debt management

A Debt Management Plan – Is It Best?

September 10, 2013 by illinois

When your debt becomes difficult to manage one way to take control of it is through a debt management plan. It is important no matter what way you get out of debt that you know all the facts about the program you choose. Each program will have good things and bad things, knowing how to navigate through them will help anyone interested in getting out of debt. This is also true of a debt management plan.

The Basics

A debt management firm can help you create a debt management plan. This is commonly where an account is set up and you’re required to make monthly payments into. Then once this is complete the debt firm will negotiate with the creditors to lower your payments or pay off the amount owed to the creditor. The debt management plan is completed by allowing the debt firm to make the payments to your creditors on your behalf.

To Choose or Not to Choose

It is important to know if a debt management plan is the best choice for you. Sometimes an individual desires so much to have financial freedom that they can forget to look at both the good and the bad of a program.

The Good: When working with a debt management company you will gain some help with your planning, as well as a liaison to your creditors. The liaison will be able to talk to the creditors about the reduction on interest rates, the reduction of your monthly payments, as well as the elimination of previous fees. With a debt management plan you will see the benefit within a short amount of on time payments, and your debts will become paid in full. You will have a less negative impact on your credit as well as being able to stop collection activity on your debts.
The Bad: There are also some negatives when working with a debt management plan. Some creditors will not participate in programs like this one. The biggest downside to a debt management plan is that you have to make the payments on time while in the program or the program can be withdrawn. Most importantly you can’t add any debt of any kind.

Reality of Promises

Many debt management companies will promise ways to fix your debt that seems unreal. They may promise that they can do things that just aren’t possible.

Debt firms will tell you that you’re unable to create or follow through with a debt management plan on your own. This isn’t true; you can choose to create your own plan. Examine your expenses, which mean the bills, the debt, as well as the non-essential expenses. Then determine which items are unnecessary or that can be trimmed. For example reducing the cable stations you use or pack lunches rather than eating out. Take any extra money that you will have and apply it to the debt management plan that you created.
Empowering yourself can be an important step to financial freedom. This can be done through negotiating a debt settlement on your own. This many sound like something that can only be achieved through a debt relief firm, however you’re able to do this yourself. Contacting your creditors when you are behind in payments can be your first step to creating your own debt management plan based on settlements. Tell your creditors what you are going through to cause your financial hardships and that you’re in need of help. If you are willing to offer a lump sum or discuss a new payment plan many creditors will work with you. As with any debt management plan the creditor does not have to agree even if the debt firms promises that they will.
One important thing to remember is that each company is designed to stay in business. Sometimes individuals can become deeper in debt than when they started the debt management plan process. This can sometimes happen because the debt firm doesn’t make the payments on time or doesn’t make them at all.
A debt collection firm can’t promise that you will be able to have all of the delinquent accounts removed from collection agencies. They are able to try to negotiate this with the creditor, however this is a promise that no debt management plan can make.
Debt relief firms can promise lots of ease, however that ease can come with a price tag. They are able to help you with your credit card debt but you may not realize the enormous fees that you are being required to pay.

When you’re in debt one of the most important things is gaining financial freedom. Not all plans are the same, and there isn’t one plan that will fit everyone’s needs. Be sure to shop around, determine the best debt management plan for your needs.

Credit Card Use Tips: How To Keep The Balance From Burying You

June 20, 2013 by illinois

Credit cards have every potential to ruin you. If you are not careful in how you use it, you can end up like the millions of Americans who are currently battling their credit card debts. Things have gotten so bad that some baby boomers who are about to retire are quite sure that they will be carrying their credit card problems to retirement. So before you swipe your card, you may want to learn how you can use it without acquiring so much debt.

Believe it or not, there are people who own credit cards but are not in danger of declaring themselves bankrupt for it.

First of all, you have to put up some rules as to what you will use your cards for. It is not advisable to use it for daily purchases as you can rack up a certain amount at the end of the month. Keep it to emergencies or the expensive one time purchases if you want. But still, it has to be a well thought out restriction.

