Thursday, January 31, 2008

Wealth Through Elimination of Debt

Not too long ago, I was constantly looking for ways to increase my income just so I could improve my lifestyle temporarily. Working extra hours so I could go out on the weekend more often. Or taking odd jobs so I could afford to get a cool new cell phone. It took me a long time to realize that I was getting virtually no where financially and if I didn't keep busy at all times I would begin to fall behind on my bills, or overspending one week would set me back for months. I was constantly working to afford my lifestyle.

If my previous situation sounds like what you're going through now, you're in luck. Now is the perfect time to get out of debt and to start acquiring wealth. Now is the time you should be cutting back on your expenses in a big way. For me gas and the cost of going out had to be cut down dramatically. I simply didn't go out some weekends and instead spending the extra time developing my business. I then went over all my credit card and bank statements for the last 6 months and canceled any subscriptions I wasn't aware of. Somehow I ended up with subscriptions to about 6 magazines that I don't remember signing up for. This saved me $80. $80 doesn't seem like a lot but it's just enough to pay for small expenses.

Cutting down on expenses means cutting down on credit card payments. I was able to do this with little hassle by canceling all my cards. Even the ones with balances on them. After I canceled my monthly payments dropped dramatically. I made my goal to pay of 25-50% of my total balance every month and I was out of credit card debt in no time.

Many people are assumed to be wealthy because they have the nicest car in the neighborhood and you always spot them sitting in front of their big screen. This is very untrue. Many people living with all the extra luxuries often times actually deep in debt and have no wealth at all. Just possessions and debt. Acquire enough wealth so you don't have to trade your time for money at a day job. Eventually you should be able to live off the wise investments you made months, years, or even decades later.

Start acquiring wealth now. The longer you are able to hold healthy financial habits, the easier it gets to acquire wealth. As you make more progress and make more and more smart investments, managing your money is no longer a chore but rather an opportunity to expand your wealth without risk to your lifestyle.

Debt Consolidation Tips - Consolidate Your Debt Today

Most Americans these days are wading through a pool of debt. In fact, some studies show that the average American is carrying around $20,000 in debt. This is frustrating and can be enough to throw you into bankruptcy or bad credit city! You may want to consider some serious debt consolidation. Here are some of the best debt consolidation tips that you can use to help lower your debt and payments.

Home Equity Loan

One great way to consolidate your debt is to get a home equity loan that is enough to cover the entire amount of all of your credit card debt. Sure, you will have to pay a payment every month, but chances are you will have to pay a lower payment than you are paying with your credit cards or other debt payments. The other benefit is that you will only have one single payment to worry about and your credit cards will be paid off. This is a great way to ensure the maintenance of your good credit score and will be an easier bill to pay each month.

Bank Loan

You can also approach your bank in order to try and get a loan to cover the debt on your credit card or other debt payments. It is likely that you can get a lower payment than your other bills combined, and of course, you will only have one payment to make each month rather than several. The thing you need to watch for when it comes to a bank loan is the interest. If your interest is at a fair rate, by all means go for it. However, if the interest will be higher than most of your debt payment interest, you may want to consider other avenues to pursue debt consolidation.

Many banks are now offering programs that are designed to help their members pay off credit card loans. Through these programs, you can get special terms. One of these terms may include a lower interest rate than a typical loan, or even lower than what you're paying to your creditors through the several bills that you pay monthly. If you want to avoid taking a loan, you may want to approach your bank and find out if they have a program like this that you can take advantage of.

Debt Consolidation Organizations

There are many not-for-profit debt consolidation organizations that you can go through in order to consolidate your debt. They work like this - you give them your monthly credit card and other debt payment statements and they pay your creditors. Then, you will pay them back just like a loan. The benefits include getting a lower interest rate, a lower payment and a longer period of time to pay back the loan. Of course, along with that, you are able to maintain a good credit rating by having your payments all paid off. This can be a great way to consolidate your debt.

Having a ton of payments to pay every month can be a real pain in the neck. Just the interest rates on these loans can be enough to slowly push you further and further into debt until you are struggling to breathe. By utilizing the avenues above, you can effectively consolidate your debt and feel free from the wading pool of debt.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

I Defaulted My Student Loan - What Should I Do?

However, there are alternatives to get back on track and obtain rehabilitation of your student loans with proper negotiations with the lenders or collection agencies. Moreover, it is important to find a solution to your default in order to avoid negative consequences on your credit and raise your score again.

