Friday, August 28, 2009

Debt Solutions - How to Become Debt Free


By Morgan Hamilton

Debt has a way of creeping up on us, sometimes unexpectedly. More people than ever are finding themselves slipping behind as the economy slows. It's easy to feel desperate and out of control. Finding a solution to overwhelming debt will help put you back in control of your life. Credit counseling, debt consolidation, and debt settlement are all good options for getting back on top of your finances. Filing bankruptcy may also be an option but should be considered as a last resort.

Bankruptcy may seem like a quick, easy solution, but the backlash will impact your life and credit for years to come. The first course action should always be debt consolidation and/or debt settlement. These solutions will help you structure your debt into a manageable one that you can pay down without the long term handicap that follows those who file bankruptcy.

You will receive expert financial advice and guidance from credit counseling or a debt consolidation service. They may assist you in handling multiple credit balances by approaching the credit card companies for you and making arrangements on your behalf that will make it easier for you to pay down your balances and get out of debt. There are a couple of ways these services can help you.

First and foremost they will negotiate with your creditors for lower interest rates. They will then act as a clearinghouse of sorts because you will be making a single monthly lump sum payment to the debt consolidation company who will then distribute payments for you to the individual credit card companies In the agreed upon amounts.

Debt consolidation services have an established working relationship with the credit companies. This makes it much easier for them, than it would be for you, to negotiate an arrangement. Setting up a payment plan makes it easier for you, the consumer, to pay down your debt.

Another option to consider is a debt settlement service. They work a little differently. A debt settlement service will negotiate with your creditors to lower your actual balance. If for example, you owe a credit card company $25,000, a debt settlement service may be able to get a percentage of your balance forgiven and reduce the debt to $15,000.

The remaining $8,000 will be forgiven, or written off by the creditors. The reason a creditor will be willing to do this is because they realize that if they do not, in many cases the consumer that owes them the money may go into default or file for bankruptcy. In either case the creditor will get nothing. So basically in this scenario, getting something is better than getting nothing.

Debt settlement and debt consolidation are two services that can be extremely helpful in managing your debt and regaining control of your finances. When you look for such a service, be sure and verify the reputation of the business. Verify that they have a solid record of helping their clients. A good company will be able to do more for you than you may be able to do for yourself.

A company that specializes in debt solutions has the expertise, knowledge and experience to effectively negotiate on your behalf. Be sure that the company you choose to work with is a reputable one by posing any questions you may have about how their service works and by thoroughly checking them out through the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and other such watchdog organizations

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