Debt Consolidation Solutions

Are you making only the minimum payment due on your cards each month, and watching the amount you owe rise with each billing cycle? Do you use your credit cards to purchase everyday household items, like groceries, that you used to buy with cash? If you answered yes to either question, you’re probably dealing with mounting credit card debt.

Credit cards are extremely easy to use, but need a great deal of discipline to avoid getting into unmanageable debt. A credit card debt is an unsecured loan, because the credit card company does not hold or ‘secure’ any of your assets to cover the amount you owe the company if you are unable to pay your credit card bill. When you default on a credit card payment by stopping making payments altogether, the credit card company will try and recoup its losses by contacting you, typically through a collection agency.

The key to credit card debt consolidation is to avoid getting to the stage where you’re receiving notices and calls from a collection agency. You can do this by taking control of the situation and cutting unnecessary expenses so you have more money to put towards your monthly credit card payments. If the amount is too large, you could consider contacting the credit card company and negotiating a reduced interest rate, and a reduced or waived late fee, to help you pay the debt off. Another option may be to go through a debt consolidation company, which will negotiate on your behalf and take over all communications with the credit card company and collection agency. Remember that even if the credit card company agrees to an interest rate reduction and late fee waiver, information on the payments you didn’t make will still be reflected in your credit report.

You can receive debt consolidation advice from a number of sources. These include debt consolidation company websites, your financial institution, and state or federal government agencies. Research all of these information sources carefully before you decide on the debt consolidation solution that’s best for you.

While you can get a lot of useful information from other sources, you may be able to start the debt consolidation process with little outside help. The best place to start is by listing each debt, the amount you owe in each case, and the interest on that payment. Next, examine your total household budget, and see if there are any unnecessary expenses you can eliminate to free up more resources to service debt. If you have debt that is less than $5,000 some simple financial planning and discipline may be all you need, so you can start making more than your minimum monthly payment on debts. If, however, you have a larger amount of debt and cannot reduce it without outside help, you can start by asking your financial institution or an accredited counselor for advice.

Financial institutions can help you work towards debt consolidation by offering refinancing or a home equity loan. However, these options may threaten your home, which may well be your biggest asset. While these options are increasingly popular, research has shown that unless there is a complete change in an individual’s spending patterns, a debt consolidation loan will only lend temporary financial relief.

In some cases, you may be in debt for no fault of your own, such as illness or disability. If this is the case, both your financial institution and government agencies can advise you on special benefits that may apply to you. If you are on active military duty, you may also be eligible for debt consolidation.