Sunday, September 9, 2007

Debt Consolidation A Common Sense Solution to Your Financial Headaches

Debt consolidation loans might be the solution to your financial woes.

Do you have difficulties paying your bills on time? Can you barely cope with your increasing debt problems? Many people like you have credit problems and get help solving them. Securing a debt consolidation loan is often the perfect solution.

Don’t feel intimidated by the title; Debt consolidation is a fairly easy and simple process. When a consumer like you has become overwhelmed by bills, he or she decides to merge all debts into one single loan. People usually pay much less interest when they combine everything they owe onto one bill.

If your debt comes mostly from high interest credit card use, debt consolidation might be a good option for you. Many department store credit cards have interest rates of over 20%! Debt consolidation loans normally charge significantly lower interest.

Lower interest rates translates for most folks into lower payments. This has a positive snowball effect. You can begin to balance your budget, satisfy creditors, and begin to repair your credit standing. Here are some simple tips – beyond a debt consolidation loan -- to managing your debt.

First, organize your finances. Find out exactly what your monthly income and expenses are. This step, as tedious as it might seem, Although this can be a depressing and tedious work, you have to do it in order for you to construct a better budget. Your debt problems will not go away if you ignore them. Be completely honest with yourself so you can accurately analyze your financial picture. You will then be able to make the right economic decisions.

Second, after you organize your finances, check to see if your expenditures include non-essentials. Decide what you can live without, and apply the extra cash to paying down your debt.

Third, agree not to secure any more credit. Credit sounds positive, and your spending power will be temporarily enhanced. Unless you plan on leveraging the new line of credit on money-making opportunities, more credit will simply overload you more.

Fourth, build up your savings. It may be difficult to save money if you have debt problems. Try saving a little money out of each paycheck. Money in savings means you aren’t drowning in debt. You will have options for paying off your bills, and you will be working toward financial independence.

Consolidating high interest rate loans might be in your best, well, interest. Every loan payment has two parts. The first part is the principal amount and the other is the interest on the loan. Understand that paying minimum fees due will cause you to pay a lot more in the long run. In a debt consolidation loan, you can have lesser and lower interest rates and cut down quickly the principal. This means your overall indebtedness decreases quickly.