The next tip is to know the billing cycle of your card. This means knowing the cut off of your monthly expenses and the due date of your bill. We all know that all payments (or at least the minimum) must be paid before the due date. This is to avoid incurring late payment fees. It is the cut off date that is a bit more complicated. You have to time your purchase around the cut off date so that you can maximize the grace period. This is the period between your cut off and your due date. If you pay your purchase within the grace period, you only pay for the actual amount that you charged. No interest. The interest rate is only added when a balance is carried over a cut off date.

The cut off is the marker for the credit card company to compute your billing statement. Usually, your due date is 21 days after the cut off period. For instance, if your cutoff is January 31, purchases between January 1 to January 31 should be paid on February 21. So if you use your card on January 29, you have to pay for that before February 21. Otherwise, you get to be charged with interest. But if you wait a few day to make the purchase on February 1 or 2, you get to pay for that on March 21. That is more than a month of saving so you can pay for the balance in full before the interest kicks in.

That is the key to keep your cards from accumulating too much debt. That and the regulation on your expenses of course.

In case you have some credit card debts already, you may want to pay that off through debt management. This type of debt relief will keep you from using your cards while putting your balance on a structured payment plan. A debt counselor can help make your payments more simple and keep you on track towards debt freedom.

How To Use A Budget Plan In Your Debt Management Program

June 12, 2013 by illinois

Debt management is one of the programs that will automatically provide you with a plan to organize your payments. Theirs is called a debt management plan. This is the plan that will contain your proposed lower monthly contribution to the creditor. After analyzing your finances, you will come up with this amount so that you will not be too restricted and you will have enough money for your basic needs and also your savings. Once approved, the debt counselor working with you in debt management will show the plan to your creditor for approval. Once approved, you will send a single payment to your counselor who will distribute it toward the various payments as stated in your plan.

While that may seem like a complete process already, there is one thing missing: you budget plan. With the presence of the debt management plan, you may be wondering why there is still a need for it.

The plan that you created with the debt counselor is just one part of your budget. This only guides your debt payments. But what about the other aspects of your finances? How will you make sure that your other financial obligations are well met?

It may seem like your debt management program will not need this but that is where you are wrong. In fact, all types of debt relief program will require this. You even need it long after your debts have all been paid off.

Your budget provides a general overview of your finances. It tells you how much money is coming in every month. It also tells you which payments must be prioritized – at least, based on what you decided on as you created your budget.

What your budget does is help you pay attention to the activities of your money. Among other things, it helps you ensure that you will not miss out on your payments. In debt management, this is very important. Although creditors usually agree to the lower payment indicated in the debt management plan, it comes with a very strict rule. You should never miss a payment because if you do, the deal is off. You will go back to your usual payments and if you had a lower interest rate on your program, that will return to the high interest rate of your card or loan.

Missing out on your payments or running out of funds for it is something that your budget can prevent.

Your budget will also help develop the right habits that will keep you from incurring debt again. It will teach you how to live within your means because you know how much is really left of your income after all priority expenses are taken cared of. You can note if you can really afford to buy those designer jeans or continue drinking your latte on the way to work. These are the sacrifices that you can identify when you have your budget plan. Since your spending is under a budget, you will be compelled to make smarter choices about it so the amount you have set aside for a category will last throughout the month.

Can Debt Management Save Your Retirement?

May 16, 2013 by illinois

We all want to retire comfortably. After working for so many years to support the family and our little quirks and expenses in life, we all deserve to live the last years of our lives in peace. Unfortunately, that is not the type of retirement that the baby boomers are facing. If you did not know, they are the generation who are about to retire or have already retired.

The problem lies in the mounting debts that they owe. From mortgages, to student loans and credit card debts – all of these are painting a dismal future for our elders. Couple that with the rising cost of living and the high medical fees, you would think that seniors have no choice but to work till they drop.

With only a few years left till they retire, what can they do to help salvage the dream retirement that they were aiming for?