Finding Out Your Debt Status

The first step you need to take is to find out your current debt status. In order to do that you will need to contact the state department of education and inquire about your current debt situation. Once you have been told about the standing of your student loans, you will need to contact the lender or the collection agency depending on the condition informed by the state department of education.

Also, you may want to inquire about the Title IV student debt rehabilitation letter. This document will provide you a permit to continue with your studies. It is provided by the state department of education once the lender or collection agencies confirm that your student debt status is back to normal. The whole process can take between half to a whole year, so you may want to start as soon as possible.

Negotiating With Lenders Or Collectors

Collection agencies are usually willing to negotiate new terms on your debt and the actual lenders will also be willing to negotiate with you since they would otherwise have to sell the debt to collectors at a much lower price. Therefore, no matter who holds your debt, you just need a smart approach and to show that you are willing to get back on track with your student debt payments.

You will reach an agreement with the debt holder and you must make sure that you will be committed to repay your debt because you will not get another chance if you default again. Also, make sure that the state department of education is notified of the timely payments of your debt. Six consecutive and timely monthly payments are needed to obtain the rehabilitation but it may take a month or two more for the whole process to be finished.

Who Is Responsible For Paying Of Debt

This question often rises when it comes to married couples. If your spouse did not apply for the loan, he or she is not responsible for the repayment. The only chance that the lender has to hold someone else responsible for repayment is when the other person applies jointly or as a co-signer. Otherwise the cancellation of the student loan is a personal responsibility of the debt holder.

We point this out because some collectors and lenders try to gather information about other members of the family for their collection practices. And you should be well aware of the fact that they cannot require that information as part of the agreement if the other person did not apply for the loan.

The only documentation that you may be required to submit is your own and is limited to proof of income, residence and other documentation to back up the information you provide like unemployment certificate or payment stubs from your employer.

How Do I Choose the Best Debt Consolidation Company?

These days' people are more and more prone to getting into debt, probably because money is being offered to us from all directions and a certain amount of personal debt is not regarded as normal. But more and more are getting into the worried stage!

What about those that are tired of always falling behind on payments, if a major chunk of their salary is going towards paying their debts and are tired of pestering collection calls, it is time for these people to find some calmness in their life.

What all of these people need is not another loan to pay, but to get help in the form of a debt consolidation program? To find the best debt consolidation company you will have to shop around and talk with whomever you can who has had this experience.

Two major things that you should look for in this type of a company are experience and expertise. A good way to judge is to check whether the company is registered with the Better Business Bureau. Then check if they have ever had any negative reports.

Another way of judging the company is by reading the customer testimonials. This gives you an idea about their customer service. During this trying financial time you need people to work with that treat you with respect and honesty.

They should stop your creditors from contacting you and they will work with your debt collectors to inform them of the negotiations that will be taking place. Next, the consolidators will help reduce the interest payments to a very small figure, if one at all.

Also, look, at the upfront fee, the payoff fees, their fees, etc. As a smart shopper, you must look at the whole package. Therefore, it is important that before you sign on the dotted line you must read the fine print very carefully.

A good debt consolidation company will offer you a tailor made solution that fits your financial situation. You will then have a personal version to help you to get out of your own circumstance. This type of company ensures that you are out of debt and you should ONLY work with such a company. It will also help you stay out of debt in the future by giving you financial tips and tools and counseling.

Best Debt Consolidation has valuable information worth looking at. A reputable debt company has to be found and I suggest that you start searching now to find one.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Consolidation Loans Can Help You Break Free Of Debt

If you are struggling to repay one or more loans and possibly a credit card or two then life could seem like an uphill struggle with no way out. There is a solution to getting your debt under control and reducing your repayments each month but it has to be considered carefully. Comparing consolidation loans and taking one out with a low interest rate can help you to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

A consolidation loan will enable you to take all your existing debts and combine then into one sum. Once this is done you take out one loan and repay off all your creditors which then leaves you paying just one debt and lowering the amount you have to pay each month. A consolidation loan will work to your advantage if you can repay the amount borrowed in a short period of time and the interest rate is low.

Taking out a loan over many years when you only have only a couple of years to repay your existing debts would mean you would be worse off in the long run. However you could pay less each month. If you are in extreme debt then talk with a specialist. There are specialist websites who offer advice and information on the most suitable type of loan for your circumstances.

While usually consolidation loans are offered as secured loans there are other options. The type of loan and the rate of interest you will pay will basically depend on your credit rating. If you have an excellent credit rating you will be rewarded with the cheapest interest rates and best deals. A poor credit rating would probably mean you would have to take a secured loan or bad credit loan and pay a higher interest rate.

