “automatic stay” provision. This allowed consumers to file for bankruptcy at anytime during the creditor’s collection process putting an immediate stop to all contact and collection activities from the creditor. The new law requires that a debtor receive credit counseling from an approved non-profit credit counseling agency for 180 days prior to filing Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy.

While this may sound benevolent, a much closer look at the practical effect of this provision reveals the crafty peeling of the debtor’s rights. The 180 day requirement is to provide the credit counseling agency the opportunity to work out payment plans with creditors. However, during this same period of time the creditor is not restrained from collection efforts. For example, Margaret is a homeowner in Jacksonville, Florida and is six months behind on her mortgage. As a rule, credit counseling agencies only work with credit card companies and have little or no training with dealing with mortgage companies.

After receiving foreclosure papers, Margaret goes to see her attorney to file for bankruptcy and is told that she must first seek credit counseling before filing for bankruptcy protection. Meanwhile, the foreclosure proceeds on schedule and a sale date is set 120 days later. However, Margaret still has not completed her 180 day requirement. What will happen to Margaret’s home? That’s right! The home will be sold and she cannot stop the sale by filing bankruptcy.

This is the most sweeping shift in debt collection in the past 50 years. Margaret’s only hope will be to work out a repayment plan or a loan restructure with her mortgage company. This is a process called loss mitigation and is explained in great detail to consumers in our new book, How to Save Your Home, ISBN#09753754-0-7, $19.95, SYH University, LLC, 2005 which is sold at Amazon.com.

Loss Mitigation works because lenders lose an average of $28,000 to $50,000 per foreclosure nationwide. It is a myth that the lender wants your home and makes a profit off of foreclosure. A lender has to pay attorney fees, court and collection costs, maintain fire insurance, hire a real estate professional, repair structural and other damage to the home, and pay property taxes. The homeowner can work out an agreement with the lender in over 90% of cases. Our company has provided housing counseling service to thousands of homeowners and loss mitigation absolutely works.

In conclusion, it is up to the consumer to educate and prepare themselves for worse case scenarios. How to Save Your Home is an excellent training tool and will teach homeowners how to protect themselves under the new bankruptcy law. Most Americans do not have health or disability insurance and are vulnerable to job layoffs because of a stagnant economy. Who amongst us is immune to heart attacks, business failure, strokes, law suits, tax liens or other challenges that life sometimes presents. One pay check is literally what separates many families from home security and despair and the new bankruptcy law will severly punish those who slip behind on their mortgage payments.

Herbert Addison, JD, CHC is a Certified Housing Counselor and a member of the Virginia Association of Housing Counselors. Mr. Addison is co-author of the new book, How to Save Your Home, and has helped thousands of families to save their homes from foreclosure sales.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

permalink