Fortunately, debt management is a solution that they can use to get out of debt. Most of the time, debt is the anchor that drags them down. If this is eliminated, they have a fighting chance of living a decent lifestyle.

The great thing about debt management is it can get you out of debt in 5 years or less – at least this is true for credit card debt, medical bills and other personal loans. It does require a steady job so you can afford your payments though. So you need to start with this as soon as possible. The idea is to remove the high interest debts so you can allocate your other funds towards any mortgage or student debt that you owe. If debt will really overlap with your retirement, make sure that you are able to pay off a significant amount before that happens.

With debt management, you will be assigned a debt counselor who will provide you with expert advice about your money. You want to make sure that you learn as much as you can so that you will no longer be placed in another debt-ridden situation. The counselor will help you come up with a debt management plan that will contain all the debts that you owe and the money that you can afford to send to it every month. It doesn’t matter if it is a low amount. Your debts will be stretched over an extended payment schedule. The counselor will approach your creditors and negotiate your plan. If they approve, you will send the total monthly payment to the debt management company who in turn, will distribute your money to the different creditors based on your plan.

Since your monthly contributions are lowered, there will be freed funds from your budget. Put that amount into your retirement fund and do not use it unless it is an emergency.Be very strict about this – unless of course, you want to continue working for the rest of your life just to finance your basic needs.

Retiring with debt can be scary so while you are still working, it is best for you to act on solving your financial crisis immediately. Do not wait until the last minute as it might be too late for you already.

Prioritizing Debts and Bills When You Have Limited Resources

April 19, 2013 by illinois

What do you do when you have limited income and a mountain of bills and debts to pay off? That is a very stressful situation to be in. How do you choose which payments will be sent off or ignored?

When Americans started to lose their jobs, a lot of them were placed in this predicament. It is not an easy decision to make because both your bills and debts are important expenses that you have to spend for.

But if it comes down to choosing, of course you need to prioritize your bills. However, it has to be scrutinized to make sure that the bills you are paying for are down to the bare necessities. For instance, your living expenses will include your food, groceries, utilities and gas. If you are renting, you should also prioritize this. The idea is to pay for the bills that consists of things and services and you need to live comfortably.

Your debts will be second to this but you have to rank them according to priority as well. Secured debts are important because defaulting on payments could endanger your collateral. Unsecured loans will be on the lowest part of your list – even if some of them have a high interest. If you can keep up with the minimum payments, you should try to reach that amount at the very least.

Ultimately, you know that if your income is no longer enough to support your current bills and your debts, something has got to change. You need to rethink your lifestyle and lower it down to a level that your income can afford to support. If that means living in a smaller home or selling your luxury car to get a second hand one, that is what you should do.

As you lower your bill payments, you should also do something about your debts. There are debt relief options that can lower your balance significantly if you follow the rules correctly. Or you can consolidate your debts to make payments more manageable and to possibly have a reduction on your interest rate.

Debt management is a legitimate way of dealing with debt problems – especially for consumers who are in need of lower monthly payments. With the help of a debt counselor, they will create a debt management plan that will guide you through the tough sacrifices that you have to make as you pay off your debts. This plan will be based on the amount that you can afford to contribute on a monthly basis – regardless if it is smaller than your current. They will stretch your balance over a longer period and present this to the creditor for approval. The negotiation will concentrate around the lower monthly payment and a possible lowering of your interest rate.

Sometimes, all the decrease and budgeting and the debt relief program may still not be enough. If so, then you should probably increase your income. There are various work from home careers that you can explore. You can even look at your hobbies to see if you can earn from them. As you increase your income, you can loosen the restriction on your budget and make bigger debt payments. Any of these options, alone or combined, can help you ensure that every payable will be well funded.

How Debt Management Can Save College Students From Financial Ruin

April 14, 2013 by illinois

Statistic.com reports that the average college student is currently suffering from an average of more than $3,000 worth of credit card debt. These are all undergraduates who have yet to get a job to support themselves. In fact, study shows that 20% of young people within the age of 18 to 14 have debt troubles.

