Vicious Circle

How to get out of debt?

The million dollar question for a person who is neck deep in debt would be to how to get out of debt. Getting caught into the vicious circle of ever amounting debt outstanding, high interest rates, late fees and endless reminders and threats by the creditors could be the nightmare for any debtor.

For a debtor who wants to get rid of his situation, there are many options available to him. The best option that would suit him would depend upon his outstanding and paying back capacity.

There are a few options available to the debtor for the approach that he would take for any kind of debt relief measure with his creditors. He can either decide to take upon the task himself to strike the best possible deal with the creditors, or he can appoint a debt settlement company to take forward his case. That apart he can also seek the advice of a debt counselors and then take the case forward either himself or via them.

The options available to a debtor for getting out a debt would include-

~ Debt settlement– where a certain part of the debt is waived off, more often on the interest rates and the late fee, and the repayment schedule is reworked according to the paying capacity of the debtor.

~ Pay offs– in this case a lump sum amount is paid by the debtor to the creditor to wipe his debt clean. A debtor is able to garner much better waives off in this case than debt settlement, but then it is mandatory that the debtor pays back the reworked amount in one go.

~ Loan consolidation– generally a debtor takes on more than one debt at a time. When he is unable to pay back any of his loans completely, it is advisable that he moves his high interest loans to a the low interest ones, so that he has to pay a lower amount on interest on the rest of his outstanding. That apart this option also facilitates only one payment each month (since all his loans reduced to a single loan), and also does away with the hassles of remembering the payment dates for each and every debt.

It is advisable therefore, for a debtor to ponder over on all the options before choosing the one which suits him best

Debt consolidation program

A debt consolidation program is program in which a bigger loan is acquired, generally at a lower rate of interest to pay off other smaller loans. Like every debt relief options debt consolidation program has its pros and cons. When one opts for this program, he does away with all the paper work and tediousness of each and every loan. The person knows how much exactly he has to pay each month and on which date.

That apart, this kind of a program also helps one to save cash over a long period of time. By converting loans of high interest rates to those of a lower interest one, one is definitely able to save certain amounts which would otherwise have gone for paying the interests.

The important point to remember here is that a debt consolidation program only shifts your outstanding from one loan to another; it does not eliminate your debt. One has to pay back the loan in any case, even if you have opted for the same.

At times it might also happen that when a consumer realizes that he has only a small outstanding left as compared to what he can manage, he can get into the vicious circle of purchasing more and more and increasing his outstanding continuously.

For hunting for a suitable debt consolidation provider, one can negotiate with his own bank to extend a loan, since he already has a relationship with them. He can also ask a bank with whom he is not associated with, for the same, and they might be willing to do. That apart, one can also search the net for companies offering debt consolidation program, but one needs to be very cautious while doing so. At times one also gets mailers from companies who offer these kinds of programs.

Getting into the trap of fraudulent company can amplify the consumer’s headache rather than decreasing it. Whichever way one chooses for his program, he or she needs to do thorough homework for the same. Talk to all the possible channels before settling for this kind of a program, research on their reputation, the fees charged and the kind of offers that they might have for you. Mull over all the aspects carefully, and then decide upon the party.