Debt Consolidation Solutions – Ways to consolidate your debts yourself

There are many options for a debtor to consolidate his debts in this day and age. The most common ones you have heard or seen so far are probably those commercials on late night television – from debt consolidation companies that promise to help you fight and win over your debts.

There are also many government aid programs that seek to help debtors get out of debts. But these services usually require that you fulfill certain requirements and a minimum amount of debts before you are applicable to join their programs.

You can choose to consolidate your debts yourself if you know the options available for you.

Home Owners
The best option for home owners would be to take up a home equity loan to borrow against the value of your home. This can usually be done without any other mortgages. A home equity loan is usually a fixed amount of money repayable within a fixed period of time. These loans often offer the lowest interest rates and payment method.

Note that home equity loan interest can be variable and you also run the risk of losing your home if you fail to pay your loan.

People with Good Credit Rating
If you still enjoy a good credit rating, you can choose to consolidate your debt with credit cards. With a good credit rating, credit card companies are willing to grant you a lower interest rate if you transfer all other card balances to them. You can call all your card issuers to get a quote from them and compare them before you sign up the best offer available.

Remember to request for a fixed rate and to waive any transfer fees to transfer your card balances.

Life Insurance Policy Holder
You can have the option to borrow from your life insurance policy at a premium interest rate to solve your debt problems. The advantages is that you are not stressed up to repay this loan and that your life insurance benefits will be reduce by any amount that you borrow.

Different life insurance policies have different guidelines for borrowing. It is best to consult your insurance agent before you proceed to borrow against your insurance policy.

Do check out the above options if they are available to you. With good planning and actions, you will be able to clear your debts in 3 to 5 years.

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Debt Consolidation Mortgage Loans - Using Home Loans To Reduce Debt

Excessive debts cause a lot of worry and anxiety. Many people hope to become debt free. However, earning enough money to care for daily living expenses, while paying down credit card balances is challenging. There are options available to those burdened with debt. Owning a home has certain advantages. Debt consolidation mortgage loans are easy to qualify for, and provide enough funds to payoff creditors.

Different Types of Debt Consolidation Mortgage Loans


If choosing to consolidate debts, homeowners usually obtain a lump sum of money. The funds can be used to payoff credit card balances, personal loans, auto loans, etc. Once credit account balances are zero, homeowners simply submit one monthly payment to repay the debt consolidation loan.

Because debt consolidation mortgage loans have very low interest rates, most homeowners are able to repay the loan within a few years. Typical repayment periods consist of five to fifteen years. Moreover, the monthly payments are very affordable. You can expect to save hundreds each month.

If opting to take advantage of a debt consolidation mortgage loan, you may select a mortgage refinancing or home equity loan option.

How to Consolidate Debts with a Mortgage Refinancing

Cash-out mortgage refinancing is perfect for consolidating unnecessary debts. Moreover, this method serves multiple purposes. Because of falling mortgage interest rates, many homeowners are deciding to refinance for a lower rate. In some instances, this may greatly reduce your mortgage payment.

With a cash-out refinance, homeowners borrow from their home’s equity, and use the money to consolidate debts. Refinancing creates a new home loan. Furthermore, if borrowing cash from your equity, the mortgage principle will also increase. For example, if borrowing $25,000, the mortgage amount owed will jump from $100,000 to $125,000.

Home Equity Line of Credit and Home Equity Loans

Another approach for using your home’s equity to obtain cash for a debt consolidation involves getting a home equity loan or line of credit. In this case, loans are approved up to the amount of equity you have built in the home. Because home equity loans are protected, homeowners with less than perfect credit may also get approved.

Home equity loans are dispersed as a lump sum. This is ideal for paying large credit card balances and other types of loans. With a line of credit, homeowners are approved for a revolving credit account. Lines of credit are also ideal for debt consolidation.

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Debt Consolidation And Bankruptcy

People refinance mainly due to debt consolidation only. The equity is used to reduce their monthly payments. Many people are not able to pay their debt repayments in due time. The late fees and other penalties only increase the debt. A debt consolidation loan is used to repay the debt in a single once monthly payment.


Sometimes there are multiple credit cards with different interest rates. You can take a debt consolidation loan and pay all your credit card dues. The rate of interest of a debt consolidation loan is definitely lower than the interest rates of credit cards. The monthly payment in a debt consolidation loan reduces gradually making the payments easier for the borrower. In this case the borrower has to pay back only one lending institution. But the payments should be made on time.

There is another way of paying back loans taken from multiple institutions. A debt consolidation loan is taken and the agency makes arrangements to pay back the loans to the appropriate lenders in the specific time. In this case care has to be taken to see that the payment is made on time to the debt consolidation agency.

Debt consolidation refinancing is another method to repay the mortgage. The balance of the mortgage is determined and the amount you need along with the closing costs are added up and the total amount given as loan. The value of your property is appraised and Loan To Value is calculated. You can then borrow even up to 100% of the value of the home as loan.