This is not exactly the type of future that we want our children to have.

Even before they become financially independent, these individuals are already suffering because of bad financial decisions. One thing’s for certain, college students are in dire need of monetary instruction.

This is actually where debt management becomes the best option for debt relief. The benefit of having a debt counselor assist you is the access to their financial expertise. Based on their training and extensive experience, you are sure to get valuable advice as to how you can get out of debt. The best part is, the credit counseling agency that they belong to have training programs to help you develop financial management skills. At least, this is true for legitimate agencies – which is why you need to exert extreme caution in choosing the third party company that will help you. The good ones do not only offer to help you pay off your debts, they will also teach you how to never land in the same situation ever again.

The alarming statistics about college students are doubled because the credit card debt is usually a result of unnecessary expenses. They need to understand that wise spending is an important trait to have because it will allow them to put their future incomes on priority allocations. If you couple credit card debt with student loans, graduates will have a lot of debts to deal with even before they get their first paycheck.

By enrolling in a debt management program, college students will be given a debt management plan that will allow them to afford their monthly credit contributions. They will have the guidance of an expert to keep them from failing with the consistent payments that is required by their payment plan. Not only that, this debt relief option will not harm their credit reports. Being as young as they are, a good credit standing is needed – especially when they start looking for jobs. Employers look at a good credit rating a a sign of a responsible individual.

College students should be made to understand that while credit cards can help them with immediate purchases, it has to be paid back. They also have to know the high costs involved with credit card debt. The high interest rate, finance charges and late penalty fees make up for a hefty payment on top of what is originally owed. While parents can still bail them out at this point, they should be taught the right financial management skills that will mold them into more responsible adults. Giving them the freedom to spend on things that they want should be coupled with the responsibility of paying off what they owe. Parent can give them a budget every month and at the same time teach them how to stick with it. Proper financial management should start early so it is not difficult to follow as they age.

Choose The Right Consolidation Method: Loans or Debt Management

April 5, 2013 by illinois

Consolidating your debt is a great way to get out of debt without putting too much negative effect on your credit score. In fact, people think about this method long before they research on the different debt solutions that they can opt for.

Sometimes, people only need to organize their debts to make good progress in paying it off. Having more than one debt can get to be confusing to the point that you start missing out on payments. Good news is, there are two types of consolidation methods that you can choose from. Each of them cater to a specific financial situation.

Both of them will allow you to make single monthly payments. Not only that, the goal of both options is to make your contributions smaller. However, you need to understand that there will be no debt reduction for any for them. Despite the lower monthly dues, you will still end up paying for the complete amount that you owe. Because of that, a steady and stable income is an important requirement. If you know that your finances cannot afford this and you need a bigger reduction on your debt as a whole, choose another debt relief option.

To discuss their differences, let us begin with debt consolidation loans. This debt solution involves getting a significant loan amount that is enough to pay for your other debts. When you have paid off your other debts, you can concentrate on this one loan payment every month. Since a typical loan is spread out over a couple of years, you can expect that your monthly payments will be smaller compared to your previous arrangement. Another thing that can help is the type of loan that you will get. You need to target a low interest loan by having a good credit score or a collateral. Both of these will make you a low risk borrower – a qualification that will prompt your lender to give you a low interest rate.

But if you do not have a good credit score or a collateral, you can opt for the next debt consolidation type – debt management. This debt solution involves enrolling with a debt management company. They will assign a credit counselor to help with your debt troubles. They will use their expertise to analyze your finances and come up with a debt management plan that will serve as your guide. You need to provide them with accurate financial details to make sure that you will come up with a payment plan that you can afford. Once this plan is completed, the debt counselor will show it to your creditors to negotiate for a lower monthly contribution. This can be done by stretching your current balance over a longer payment term and negotiating for a lower interest rate. The former is usually approved but the latter request will depend on your creditor’s good graces. Once approved, you will send a single payment to the debt counselor who will take charge of distributing your payment to the different creditors on your debt management plan.

