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Credit Card Debt Management Consolidations
Credit card debt consolidation can be of two types consolidating all your debts into one debt, or taking a fresh loan to pay off all the existing debts. Technically the latter type is called debt consolidation loan but the term debt consolidation is often used to mean both methods. One should confirm before committing to either alternative and choose whatever method is more suitable to his/her situation.
Mere debt consolidation is not a loan. It is the process wherein you combine all your credit card debts into a single debt with the help of a professional debt management/repayment program of a financial institution. The representative of the program negotiates on your behalf with the credit card companies regarding your outstanding debts. The duty of the representative is to secure a lower rate of interest and reduction in penalties for late payments.
Instead of paying several separate bills every month you make only one consolidated monthly payment of a fixed amount to the debt manager as if there is only one loan. It is his duty to make the payments to the individual creditors and keep your accounts up to date. The programs will require you to stop using your cards till complete repayment of debts. With the systematic guidance of a professional debt management program you can pay off all your debts in a much shorter time than you expect. The service involves fees for securing all these benefits.
The second type of debt consolidation entails taking a fresh loan to pay off the existing loans. It is the oft resorted measure to pay off the credit card debts. A debt consolidation loan facilitates a fixed rate of interest, lower monthly installments and the convenience of servicing a single loan – instead of coordinating between many debts with different rates of interest. Credit card consolidation service providers or help centers extend the necessary assistance to get the loan.
One should be careful before going for a consolidation loan because more often than not they charge a high rate of interest and generally they are secured loans – unlike credit card debts, which are unsecured debts. A default may result in losing the property given as collateral. Choose only a loan with a competitive rate of interest.
Debt consolidation of either type does not revamp your credit rating overnight. But it can help improve your credit history and ensure a debt free future with careful planning. Also, it protects you from harassment of creditors and the humiliation of filing for bankruptcy.
Futureproofing Your Finances: A Graduate's Guide (Page 1 of 2)
With every passing year, employers place more and more importance on the ‘right’ degree, even for entry-level positions, so it is little wonder that more school leavers than ever before are choosing to continue with Higher Education.
Since the UK government abolished means-tested maintenance grants in 1998 and introduced tuition fees soon afterwards, the cost of getting a degree has increased exponentially, with an alarming proportion of new graduates leaving university tens of thousands of pounds in debt. The future looks bleak for the current generation of graduates. The ‘job for life’ has become the stuff of legend, and state pensions are at risk of being phased out.
It’s easy to put off getting your finances properly on track, especially if you’re working full-time and managing to keep your head above water, but those loans and overdrafts that were so easy to get when you were a fresh-faced eighteen-year-old need to be dealt with now if you want to enjoy a decent lifestyle by the time you are middle-aged.
We’ve identified some of the key things you can do to get on the road to financial freedom as soon as possible.
Make a plan
List your short-term and long term life goals. Do you want to be able to afford a new car or invest in property? Start a business? Get married or have children? Having a rough idea of the direction you want your future to take will provide the framework on which to base many important decisions.
Kill your debts
This one is vital! As long as you owe people money, you will feel like they own you. If you have outstanding student loans, bad credit cards, unpaid bills or similar debts, ignoring them will only make them grow bigger, and if all you can afford to pay is the minimum charge every month, all you will be doing is paying off interest without ever repaying the original loan. It’s important to break out of the cycle of debt, but it can also be a very daunting prospect, especially if you are being harassed by many creditors. If you can’t find enough hours in the day to organise repaying your debts properly, or simply feel you don’t know where to start, it’s worth finding a personal debt management firm to help you get back into the black. As long as you are in debt you will not be able to save any money, which brings us to:
Start Saving Now
We’re not saying that you shouldn’t spend money on consoles, new stereos and so on but at least make sure you put aside 10% of your salary in a savings account for use in future emergencies. We don’t want to sound fatalistic, but there will always be future emergencies!
Cut Day to Day Expenditure
The internet offers hundreds of ways to save on all manner of products and services. There are price comparison websites, sites that collect discount voucher codes that you can use when ordering all manner of things online, from new PCs to take-away pizza. If you find a voucher online that saves you some money, put that money into your savings fund as well. Sites like MoneySavingExpert are dedicated to helping consumers claw back as much money as possible from the corporations.