Many people in America are so much under debt that bankruptcy has become a method to save one’s skin from debt. This system is not good at all, as it is only leading to more suffering for the lender as well as the borrower. When a person declares that he is bankrupt, he loses almost all his assets and it will take quite sometime to recover. In the year 2003 in America over a million people filed for bankruptcy. Every year the number is only increasing.

Bankruptcy should be the last resort. The Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act makes life hard for common people of America. They find it difficult to file for a chapter 7 Bankruptcy. A breathing space can be acquired by filing for a bankruptcy. There is a time between filing and discharging the bankruptcy papers. Use this time effectively to think over.

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Debt Consolidation - Can You Cut It?

Debt consolidation is supposed to help you get free of debt. By combining a lot of smaller debts into one big loan you can pay the debt off with lower repayments. So how come a lot of people have the same debt load two years later?

Answer is, they treated the symptom, not the cause. Debt consolidation only works if you address the underlying problem, which is that you spend more than you earn. Once you’ve consolidated debt, it can be very difficult to do it again.


The way it’s supposed to work is that a loan pays off your debts, you sweep away all your past mistakes and extravagances, get a grip on your finances and vow to live within your means. This way you never againt have to face the consequences of any more mistakes and extravagances.

But maybe you had just cause for spending too much. Medical bills are the largest cause of bankruptcy in America. If you got sick or had a major accident you’ve got big bills to pay and this can devastate your finances. If this is you, face up to your debt situation before it gets out of control. Your hospital probably has someone on staff to help people in your situation. Find the person with a sympathetic ear and use them. It’s better to ask for help than to prevaricate and suffer alone.

Your aim should be to keep current with all your non-medical bills, but to work out a way of paying your doctor over a longer period of time. If your medical care providers know that they’ll get their money in the end, there is usually a payment plan that you can use. Remember to keep up to date with your household bills: you’ve got to pay your energy bills but the doctors can wait. They can afford it.

Or maybe the reason you’re still in debt is that you still have to pay your student loans but you’re not yet earning enough to live. If you’re young enough to be in this situation but old enough to have graduated, then the answer’s simple. Get a better job, or get a second job, or both. This sounds tough and it is, but life is tough. If you’ll learn how to be in control of your money at an early age, you’ll be learning how to be one of life’s winners.

For those who are in debt but not sick or young, the simple truth still remains. You’re spending more than you earn.

Here’s a way you can help yourself. Get out your wallet, take out the dollar bills and the credit cards and spread them out on the table. See those credit cards? You probably think of them as infinite plastic. You use them over and over to buy what you want. Until they actually are maxed out, they seem infinite. They will always gratify your spending impulses. That is, if you will let them.

See those dollar bills? They can buy the exact same things as the plastic, but when you’ve handed them over, they’ve gone. If you want more of those bills, you’ve got to earn them. Now get the truth into your head that you can only spend up to the value of those dollar bills. Not one cent more. If you can discipline yourself into this frame of mind, you’ll begin to see that you can repay your debt.

And here’s another thing. You can cut up your plastic even while there’s still money to pay on them. Think about it: destroy the cards but keep up your repayments and one by one those debts will disappear.

If you can think of debt consolidation as a last resort, if you can tackle the causes of your debt (not the symptoms) and if you can promise yourself to start afresh, you can be debt-free.

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3 Things To Watch Out For With Debt Consolidation Services Online

Most of us are swamped with bills like credit cards and auto loans, so we're turning to debt consolidation services to help us regain control of our finances. And it's a good idea, since some debt consolidation services can also help you lower your interest rates and monthly payments. But there are some unscrupulous folks out there, and that means you need to watch out for scammers when you're looking for a Debt Consolidation Service online. Here are three warning signs of a disreputable company:

Large, outrageous fees

Some companies charge $100 just for reviewing your account, often disguised as a "credit analysis." Others offer an "educational program" consisting of mostly free forms, letters and information gathered from Internet websites. The cost for this "education"? It can be as high as $1,500! Be wary of any company that pushes for up-front payment before you receive any type of service or materials.

Unbelievable promises

"Your monthly payment will be half of what you're currently paying!" "We'll get your interest rate slashed to zero percent!" "You'll be paying less in just two weeks!" These types of exaggerated promises are designed to lure you in, and they're rarely true. No one can work miracles, and they certainly can't work them in just two weeks. Expect it to take at least a month--and probably longer--before you see the effects of debt consolidation on your finances.

They make first contact

Any company that sends out SPAM, cold calls your home, or sends you junk mail is fishing for a fee. Chances are they only want your money, and once they get it they'll offer very little in terms of services. Most reputable companies will wait for you to contact them.

You can always double check a Debt Counseling Service with the Better Business Bureau to see if any complaints have been filed against the company. You might also consider asking family and friends if they have any experience with the service.

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