In choosing between the two, you have to identify the qualifications and your specific financial capability. If you will choose debt consolidation loans, you have to exert more control because you will take care of your own payments and you will monitor your own progress. In debt management, you get the assistance of a debt counselor who will remind you of your payment obligations. Of course, you need to pay the service fee but that is never over $50 a month.

The key to stay out of debt, however, is applying proper financial management practices. Most debt management companies have these to offer so your chances of learning the ropes to maintain a debt free life is more likely to happen with this option. But if you have the patience to research and learn on your own, you can save on the service fee every month and just opt for debt consolidation loans.

What Is In A Debt Management Plan

March 28, 2013 by illinois

A debt management plan is one of the tools that you can use in your debt relief efforts. However, unlike a budget plan, this is exclusive to the debt management program.

Any project or endeavour can be best achieved if you have a guide to help you every step of the way. It helps you put things in perspective. It gives you directions especially during confusing times. It also reminds you of how far you’ve come since you started and how long you have to work before you reach your intended goals. All of this and more can be enjoyed when you create the right debt management plan or DMP.

Debt management programs are usually graced with the presence of a debt counselor. They are there to help you analyze your financial standing so that you can create a realistic DMP. You can expect them to take the lead as to what component should be included in this plan. But for the sake of knowing, let us discuss the various details included in a debt management plan.

First of all, it contains the details of your debts. Of course, we only mean the debts that can be enrolled in a debt management program. These include your credit card debts, medical bills, personal loans and other unsecured debts.

You need to list all these debts, their respective creditors, the current balance, the minimum payments, monthly due date and the interest rate. There may be other details that will be specified by the counselor but these are usually the salient debt details.

Once you have all these details, you will divide it based on your preferred payment term. For instance, your $10,000 debt can be stretched over 5 years or your $2,000 debt can be stretched over 2 years. That depends on your financial capabilities. The only limitation is you cannot go over 5 years. This is done to arrive at a lower monthly payment because you have stretched it over a longer payment period.

To know your financial capabilities, you need to analyze your finances to see how much you can afford to pay for each debt. The disposable income refers to what is left of your income when the basic expenses have been paid off. You need to maximize it by lowering your expenses or growing your income.

It is advised that you put aside a sum of money for your savings. It is probably best not to tell this to your counselor as they may demand that you put it into your debt payments. Although some may advise you to set aside an amount on your reserve anyway – which is a sign of a good debt management company. It shows that they are concerned about your overall financial health and not just your debts.

When you have completed all the details, you will see a lower monthly payment and the maturity date of your new payment term. This is what the counselor will show your creditors. They will negotiate with them to accept the lower monthly amount – with the condition that you will not miss out on payments. This is why you should consider the details of the DMP carefully to make sure that you can really afford them.

Once approved, you will send a single payment towards your counselor who will distribute it to your respective creditors. While your accounts are enrolled in a debt management program, you cannot use them so the chances of you incurring more debts will be kept from happening.

Advantages Of Hiring A Debt Counselor

March 18, 2013 by illinois

Some debtors think that hiring a debt professional to help with debt relief is a waste of money. Instead of paying the service fee, why not just put that in your reserve fund and work on your debts alone? A debt counselor usually charges $40-$50 a month. If you think that is a high price to pay, it helps to think about what a professional can do for you.

First of all, you need the financial expertise that they can give you. If not for the advice on how to get out of debt, you can benefit from their financial management skills. You should realize that if you are in debt, that means there is something wrong with how you managed your money. More than getting out of debt, you need to learn how you can stay out of it and this is what a debt professional can help you accomplish. The very first thing that they will do is to analyze your finances. You can listen carefully and ask how they came about the proposed solution to your problems. Talk about what got you into debt and what you can do so that you are never placed in the same situation again. They will also assist you in creating plans such as a debt management plan and a budget plan. More importantly, they will teach you how to make these plans work.

