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5 Tips To Help You Deal With Credit Card Debt

5 Tips To Help You Deal With Credit Card Debt

Do you tend to be late in paying your credit card bills? Is your pile of notices from creditors getting higher and higher? Do you fear you might lose your properties because you can’t pay off your credit card debt?

Being in deep credit card debt is not a thing that can be easily brushed off or treated lightly. Anyone who’s been in this situation knows how terrible it feels. However, if you ever find yourself in deep credit card debt, there are things you can do to make your financial situation not worse than it already is.

Tip #1: Budget right away.

Don’t wait until you lose your house. As soon as you find yourself in a bad financial situation, make a budget right away. How much is your income? Does it cover your expenditures? Assess your situation and know which expenditures are vital and which are not. Do you really need to eat out three times a week? Do you truly need to have all the bells and whistles that come with your cellphone plan? Must you shop for clothes every week? Your budget needs to cover all your basic necessities: food, housing, clothes, basic utilities, and health-related costs.

Tip #2: Face your creditors.

Many deal with their creditors by avoiding them or running away from them. Dealing with creditors this way only leads to bigger and more serious problems. If you find yourself having a hard time paying off your debts on time, the best way to deal with it is to contact your creditors right away. Disclose to them your reasons for not being able to pay your debts and ask if they can come up with a revised payment arrangement. It’s important that you let your creditors know that, while you are in debt, you are very willing to pay it off. Face your creditors. Don’t let them reach a point where they pass your situation to a debt collection agency.

Tip #3: Deal with debt collectors.

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act is a federal law clearly stating that debt collectors cannot bug you, give false assertions or do anything that is not fair when they are trying to collect money from you. Read and understand this federal know so you can properly address debt collectors.

Tip #4: Consider credit counseling to get tips on how to get out of credit card debt.

There are groups and institutions that offer credit counseling for those who need help with their financial problems. A good credit counseling organization can help you come up with an improved payment arrangement for your credit card debts. You can present this plan to your creditors for their approval.

Tip #5: File for bankruptcy.

Filing for personal bankruptcy is a last resort to fixing — and the legal way of addressing — your credit card debt. However, keep in mind that if you file for bankruptcy, it will remain in your financial information report for years. Thus, you may find it difficult to get additional credit, buy a house, or even get a job with a bankruptcy on your financial information report.

Debt Consolidation Plus Consumer Counseling Benefits

Debt Consolidation Plus Consumer Counseling Benefits

Consumer counseling has many benefits that are often taken for granted. Know that credit card debt consolidation is not a difficult process. It involves combining all of your outstanding balances into one debt to be paid by only one monthly payment. After you have contacted a debt consolidation company, they will pay off your outstanding balances. You will pay one single payment each month at a lower interest rate. This is a great option for those individuals seeking to save money on interest, improve their financial situation, repair their credit, or simply put into action a credit card debt settlement plan.

In addition to the consumer counseling benefits above, you will also have access to professionals in consumer counseling who can give you advice on budgeting and managing your finances.

The following are some factors to consider when choosing a debt consolidation plan for your existing debt:

• Interest Rate. You should try to lower the interest rate for the consolidation loan in order to most efficiently settle the debt and maximize the benefits of the consolidation. Since the loan will be a long-term loan, a reduced interest rate will result in a significant amount of savings. Note, though, that the interest rate is often associated with your credit score. The higher the credit score, the lower the interest rates you will receive as the consolidation company will have greater faith in your ability to repay the loan.

• Tenure of the loan. There is a strong relationship between the length of the payments to be made on the consolidation loan and the ultimate amount you will pay on that loan. Do not move too quickly on accepting a low installment alone. With that, you must consider whether the term of the loan results in the consolidation costing too much in the end.

• Amount of installment. Typically, any loans you take out will be a secured loan against your home which opens to the possibility of repossession of your home should you default on the consolidation loan. This is why it is very important to commit to a loan that is manageable within your budget not only in the short-term but also in the long-term. If it is not, avoid committing no matter how favorable the loan terms or payments may be.

If you are paying extremely high-interest rates on your credit cards, you should consider the option of consolidating your balances into one loan and one single payment. This could be the solution to your debt problem, providing you with a more manageable single payment with a lower interest rate and favorable terms.

Finding Debt Relief with Unsecured Credit Card

Finding Debt Relief with Unsecured Credit Card

Unfortunately, your bad credit is probably keeping you from getting an unsecured credit card. These are cards that are for people with non-damaged credit, simply for the fact that the credit card companies feel as though they can be trusted. Don’t beat yourself up over this, however, because the past is the past and one day soon you will be able to qualify for such a card.

Before even thinking about applying for any more credit cards, then perhaps it’s time to begin to eliminate the credit card debt that you have already. The stress that this debt relief can do for you will not only help you with your credit rating but with your physical well-being as well.

