7 Debt Consolidation Advices

In simple terms debt consolidation is nothing but finding a low interest rate loan with low monthly payments that you can easily afford. In this article we shall discuss some debt consolidation advice.

1. Planning is Key – The reason you are in a debt in most cases is due to the absence of planning. So first and foremost step to debt consolidation is to plan out the repayment. Cut down a few luxuries in life which won’t affect your life severely. Take a close look at your credit report and see if there are any errors or inaccurate information. If you find some dispute them immediately with the authorities.

2. Balance Transfer - If you have multiple credit cards, it is always advisable to transfer the balance to a card which has a large credit limit and low balance transfer interest rate. You can transfer just one or two of your highest interest rate credit card balances to ease some of the debt pain. This will help you in saving money as the interest rates in the card where you consolidate will be less.

3. Debt Consolidation Loans - There are many financial agencies which offer you loan for debt consolidation. You can avail these loans even with a poor credit score. You can substantially reduce monthly repayments using such a loan. But make sure you speed up the repayment process with these loans and not stick to the minimum monthly payment or else this might turn into a lifelong process.

4. Credit Counseling – For effective debt consolidation you need to talk to the experts. Although s counseling agency will not directly reduce your debts it will optimize it taking your financial situation into consideration. They will fix your payment plans with lower interest rates and you’ll make one monthly payment to the counseling agency, which will pay all your creditors.

5. Home Equity Loan - You can also consolidate your debt by borrowing against the equity in your home using a home equity loan. These have lower interest rates and higher borrowing limits than other types of loans. The bad part with this is the fact that if you fail with the repayment you face home foreclosure which is much worse than defaulting on your credit card payments.

6. Pay Late Payment First – In debt consolidation nothing affects your credit more adversely than past due and late payments. The interest keeps on piling and you fail to manage your repayments effectively. The golden rule is to pay the late payments first. This will reduce the repayment on you and will also help you in bettering your credit score.

7. Borrow From Retirement - This is one of the last resort methods you can use to consolidate debt. Most retirement plans allow you to borrow against them, but do come with a few drawbacks. The loan needs to be repaid in five years or it will be considered an early withdrawal and will be subject to a penalty and income tax. In case you plan to quit your job the loan will be due within 60 days or you’ll face early withdrawal penalties.

Summary: A debt consolidation advice could sometimes be needed and is one of the best ways to clear off the dues. There are a few tips and tricks which need to be kept in mind for debt consolidation.