Another advantage of a debt counselor is their negotiating skills. One of the goals of debt management is to lower your monthly payments. To accomplish that, they will lengthen your payment period and if you are lucky, they may even get your creditor to agree to a lower interest rate. Most of the time, these companies are funded by creditors so the chances of them hearing out your case is more likely. And before you react about their loyalties, the creditors fund these agencies because they provide a solution that will help you pay off your debts without reducing it. They will help you make your monthly dues lower than the current so you can see that it is a win-win situation.

If you got an agency that had been practicing for a long time, you can benefit from their reputation. A long tenure in the industry means they have established a working relationship is practically all creditors or collectors. That would make them more likely to get you a good negotiation than if you handled things on your own.

Probably the best advantage to hiring a debt counselor is you get to be protected from harassing calls that are forcing you to pay your dues. Once you enrol your debts with them, they will take over all creditor communications immediately. Also, their presence will indicate that you have plans to pay off your dues. That will make your creditors back off.

All of these benefits seem a lot compared to the $50 a month that will be requested from you.

Of course, debt freedom will still depend on your ability to commit to the program. You may have the best debt counselor beside you but if you are still incurring debts, you will never solve your problems. Be sure to practice the right spending habits while you are paying off your debts.

Debt Consolidation: Truth VS Fiction

March 10, 2013 by illinois

Debt consolidation, while clearly being an effective debt solution is plagued by a lot of myths. These misconceptions often lead to the failure of the debtor to get out of debt completely and permanently.

Before you work on this debt relief option, you may have to separate the truth from the fiction. It pays to know what this solution can really do for your credit problems so as not to make the wrong expectations. That could lead to disappointments and abandonment of the program if one is not careful.

There are two types of debt consolidation: debt consolidation loans and credit counseling.

Debt consolidation loans, require the debtor to take out a huge loan that is enough to cover their other debts. You need to look for a loan that has a lower interest rate than your current APR (annual percentage rate). Not only that, the ideal loan should require lower monthly payments compared to what you are paying for at the moment. Here are the popular myths surrounding this type of debt consolidation.

Fiction: You always need a collateral when taking out a loan.
Truth: While it can help you get lower interest rates, this is not always ideal. In fact, it may be viewed by financial experts to be unwise if you put your home (or any valuable asset) on the line for your debt.

Fiction: A good credit score is a must.
Truth: Like the previous misconception, it is not true that a credit score is always needed. Although it can also help lower your interest rates it is not a compulsory requirement for you to avail of this type of debt solution.

Fiction: Using a loan is the first option to get out of debt.
Truth: The whole concept of debt consolidation loans is similar to digging a hole to cover an existing one. It may be effective but you are not really solving the problem. It is like you are creating a new problem to get rid of another. There is no doubt that it can be effective but you have to make the commitment to finish what you started and stick to the new payment plan of your new loan.

In credit counseling and debt management, you will also encounter a couple of myths that fool other people into making false expectations about its results. This basically involves hiring a third party company to help you get out of debt. A credit counselor will help you analyze your finances and manage your debts by allowing you to make single payments while they take care of distributing it to your creditors. They will negotiate with the creditors for a longer payment period that will allow you to make lower monthly payments. To avoid being part of the statistics that failed in this debt solution, you need to get your expectations right. Here are the misconceptions that you need to avoid:

Fiction: Debt counselors can help negotiate for a reduction on your debts.
Truth: Although you will be making lower monthly payments, you still end up paying for your total debt balance. Debt settlement is the debt relief program that offers debt reduction. If this is what you need, then credit counseling or debt management is not the right program for you.

Fiction: Credit counseling companies charge differently and offer varying programs.
Truth: The government is closely monitoring debt relief companies so you can expect that there are rules to make charges and processes standard. If you think that one company is not helping you, consider if you are using the right program altogether. Even if you shift companies, it may produce the same results. There are other debt relief programs that you can avail so research on your different options first.