When you are all caught up on your debt management, then you’ll want to shop around for a credit card with the lowest interest rate that you can possibly find. This is good for a multitude of reasons since it saves you money on your monthly interest charges, but it also becomes quite significant when you’re in need of a loan for a couple of hundred dollars. Finding a loan with as low of an interest rate as you can get one for with a lower rate unsecured credit card would prove to be quite a feat.

As well, some of the rewards and benefits that you can receive right along with a low-interest rate can be quite pleasing to most consumers. You’ll want to figure out exactly what you want from a card and shop around. The Internet is a great place to do this shopping as a matter of fact.

One especially good card is the Chase Platinum Card because it has a 0% introductory APR for the first six months, and follows up with no annual fees. The Chase Travel card goes a step further by rewarding card users points as they use their card, which can be used for airfare, cruising, car rentals and hotel stay.

On the subject of car rental, Chase Travel will also reward you five-hundred-thousand-dollars in Worldwide Auto Travel Accident Insurance from Hertz Car Rental Discounts.

Moving onto another great card that you will enjoy is the Discover Platinum Card. This card offers a 0% Introductory APR as well, with no annual fees, and will give you up to 2% Cash Back in Bonus awards. Some can even offer up to 5% in cashback bonus rewards.

Debt Consolidation While Building A Better Credit History

Debt Consolidation While Building A Better Credit History

Although it is possible to get approved for a mortgage loan with a high debt ratio, having a low credit card balance will present better financing options. Becoming debt-free is a highly sought after goal. Fewer debt payments or debt consolidation offer the opportunity to begin saving money. There are several effective strategies for eliminating credit card debt. However, before outlining a plan, consumers must be willing to alter their spending habits.

High Credit Card Balance Contributors

If used properly, credit cards serve a practical purpose. When an emergency arises, and you are short on cash, a credit card offers a quick solution. Sadly, many people use credit cards to finance frivolous purchases. This is common among young adults.

To avoid the credit card trap, consumers need to control their spending habits. Acquiring too much debt has several repercussions. Aside from high credit card payments, several lenders are hesitant to loan money to people with high credit card balances.

How does debt consolidation affect your credit score?

If you plan on financing an automobile or home, maintaining a good credit history is important. Bad credit will not necessarily affect loan approvals. However, if you have good credit, you can expect better financing rates and options.

Some consumers think that good credit entails simply paying minimum payments on time. While a good payment history does contribute to good credit, the amount of debt you have acquired also plays a role.

Lenders are more confident when a loan applicant’s credit card debt is about 25% of the limit. If your credit cards are at more than half the limit or nearly maxed out, this will result in a lower credit score.

Tips for Reducing Credit Card Debt

With self-control and effort, it is possible to dramatically reduce your credit card debt within a year. However, before a credit card reduction can take place, you must stop using the card.

The only way to reduce the balance is to pay more than the minimum payments. On average, minimum payments equal to the finance charges. Thus, attempt to pay triple the minimum payment.

Key To Wealth-Building and Avoiding Bankruptcy: Approaching Your Credit Rationally

Key To Wealth-Building and Avoiding Bankruptcy: Approaching Your Credit Rationally

The primary purpose of good credit is to save you money by helping you procure lower interest rates that otherwise wouldn’t be available to you. Interestingly, some consumers fail to recognize this fact when considering the appropriate option for debt resolution, sometimes resulting to bankruptcy. The main reason? A lot of people interpret their credit on an emotional level instead of a rational one.

That is, they think of their credit score as something more than it is. For them, it is more than just ONE tool that lenders look at to determine whether giving you a loan will be profitable for them. It becomes a matter of pride, not a matter of financial health. In the end, the mistake of thinking about one’s credit on an emotional level instead of a rational one can cost a consumer buried in credit card debt. Then, they only able to afford minimum payments thousands of dollars in finance charges and even more in the years of life consumed by financial anxiety.

Why Do Some People Were Engaged in Bankruptcy

Another part of the problem is that most people do not understand what makes up their credit score. It is happening even when they are trying to tackle the issue rationally. The largest components of your credit score ─ your credit history and the amount you owe ─ are both influenced by debt settlement, one negatively (credit history) and one positively (the amount you owe).

Your credit history is marginally more important than the amount you owe when factoring your score. However, the difference (5%) is rarely enough to compensate for the savings from enrolling credit card debt into a settlement program. The more money you’re able to save from enrolling in a debt settlement program, the less the credit impact should be considered a factor. Why? Because any higher interest rates that you’ll end up paying down the road as a result of the credit impact will rarely outweigh the money you saved by settling credit card debt.

Who benefits the most from a settlement program

  1. those people who owe a lot
  2. people who can only afford to pay the minimums
  3. people who are paying high interest
  4. all of the above.