A specialist can always find the best deals based on your particular circumstances. They will be able to scour the whole of the market and gather quotes from some of the best lenders to be found online. While you could search yourself an individual does not have access to the same lenders as a specialist does or commands the same attention. A specialist can find you quotes to compare immediately, so all you have to do is read the terms and conditions along with comparing interest rates. The key facts that come with the quotes should be focused on as they hold information which can make a difference when comparing.

No two consolidation loans are ever the same, the rate of interest that is charged will vary from lender to lender. The basis of which is your credit score, the amount you wish to borrow, the length of the loan and how much the lender puts onto the loan above the Bank of England base rate. The interest rate, length of the loan and the total amount that will be repayable will be included in the small print. It is also here where you can find additional costs and these can make a huge difference to the outcome of the loan.

Debt Consolidation Personal Loans - A Way Towards Reducing Your Tensions

You can always go for a debt consolidation personal loan if you are having multiple debts to be handled at a certain quantum of time. It helps you combine all your debts into a single debt and that too with a lower rate of interest.

Debt consolidation personal loans are available both as secured and unsecured loans. You can go for a secured one if you are having some asset to be placed as collateral as they are available at a lower rate of interest compared to unsecured one. Since no collateral is required in case of unsecured debt consolidation personal loan you are charged higher rate of interest as there is a risk involved in that. You can have an amount ranging from £5,000 to £75,000 and can have repayment tenure of about 5 to 25 years depending on the amount borrowed.

Due to competition in the market you can get the loan at a lower rate of interest. You can get it at further lower rate by opting for a secured one. It helps people who are having bad credit history, defaults, bankruptcy etc. But if you are having bad credit record then the rate of interest will be slightly higher. There are many institution where you can get a debt consolidation personal loan like banks, financial institutions etc. You do not have to search the market for such loan you can get a better lender on internet itself. Then you choose the lender which suits you best.

If you are lenient in repaying the loan it can affect you credit record. But debt consolidation personal loan helps you out from this situation. With this loan you will have to pay only one monthly installment instead of a long list of repayment every month so it releases much of your tension.

Summary

Debt consolidation personal loans are meant for those who are suffering from long list of debts. This loan consolidates your entire loan into a single debt which you have to pay monthly and that too at a lower rate of interest. Both secured and unsecured type is available. You can choose the one according to your convenience.

Free Debt Consolidation - Best Debt Management Technique To Avoid Bankruptcy

Free debt consolidation is one of the best debt relief solutions that can take you out of disaster created by multiple unmanageable debts. You are not the only one who is facing this kind of trouble. A lot of people all around the world have become the victim of easy credit availability and looking for a company that can take them out of this situation. Yes, easier it is becoming to borrow money, more the problems it is creating for people. They keep on borrowing to cater to the demands of modern lifestyle without considering the consequences.

No Need To Have Any Doubts About Quality Of Service

People start realizing only when they become unable to make even minimum payments to various lenders. This is the time when debt consolidation services come to their rescue. Many non profit organizations offer it that can be quiet handy in these circumstances. You should not doubt the quality of service just because they do not ask you to make any payments to them.

Now, you must be eager to know after all how does debt consolidation work and how do these companies manage the things with the same earnings. Well, the answer is that these institutes work by removing the root cause of problem. It is the cost of money that you borrowed that creates trouble for you. that is why they give topmost priority to cutting down the cost of borrowing.

Understanding The Concept

Companies offering free debt consolidation merge all your existing loans into a single loan with much lower interest rate. This single step brings down overall interest you pay every month to a great extent. Your next goal is to bring the monthly installment to such an extent that you can pay it comfortably even after making all necessary day today expenses. You can achieve this objective by stretching the repayment period for newer loan.

Once you realize that things are back in your control now, you start working in a more confident manner. Moreover, after availing free debt consolidation services, you will not have to receive any irritating phone calls from different lenders. Instead, you will have to make only one monthly payment. You can use rest of your time and energy constructively and get positive and better results.

Unsecured Bad Credit Consolidation Debt Loan

Consolidation loans are here to help you with managing your different debts and loans. We can understand that you can have a problem with getting the money together for all your debts and an unsecured bad credit consolidation debt loan is the solution for you.

The problems that are going to be solved with an unsecured bad credit consolidation debt loan are: different debts that are just too big for you to pay every month, raising interest rates because you pay interest rates for every debt that you have, problems with the overview of your debts and most importantly, you will get the loan, and that is different from the "denied" answers that you are probably getting from all the banks because of your bad credit.

