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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.

Don’t Despair With Credit Score Repair

Don’t Despair With Credit Score Repair

Just because you have a poor credit report doesn’t mean you won’t be able to get credit. Creditors set their own credit-granting standards and not all of them look at your credit history the same way. Thankfully, credit score repair is available to give you hope.

Some creditors may look only at more recent years to evaluate you for credit, and they may grant credit if your bill-paying history has improved. It may be worthwhile to contact creditors informally to discuss their credit standards.

If you’re not disciplined enough to create a workable budget and stick to it, work out a repayment plan with your creditors, or keep track of mounting bills, consider contacting a credit counseling organization. Many credit counseling organizations are nonprofit and work with you to solve your financial problems. But not all are reputable. For example, just because an organization says it’s a “nonprofit,” there’s no guarantee that its services are free, affordable, or even legitimate. In fact, some credit counseling organizations charge high fees or hide their fees by pressuring consumers to make “voluntary” contributions that only cause more debt.

Most credit counselors offer services through local offices, the Internet, or on the telephone. If possible, find an organization that offers in-person counseling. Many universities, military bases, credit unions, housing authorities, and branches of the U.S. Cooperative Extension Service operate nonprofit credit counseling programs. Your financial institution, local consumer protection agency, and friends and family also may be good sources of information and referrals.

If you are considering filing for bankruptcy, you should know about one major change to the bankruptcy laws: As of October 17, 2005, you must get credit counseling from a government-approved organization within six months before you file for bankruptcy relief. You can find a state-by-state list of government-approved organizations at the website of the U.S. Trustee Program, the organization within the U.S. Department of Justice that supervises bankruptcy cases and trustees.

Reputable credit counseling organizations can advise you on managing your money and debts, help you develop a budget, and offer free educational materials and workshops. Their counselors are certified and trained in the areas of consumer credit, credit score repair, money and debt management, and budgeting.

Counselors discuss your entire financial situation with you and help you develop a personalized plan to solve your money problems. An initial counseling session typically lasts an hour, with an offer of follow-up sessions.

Consolidating your debt, paying your bills on time, cutting on the frivolous expenses, and preparing a budget for your discretionary income will help you overcome the mountain of credit card debt.

It may look bleak – even impossible – but if you stick to your plan, you will be able to dig yourself out of this hole.

How To Get Rid Of Your Bad Credit In Two Months

How To Get Rid Of Your Bad Credit In Two Months

You were sure that you would get the loan that you applied for, but to your surprise, a bank turned down the loan. The bank explained to you that you have bad credit and you have to get rid of it first before you can apply. Also, they consider your subprime. Subprime means that you have bad credit and a score of less than 620 on the FICO scale/rating. This however doesn’t mean that you can’t apply for loans. There are many lenders and companies who specialize in lending to sub primers.

Ways to get rid of your bad credit in two months:

You can start by checking your credit report. Many times the information that may have been entered is incorrect. If you do find the errors, write to the credit company stating the errors and the corrective action for it.

Ask for your credit scores from Trans Union, Experian, and Equifax. Thus you can know your credit score and devise measures to make it better.

Pay off your loans; even payday loans can become big if you add them up. Control the urge to borrow small, even if it is $20. Just imagine $20 a day means $600 a month.

Use cash to make your purchases; this way you can definitely lessen your credit card debts. Use only one credit card. Too many credit cards mean that you have to also pay annual fees on them. Don’t take cash against your credit cards. The rate of interest on cash loans is very steep. In fact, make payment in full for your credit card purchases. In this way, you wouldn’t have to pay for interest on interest.

Make a budget for all your expenses and then weigh it against your income. If your expenses are more than your income, cut back on the expenses. Otherwise, you will be in debt. This will then affect your credit rating. In return, you will have bad credit.

Following these simple techniques, you will be able to get rid of your bad credit in two months.

Information On Credit Repair Scams

Information On Credit Repair Scams

You see the ads in newspapers, on TV, and on the Internet. You hear them on the radio. You get fliers in the mail. You may even get calls from telemarketers offering credit repair services. They all make the same claims:

“Credit problems? No problem!”

“We can erase your bad credit-100% guaranteed.”

“Create a new credit identity legally.”

“We can remove bankruptcies, judgments, liens, and bad loans from your credit file forever!”

Do yourself a favor and save some money, too. Don’t believe these statements. They’re just not true. Only time, a conscientious effort, and a plan for repaying your debt will improve your credit report.

The Warning Signs

If you should decide to respond to an offer to repair your credit, think twice. Don’t do business with any company that:

  • wants you to pay for credit repair services before any services are provided
  • does not tell you your legal rights and what you can do yourself — for free
  • recommends that you not contact a consumer reporting company directly
  • suggests that you try to invent a “new” credit report by applying for an Employer Identification Number to use instead of your Social Security number
  • advises you to dispute all information in your credit report or take any action that seems illegal, such as creating a new credit identity. If you follow illegal advice and commit fraud, you may be subject to prosecution.

You could be charged and prosecuted for mail or wire fraud if you use the mail or telephone to apply for credit and provide false information. It’s a federal crime to make false statements on a loan or credit application, to misrepresent your Social Security number, and to obtain an Employer Identification Number from the Internal Revenue Service under false pretenses.

Scam artists are out in full force with all of the subprime mortgages and credit card debt. They like to prey on the weak and needy. Be careful.