Banking Explained

Had enough of working like a slave only to hand over a large part of your paycheck to the credit card companies each month? And do you want to end debt once and for all, but don’t know how to go about it and where to start? Then just keep reading and I promise to show you how to do it with specific ideas you can implement right away. And I also promise to write in plain English and avoid all the technical financial terms.

Before you do anything else, cut up your credit cards with a pair of scissors and get rid them once and for all. Studies have shown that people who use credit cards spend more money than people who pay with cash. And if you don’t have credit cards you won’t get tempted later down the road, when your determination might not be as strong as now.

When you are done making confetti out of your old credit cards it’s time to make a budget. Most people don’t have one and get scared when you mention the word, but if you can overcome that you will have a great tool to help you stay on track and provide the overview you probably don’t have right now.

And last but not least pay off as much as you can on your debt each month. When you pay the minimum you barely cover the interest and it takes forever to get out of debt. Each time you pay more than you have to your total debt will be smaller and you will save the interest in the future.

So if you get rid of your credit cards, make a budget and pay more than you have to each month you will be able to write off debt easy and get on with your life.

Credit card debt settlement companies can provide a debt solution for those people that feel they need some degree of hand-holding when it comes to managing debt. Debt management companies can negotiate on your behalf, knock interest off credit card accounts, and reduce multiple debt accounts down to a single monthly payment to pay the debt management company itself. In exchange they levy a  one-off or monthly fee that can be excessive and can border on taking advantage of those already vulnerable people who are heavily in debt.

Debt settlement companies will say that they offer a valuable service to the consumer than needs help with their debts. That is accurate but in only in so far as it goes. There is little impartiality or back-checks to review whether such a company has saved someone more in interest forgiven on the accounts they negotiated on versus their own charges. For those already in debt and struggling, paying a company to manage that situation for you can be a costly decision, yet for some it is still more advantageous than burying their head in the sand, ostrich like, and hoping their debt problems will go away.

One thing to be clear about when considering this route is that any settled debt will be marked on your credit report as settled rather than paid in full. This will alter your FICO score negatively and tell future lenders that you negotiate debts down, rather than pay them in full, and that you failed to manage your finances well. This makes you a less attractive person to lend money to in the future.

If you do with to seriously consider using one of the credit card debt settlement companies available to assist you, then we have some further advice for you. Consider that not all settlement companies are the same. Some overcharge, others are clumsy with their management of your financial affairs. Do you own research before jumping in with both feet!

It is a very stressful situation when your income has shrunk and your payments stay the same. When you get into this type of situation, debt negotiation may be a solution for you.

If you find a company that will take you as a client, immediately the phone calls stop. This in itself is a stress reliever. The next step will be the negotiations. Typically your balance owed on your credit cards or unsecured debts will be cut in half. A lower interest rate will be assessed and thus a smaller payment. The term is usually short, like 36-48 months.

Don’t get the idea that your credit rating will improve. After all, you were behind therefore your credit rating has already been affected. However, making your monthly payments on the reconstructed debt will eventually improve your score over time. Just make sure that you pay on time when you commit to the rescheduled payment program. Take an extra part-time job if you can find one, or think of something that you can do to make extra money and pay them off as quickly as possible if you want your credit to bounce back.

If you have a good negotiator, and hopefully you do your research before you contract with one, make sure that you stipulate that if you agree to the revised repayment program you want your credit restored and not a charge-off reflected. After all, the unsecured creditor will be charging off 50% of your balance. If this shows on your credit bureau report, it will stay there for approximately 7 years. It doesn’t hurt to ask, right?

In addition, make sure you check with your bookkeeper or accountant that the amount that is charged off (the other half of the balance) is not taxable. Whatever you save on modifying your debts may have tax consequences. So check it out.

These programs can really benefit you if you are in trouble and are a lot less expensive than an attorney. Keep in mind that each individual creditor needs to buy into the program which is not an easy task. This is why a skilled negotiator is very important indeed and a lot cheaper than an attorney.

After the process and 36-48 months thereafter, all will be done. It is then that you can start re-establishing your credit. Just remember the lesson learned and what you had to go through to pay off these creditors.

However, if this doesn’t work out for you, you always have the option of filing bankruptcy. So donít buy into a program that doesnít help you and where you canít meet the new payments. Debt negotiations can work if you can afford a new payment program. If you canít, donít agree that you can or you will be in a worse situation. Remember you always have the option of filing bankruptcy.