To illustrate this point, consider the following examples.

Let’s assume that you owe $30,000 in credit card debt. Your average annual percentage rate on these cards is 19 percent. You are only able to afford the minimum monthly payment, which in your case adds up to $750 total. Given this scenario, it would take you approximately 12 years and $108,000 before finally, you dug out of debt. In a debt settlement program, however, it would take approximately 3 years and $16,500 total to eliminate your debt. That’s a $91,500 difference versus making the minimum payments. Rarely will your subsequent higher interest rates ever make up the savings from debt settlement, especially when you consider the fact that you can always refinance any loans once you’ve built up enough equity?

One of the most frustrating things to come across in our industry is a consumer who owes a lot. Despite this, he is only able to afford the minimums. He is also unwilling to sacrifice his credit even in the slightest bit in order to climb out of debt and save money. I recently dealt with a consumer from the South Side of Chicago who was $40,000 in the hole with credit cards. His interest rates were at 29 percent. He was only able to afford the minimum payments, which amounted to $1700 total in his case.

When he tried to convince the creditors to lower the rates, they simply told him that based on the amount of outstanding debt on his credit report he was too much a credit risk, so they needed to charge him higher interest. When he tried to obtain a home equity loan, he was turned down for the same reason. It happened ven though his credit score was in the high 600s.

Yet when I mentioned that our debt settlement program might impact his credit negatively, he scoffed. There was no way he would ever affect his credit negatively. At the end of our conversation, I tried to refer him to our affiliate credit counseling company. However, he wasn’t interested because enrollment in a debt management plan would appear on his credit. His decision to stay on course with the minimum payments will ultimately cost him over $20,000 a year. Probably his young children the opportunity to attend a 4-year college, maybe more.

This consumer failed to be realistic and rational in his approach to the impact of debt settlement on his credit. It worsened his financial situation significantly. He thought of his credit score not as something that can save him money by getting him lower interest rates on loans. Rather, it’s a some sort of social marker on where he was at in life. He considered the idea of a negatively affected credit score probably much like someone in the Middle Ages. He thought about the idea of being excommunicated or the way a 14-year-old feels about not being part of the “in crowd” at school.

When considering your debt resolution options, I urge you to look at the options available to you realistically. Here is a famous Winston Churchill quote on democracy. Think of this when comparing debt settlement to the other options available to most consumers.

Debt settlement is the worst form of debt resolution, except for all the rest of them.

How To Use A Credit Card To Help Repair Your Credit

How To Use A Credit Card To Help Repair Your Credit

Getting into a state of bad credit is never fun. It does not, however, mean that your fun is entirely over. There may be some rather simple things that you can do about it. One of these is to get another credit card. Not just any credit card, but one that will help you to repair your credit. Here are some things you need to know about it.

Some Ways to Repair Your Credit

Depending on just how bad your credit is, there may be more than one thing you can do. Be sure to look over your credit report and find out if there is any misreported information there. Things that have been entered by mistake, for instance, or things that occurred a long time ago but have since been properly taken care of. Many times, a creditor will be willing to make some changes for you if you will talk to them.

One type of credit card that will help repair your credit is one for people with bad credit – if you are already there. This kind of card can be obtained from many credit card companies and usually comes without any kind of frills whatsoever. Although it may offer low interest, it usually makes up for this with plenty of fees and very low credit limits. The fees may be worth it because, with timely payments from you, your account will be evaluated every now and then, and your credit limit can be raised – along with better offers. Make sure, though, that the company regularly reports to the major credit bureaus.

Other credit cards for people with bad credit have much fewer fees and a greater deal of flexibility. Look carefully and you may be able to find a credit card that will fit your lifestyle a little better and give you better rates. The interest rate on this type of card can be above 19%, and it can also include yearly fees, too.

Another type of credit card that you can get if your credit rating is better, is a balance transfer credit card. This will allow you to reduce your credit card debt (if you have any) by giving you the possibility of paying down your debt without any interest. Check on the time period of this, though, and get as long of a period as possible – try to get a year or longer. The better cards will have no fees attached for this privilege.

No matter what kind of credit card you get, though, it could lead to further trouble with bad credit if you do not handle your credit card right. This means you need to make your payments each month on time and seek to keep your balance down to zero – if possible. Make sure your credit card agency does report regularly to the credit bureaus and before long, you will find that your credit rating has improved. You will want to destroy other credit cards when they get paid off if you are the kind that will probably start charging again.

Credit Score/FICO Report – 5 Steps To Improvement

Credit Score/FICO Report – 5 Steps To Improvement

Your credit score or FICO report can determine your eligibility for loans, what interest rate you pay for loans, and even whether you get a job to which you are applying. With every incentive to improve your score and nothing to lose, it should be a priority step in getting your financial life on track.