An unsecured bad credit consolidation debt loan means that you do not have to have anything as a collateral. You sign that you will repay the loan and that is what the loan is based on. You can use this loan to repay your medical bills, your other debts and credits, maybe a remodeling of your house or similar. All these debts that you have accumulated in the past can be repaid and converted into one debt loan. And you will, in most cases, also get an expert to help you with your money problems, so that such problem will not happen again in the future.

You will gain a lot from such an unsecured bad credit consolidation debt loan. You will save money because you will have to pay the interest rates for only one debt and even if these interest rates are a bit bigger than the individual interest rates that you are paying now, they are smaller than the sum of all interest rates that you are paying now. The second thing that you gain is that you won't receive any harassing calls anymore; because the monthly payment will be lower any you will actually be able to pay the monthly rate. So you can finally have a good night sleep. All there benefits show that you should consider this kind of consolidation debt loan.

Friday, January 25, 2008

Extreme Debt Management - Administration Orders

Debt is a big problem in the UK. The TV channels are flooded with advertisements for debt consolidation loans and companies offering to manage your debts for you, but what if you don't want to, or can't, do this?

It may be that a more extreme form of debt management is needed in your situation. Bankruptcy is of course the harshest of these, but as there's a stigma attached to going bankrupt - even in a game of Monopoly it's embarrassing - most people would prefer to do almost anything else than go down this road.

The options available to you will largely depend on your level of debt. For debts of over £15,000, a debt management company might indeed be your best answer. They very rarely deal with debts under this amount.

If, on the other hand, your debts total no more than £5000, you may want to consider applying for an Administration Order. This is a form of debt management made through the Courts, and to be eligible you need to owe money to at least 2 creditors, owe no more than £5000, and at least one of your debts needs to be a County Court Judgement.

The Court will arrange with you the monthly amount you can reasonably afford, and distribute your payments to all your creditors on a pro-rata basis - meaning the higher debts get the larger portion of payment. The court also takes 10% of each payment as its administration costs.

As a means of debt management, an Administration Order is more preferable to an IVA or bankruptcy, both of which can have extreme adverse effects on both your self-esteem and credit rating. Filing an Admin Order will prevent the benefiting creditors from taking any further action against you, and all phone calls and payment demands should stop. In most cases the interest will also stop accumulating, thus reducing the amount of debt. This isn't a short-term solution, you must keep paying the courts until your whole debt is paid off, but it will give you a break from creditors and allow you to just make one affordable payment per month.

Debt Consolidation Services - Erase Debt Burden In Smooth Manner

When you intend to merge your balance amounts towards old loans, then, in doing so, you aim at getting some advantages. Therefore it is advisable to take help of debt consolidation services, which make the remaining loans repayments easier though some techniques and advices.

These services imply that you merge all your high interest rate payments, such as on unsecured loans and credit cards under single low monthly payments, which is main advantage. Thus, you are able to save money on interest payments. You also get rid of all of the creditors as you give charge of the repayments to an agency. Also, there is no need to take out a new loan.

Keeping the main aim of pruning your monthly outgoings in mind, debt consolidation services first make a convenient repayment plan. The experts of the agency involved in helping you, will subtract your routine expenditures from your total monthly earnings. This way you get an amount which you can repay with ease. Then the plan is sent to your creditors for their nod.

These services providers have your creditors in their lists. You can ask them to negotiate with the creditors, on your behalf, for reducing the interest rate and possibly the total amount. As a result of it, your interest payments come down substantially.

Another service that you can avail is to make the low monthly payments to the agency, which will disburse it to your creditors. This ensures that you come out of the burden in few years. But check with your creditors that they are getting the payments regularly.

You will also get counseling help as well under debt consolidation services for tips on how to remain free of any such burden in future. Stick to the repayment plan and cut your expenses so that you do not fall into the trap again.

Getting Help With Debt Before You Get In Trouble

When you have more debt than you do money things can get out of control quickly. Many of us have a lot of debt and we are able to still maintain the things that we need to maintain. If you are slowly losing control of the debt in your life you should seek help before it is too late. Many people find that they are in over their heads and they simply give up, assuming that there is not help out there. There are a few different things that you can do to get ahead and alleviate some of the pressure.

Finding Help with Debt

Debt is a tricky thing to balance because you want to get it paid off, you still need to live your life, and if you lose sight of your obligations just once things can get out of control and leave you feeling very overwhelmed.

