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.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
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.
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.
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