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Are You Looking For Debt Help?

Posted by | Posted in Debt Management | Posted on 10-01-2011

Debt is one of the most common and devastating things that people find themselves in life. It saps your energy and decreases your control over the future. Basically you are a slave to your debt literally and it has a way of winning out. People get into debt for all sorts of reasons. Some make poor decisions but most people are just plain unlucky and get hit with an unexpected and huge bill at just the wrong time. The great thing is that many of the people who offer debt help have been over their head in debt before and know exactly how to get out from under that crushing load. They know that you aren’t stupid and will treat you with respect as they lead you along the proven path to freedom in your budget once again.

So my advice to you, if you are just starting the downward spiral and want help avoiding compounding your errors, or you have already hit rock bottom and are desperately looking for a way out, get someone you can trust and who knows what they are doing to give you good debt help. What I want to do now is give just a few tips that any sensible debt advisor would give you to get you on your way to financial security.

First form a budget that fits your income and stick to it. This is the most simple thing to teach in debt help, but turns out to be the most powerful because people have never learned. People have no idea how much is coming in and how much is going out and absent mindedly spend more than they make. It is a natural phenomena and the only way to avoid it is to map it out clearly so you can see the effect of your decisions clearly.

The second tenet of debt help is that everybody needs to come up with a way to keep track of your budget on a day to day basis. How else are you going to know if you can make a purchase within your budget? You need to have running totals in order to stick to your budget. There is a lot of simple computer software that is getting easier to use each year as they figure out ways to automate things. This takes out all of the math that can screw people up and also provides a clean crisp organization for those who are challenged organizationally.

Third credit can be your friend but turns out to be most people’s enemy who are seeking debt help. Credit gives you flexibility and often many incentives but it also is very expensive if you get on the wrong end of the equation. My advice to you is to first not have credit until you have disciplined yourself enough to stick to a budget and then only use it like you would a debit card. This allows you all of the positives of credit without burying you alive.

5 Tips For Hiring A Professional Debt Settlement Company!

Posted by | Posted in Debt Management | Posted on 29-11-2010

If you’re considering using debt settlement to help you pay off your credit cards, here are 5 tips to help you decide on a company to help you.

Keep in mind that hiring a debt settlement company is no different than hiring any business to perform a service for you – so make sure you find the one that fits your needs the best. Not all debt settlement companies are the same. Like with any industry, there are good ones, and there are the rest.

Unfortunately, when it comes to settling credit card debts, you often hear more stories about people who complain than those who receive good service (and there are many).

How do you determine which settlement company will offer you the best service?

1)Shop around
When hiring a settlement company, you should contact at least 2-3 different businesses and compare the services and terms they offer. Not only will you find the best company to represent you, but you will learn a lot about how debt settlement works, and how it can help you.

2)Check with the BBB
While not everyone with a complaint contacts the Better Business Bureau (so a clean record may be misleading) if there are several unresolved complaints, that is a “red flag” to find out why there are unhappy customers. If the complaints have been resolved, that is a good sign that the debt settlement company offers good customer service. You can search for company records online at www.BBB.org.

3)Check references
While debt settlement is a confidential process, and therefore you may not find many companies willing to give out names of happy customers, it is worth asking. Talking to a former customer will tell you more about a company than any brochure or website.

4)Get all the details in writing first
This is an absolute MUST – you should never agree to anything, sign any paperwork, or send in any money until you get all the terms and conditions in writing. A written contract will help you understand what service you should receive, how much it will cost you, and protect you if an issue comes up.

5)Ask lots of questions
If you have any questions (and the more settlement companies you talk to, the more questions you will have) make sure to ask them – and get the answers you want. If a company is not willing to take the time to answer your questions now, how will they respond to you once you become a client and your money is at stake?

Bottom line, it is your responsibility to “do your homework” and research the best company to help you settle your debts.

If you take the time and effort to find the company that will fit your needs the best – just like you would when hiring any professional – you will greatly reduce the chances of a major problem occurring.

Settling your credit card debt is a big decision for anyone to make, so don’t make the decision lightly!

How Can Credit Card Debt Consolidation Help The Holders?

Posted by | Posted in Debt Management | Posted on 22-10-2010

Credit cards have proven to be a great help to the holders of the credit cards. These cards have provided many benefits to the population all over the world. However, things can still go wrong sometimes even with credit cards. That is why it is recommended that one should consider the option of credit card debt consolidation. This option of credit card debt consolidation seeks to eliminate all the possible risks attached with the credit cards and its usage.

Things that can possibly go wrong with the credit cards are:

•The credit card holders can over spend with credit cards and therefore, have to take the overdraft facility.

•In case the overdraft facility is taken it brings about payments of fines and interest on the amount taken as over draft. And the fines and penalties are not that small; they are relatively higher and only a select few can handle them in a manner that they ought to be.

•With credit cards from more than one bank, it can become awkward and difficult to keep track of each. This can build up debt and lead to many problems.

This small problem can bring about many serious repercussions to the holders of the credit cards. The saying “small holes sinking big ships” can certainly be applied over here.

To prevent these kinds of happenings, what experts advise is to take credit card debt consolidation. What this will do is that it will cover all what you owe to the banks with a single loan and now the borrower of the loan just has to cater to the loan and not the credit card borrowings. The other benefits of this credit card debt consolidation are that there are no fines and penalties to payoff, a borrower has same loan options that any other loan borrower may have. Also the interest rate of the loan would be either lower or at best in accordance with the rate at which the credit card overdraft had to be paid.

Another thing about credit card debt consolidation that is good is that they can be taken even when the holder is in good condition as the loan would be only of a lower interest rate. In addition, any one can take the credit card debt consolidation, be it a person with good credit history or with a bad credit one.

Applying for the credit card debt consolidation loan is pretty much similar to the approach that one requires to apply for any other loan. The difference may be in the terms that are offered with the loan. So for people with credit cards, there is some serious food for thought regarding your credit cards. Things can only get better with credit card debt consolidation.

Debt Help Is Easy To Get

Posted by | Posted in Debt Management | Posted on 12-08-2010

Debt help is easy to get. Even if one doesn’t have a good credit standing, it’s possible to get debt help. Debt help is available in the form of secured and unsecured personal loans and loans for the businesses. There are loans, which are also available against your paycheck, and these are called payday loans. However payday loans can carry an interest charge, which is as high as 25%. On a compounding basis it’s essential that they be repaid back in time. Otherwise you may have to back more than the loan amount.

There are many non - profit organizations that provide loans for those in need at lower interest rates. You can structure a loan repayment structure whereby the debt can be easily paid of. Therefore they will find out how much debt you have at the moment. What are your streams of revenues and the monthly living expenses that you may have. After this they will structure a plan where you can pay the monthly interest payments easily. Thus it makes sense to make use of these non-profit organizations in times of need.

These organizations are present in all counties. One can easily approach them through the Internet, phones and fax. You can also get information about them at your local city or county council. In many cases banks themselves will tell you to approach them, when they think that they can’t help you to get out of debt. It’s important that you check out the credentials of the company before you approach them for debt help. In fact there are companies, which may steal your identity (this is called identity theft) and can land you in further debt trap. So steer clear of these fly by night companies.

Hence ask around for references and only after you have made a thorough check, approach them for debt help.