If you are in debt and you feel like you have painted yourself into a corner and there is no way out of the tough spot that you are in, think again. Take a deep breath and relax a moment. Debt happens to the best of us and while you are feeling very overwhelmed right now you are not alone.

If you are dealing with credit card debt you don't have to give up and file bankruptcy and you also don't have to deal with rude collection agencies. Instead of continuing to fight a losing battle by dealing with many different credit card companies you need to consolidate your debt. There are many credit card companies out there right now that will allow you to transfer all of your credit card balances to their credit card with 0% interest.

This will not do away with the debt, but it will get those anxious creditors off of your back and you will stop piling up the interest on top of the principal balances. If you continue to pay what you have been paying you will be able to make a much better dent in what you owe and you will likely be able to keep the new credit card company happy with the progress that you are making.

Having trouble paying your mortgage? This is very stressful but there are more people than ever before who are looking down the troublesome road of foreclosure. Instead of assuming that because you are two months behind that you cannot save your house, call your mortgage company and talk with them.

Let them know what you are going through, when you can pay, and how much you can afford to pay. Your mortgage company does not want to foreclose on your property and if you make an honest attempt to make some sort of payment and you stay in communication with them you will have a much easier time getting yourself out of the hole that you find yourself in.

There are home equity loans and personal loans that will also help you consolidate any debt that you have and get some bills paid. When you have one loan as opposed to many it is easier to get the debt paid off because you aren't usually paying so much in interest and it is simply a lot easier to deal with one loan emotionally, as well.

Don't wait until it is too late and don't assume that it is too late until someone tells you that it is. There is help out there; you just need to ask for it.

Friday, January 18, 2008

Debt Consolidation Services- Services for a Debt Free Future

Facing debts? Want to lessen up your debts and live tension free life but do not know how, then you can avail debt consolidation services. Debt consolidation services help an individual in debts to manage his or her debts properly and effectively.

In a debt consolidation services the professional counselor or an agent first looks into your financial situation and than gives you the most suited advice for debt removal. The agent would first analyze and assesses your current debt condition and formulate a debt consolidation plan. Depending upon your credit situation the agent or the counselor would guide you and would help in drawing the best suitable plan to make you debt free.

The services offered by the debt consolidation include guiding and making plans for borrower to make him debt free. The various other services of debt consolidation includes credit counselors, financial education services, credit repair clinics, housing advice services and general debt management services. The agent would first analyze and assesses your current debt condition and formulate a debt consolidation plan. Negotiations are also an important part of the debt consolidation services. The counselor or the professional agent negotiates with your creditors in lowering down the interest rate for you.

Debt consolidation services are now days available online that helps in eliminating bad credit history and debts within the borrower’s convenience. These services can be availed by the individual from the comfort of the home or office. The borrower can ask of quotes from different lenders online and after proper research can find the appropriate services for a debt free future. The borrower can compare different services offered by different lenders particularly their interest rates.

Debt consolidation services are an effective and the popular way of dealing with your debts and help the individual lead a debt free life ahead.

Zip-up Your Debts With Cheap Debt Consolidation Loan

Are you experiencing a disturbed sleep cycle? Are you loaded with debts? Are you looking for a break? If I, correctly pointed out your strain of unmanageable finance. Then just go for cheap debt consolidation loan. Bartering for various debts for a single cheap debt consolidation loan, gives the overall cost lowered to the borrower

Cheap debt consolidation loan is taken to pay various types of debts such as, high interest rate unsecured debts. When debt consolidation loan is tagged with cheap. Then the loan comes with security. At times with neat search, you get cheap debt consolidation even when you do not provide security.

The security provided with cheap debt consolidation loan can be any of your asset like your car, property papers, home etc. Keeping your property in stake benefits you in a number of ways, as you get the loan in low interest rate, low monthly repayment, and expandable loan term. On the other hand, cheap debt consolidation loan without security is possible but for that, you need to study the market and opt for a reasonable deal.

Loan lenders are now providing debt consolidation loans who are having credit problems, i.e. bad credit. Bad credit debt consolidation loan comes with increased rate of interest. However, with huge competition you are offered competitively low interest rate with both secured and unsecured option. Bad credit cheap debt consolidation loan improves or stitches your credit history in the loan market.

Online search for lenders makes cheap debt consolidation loan faster and quicker to locate a lender with compatible loan quotes, repayment term, and low monthly repayment that you get at the click of mouse.