Here are 5 steps to improve your credit score.

Tip #1: Pull your FICO report for free:

The first step in fixing your credit is to get a handle on your current score. The Federal Trade Commission has an agreement with the Big Three credit reporting agencies to provide every U.S. citizen with a free credit report every 12 months. To get your free copy, go to the official Annual Credit Report Request Service website, and follow instructions for requesting your report.

Tip #2: Pay your bills on time:

A full 35% of your FICO score is determined by how timely you pay your bills. If you have missed any payments in the past few years, it will likely help your score significantly to go back and fix your past-due status with the creditors involved. By paying your overdue bill, your creditors will remove these glitches from your report from each reporting agency. Hint: go back and pull your report again later to make sure that all three of the agencies have actually removed the problem from your records as promised. Need help in finding blemishes on your credit report? Get a custom plan to help rebuild your credit.

Tip #3: Get the balance (of credit types) right:

10% of your FICO report reflects the specific diversity of types of debt you have and the credit lines you have available to you. Make sure you have the right balance of auto or home loan, department store cards, charge cards, and credit cards. This healthy mix shows potential creditors that you know how to handle different types of debt.

Tip #4: Reduce your debt:

Your debt-to-credit ratio is the ratio of the amount you owe versus the amount of credit extended to you. It determines a full 30% of your credit score. There are three ways to reduce your debt: 1. Make more money; 2. Put more of your current income toward paying off your debt; 3. Reduce the cost of your debt. One great way to reduce the cost of your debt is to transfer your current credit card balances to credit cards with lower interest rates. Doing this can save you $100s per month in debt payments if you have large credit card balances.

Tip #5: Open more lines of credit:

You can also improve your debt-to-credit ratio by actually increasing the amount of credit extended to you. The key here is to do so while avoiding actually using these new credit cards. To avoid using the cards extensively, make a purchase or two with them each month and then hide them so they are not readily accessible. Also: if you do open more lines of credit, do so over a period of a few months since having too much new credit can actually hurt your score.

There are many straightforward ways to improve your credit score. So, pull your free FICO report, assess your situation, and start taking steps toward a healthier financial life.

Credit Repair Terms – From C to A Paper

Credit Repair Terms – From C to A Paper

If you’ve ever applied for a home loan with less than stellar credit, you know how much extra you have to pay. Even though it can take some time, knowing some of the most important credit repair terms is definitely worth pursuing.

Credit Scores

When considering your application for a home loan, a financial institution looks at your credit and assigns it a score. In the industry, these scores are loosely referred to as a type of paper. The best scores equate to “A” paper, while lower scores are graded just like in school, to wit, “B”, “C”, “D” and “Oh, my god” paper. If you have an “A” paper, you can expect to get the best deal, while lower grades are known as sub-prime borrowers.

Credit Repair

Credit repair is important because even small movements in your credit score can move you from one score to the next. If you move from B paper to A paper, you will save thousands of dollars in lower interest rates. A credit score of roughly 680 is considered to be A paper. If you have a score of 670, credit repair can bump you to 685 and save tens of thousands of dollars. In short, you want to make the effort to repair your credit whenever possible. Don’t just sit and suffer from sub-prime loans.

To repair credit, there are simple credit repair terms to learn and steps that can be taken. Let’s take a look at some.

Credit Card Debt Ratios

Believe it or not, you can improve your credit scores by simply moving credit card balances around. A credit card with no balance actually doesn’t help you much if you have another card that is maxed out. If you shift the debt evenly among all credit cards, your credit score should increase. This has to do with something called your ratio of debt to available credit. It is a loophole of sorts, so take advantage of it. If debts are bogging you down, a repair service can surely help!

Closing Accounts

Don’t! Many people will close a credit card or other borrowing accounts when they are done with them. This is a huge mistake. First, it hurts you because you’ve reduced the available credit portion of your debt to available credit ratio. Second, you lose a record of your long-term credit payment history for the account. Lenders like to see these, so suck it up and keep the account open.

Inquiries

As strange as it sounds, inquiries on your credit report hurt you. Try to eliminate these by challenging them through the Fair Credit Reporting Act and limiting the credit applications you pursue. You can challenge inquiries by ordering copies of your credit reports and following the instructions on the report. Make sure to do this for all three credit reporting agencies – Equifax, Experian, and Transunion.

Check Your Report

The big three credit agencies must report to Congress each year. Each year they report an astonishing number of problems with their systems. This can affect you since accounts will appear that are not yours. If these accounts have problems, your credit score goes down. Make sure you check your report before applying for a loan. You want to deal with these issues before you are in escrow.

Borrowing large sums of money for a home loan can be intimidating. Avoid acting like a dear in the headlights. Deal with your credit issues and save yourself thousands in payments.