Thus, with secured or unsecured option cheap debt consolidation loan zip-up all your debts reducing your repayable burden.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

How To Get The Most From Consumer Debt Consolidation

Consumer debt consolidation can take two main forms. Firstly, and the one most people think of, involves taking out a loan to consolidate all your existing debts, thereby reducing the overall cost of your monthly repayments. This is because the debt is secured on property and also is for a higher amount than the other smaller debts of which it is comprised. For this reason the interest rate of the larger loan will be smaller.

The other form of consumer debt consolidation is a debt management program, which may be a simple management strategy for dealing with your existing debt, or it can take the form of an IVA (individual voluntary arrangement) which has the added advantage of reducing the total debt by up to seventy percent, sometimes even a little more.

IVAs were set up by the United Kingdom government as a way of dealing with personal insolvency without resorting to bankruptcy, which is still seen as a drastic step and which remains stigmatic to many. Consumer debt consolidation of the IVA type is a kinder way of dealing with personal debt.

Of the two main forms of consumer debt consolidation, an IVA is actually the most beneficial in the long term. It does not carry the risk of a secured loan, and it provides a means of structuring personal debt so that an end to financial problems may actually be achieved. A loan may provide relief for a while - even for a couple of years - but then the borrower usually finds that he or she is back to square one after just a little while.

Consumer debt programmes are dealt with by experienced Insolvency Practitioners, and these people are far more highly qualified than the person who sells you a loan. The insolvency practitioner will look at your income and outgoings then work out what you can afford to pay to your creditors each month. He or she will then approach all of your creditors and negotiate on your behalf, and this is where the massive reduction in your overall debt occurs. Up to seventy percent will be wiped out at this stage.

Following this process you will then have a relatively small monthly payment to make, and at this stage your interest will be frozen as well. Other penalty fees including late payment charges and similar costs will also be voided. From this moment on your creditors will not be allowed to contact you in any way. They will not be allowed to take any further court action against you. An IVA is legally binding, and if you get any further contact from your creditors after the IVA has been put into effect, then you may take them to court for breach of the terms of the IVA. This helps to relieve the tension and stress caused by debt.

Assuming all goes well you will be debt free in five years. This compares with three years to discharge a personal bankruptcy. To get the most from your consumer debt consolidation through an IVA will not take any more effort than paying the installments on a new loan, and will have a beneficial effect sooner.

How To Get The Best Debt Consolidation Help

Debt Consolidation help will be found in two main forms. Firstly, people will usually think of some kind of consolidation loan to ease their financial problems for a while. But that is not the whole story. A loan is like a sticking plaster. What is more enduring is a structured management plan, or even an individual voluntary arrangement (IVA). IVAs have been devised as a true solution for personal insolvency.

While consolidation loans are effective over the short term, IVAs are designed to cut your debt completely within five years. Loans make you feel good for a couple of years and get you into deeper debt, while IVAs effectively put you in control and back on the road to true financial stability. True debt consolidation helps you to get out of your financial fix and back into the straight and narrow of fiscal probity and self respect.

It is true that it help can be a quick fix, but the best type will take the form of a structured plan - usually an IVA or a Protected Trust Deed in Scotland - and this will be worked out by a qualified Insolvency Practitioner who will spend some time with your household accounts and then more time negotiating directly with your creditors, as opposed to a loan salesman who will simply get you to sign the papers, say goodbye and wait for his commission.

The negotiation stage will involve your insolvency practitioner negotiating with your creditors collectively so that they all agree to the plan. All creditors are dealt with together under the terms of the IVA; debts are not negotiated separately. The help really starts here, as a massive amount of your debt will be written off at this stage, and your interest frozen. The amount of the debt reduction will vary, but will usually be between sixty and seventy percent of your total debt. That means that up to 70 percent of the total money owed will simply be written off at a stroke.

The next stage in your debt consolidation help will be establishing the amount you can afford to pay your creditors each month. This will be deducted from the money you have left over from your income after meeting your necessary expenses. The insolvency practitioner will work this out so that the sum to be paid is both practical and affordable. This sum must also be agreed by all the creditors collectively for the plan to be put in place.

Once the IVA is set up it is official. It has the same power, more or less, as a court ruling. From now on your creditors are not allowed to bother you. In fact, they are not allowed to contact you in any way. That means they must not phone you or send a representative round to knock at your door; nor should they write to you. If they contact you in any way they will be in breach of the terms of the IVA and therefore in breach of the law; you could take them to court.