If you’re living from paycheck to paycheck rest assured you’re not alone. Many folks barely make ends meet on a week to week basis. Sadly many people can’t even remember where they spend their money. They only thing they know is that it’s all spent before their next paycheck. This lack of financial wisdom is causing many consumers to file for bankruptcy as a means of relieving themselves from their high debt and financial obligations. What many folks don’t know is that this method of erasing your debts also destroys your credit rating and any hope for having a good financial status. Instead there may be another alternative – A debt consolidation refinance may be just what the doctor ordered to fix your current financial disarray.
The main reason anyone would and should consider utilizing a debt consolidation refinance is because it usually can help eliminate the harassing phone calls from your creditors and the debt collectors they employ. It’s also designed to consolidate all of your bills into one monthly payment that is slightly lower then what you previously paid in order to help alleviate some of your financially induced stress. Another benefit is the ability for a debt consolidation refinance to keep you from filing bankruptcy allowing you to stay recognized as a credit worthy consumer.
So when should you consider seeking out a debt consolidation loan or refinance? Typically, you should consider a debt relief loan as soon as your monthly bills become difficult or near impossible to pay. This early intervention through the use of a debt refinance loan will prevent you from having to pay outrageous interest rates, late payment fees and charges which will only complicate your already shaky financial status. Another good indicator of when to seek out a debt relief loan is when you only make the minimum payment amount due every month and when all of your credit balances continue to remain the same even after your monthly payments.
Homeowners have a big advantage over non-homeowners because they have the option of applying for a debt refinance using the equity in their home or house. Using this method requires the discipline to pay off your consolidate bills monthly and to avoid incurring any new bills. Don’t use your home as collateral unless you intend to make the payments on your new debt consolidation loan.
Always make sure to do your research online in order to find a reputable debt refinance and Consolidation Company. Many of these companies appear to be the real deal on the outside but in all actuality may only really be a loan shark in disguise. These establishments need to be avoided at all costs as they will place you under strict monthly payment terms and charge a much higher rate when compared to a real lender. One of the better debt refinance companies include several non-profit lenders who will be able to give you the best options when it comes to refinancing your current debt.
As you can see proper research will allow you to find a good debt refinance company which has the potential to help lower your current monthly payment total, keep you from filing bankruptcy, prevent you from paying higher interest rates and allow you to maintain your credit worthiness ranking.
Tag: Debts
Is A Debt Consolidation Refinance Good?
Alternatives to Bankruptcy
If you cannot afford to pay all of your bills and are considering filing bankruptcy, be sure to consider all of the alternatives to bankruptcy before taking this step. Those who have no property and no income don’t need to file for bankruptcy, they can take no action as there is nothing for their lenders to take from them. This is one of the alternatives to bankruptcy that might be available to retired people or those who are unemployed. In seven years the debt will be removed from your credit record. You probably only want to take this option if you plan to have no income or substantial property for the next seven years.
Creditors will probably end up just writing off the debt to you if you have nothing for them to take. Another of the alternatives to bankruptcy is to try self money management, which means basically that you take a long hard look at where you are spending your money and cut back on some of your expenses that aren’t really necessary, like movie channels on cable, eating out, and magazine subscriptions. This can free up enough money to pay some of your bills, or at least give you enough so that it is easier to work out one of the other alternatives to bankruptcy. It is also possible to negotiate with creditors to try to either lower the payments or get part of your debt forgiven.
If creditors understand that you are looking into alternatives to bankruptcy and that their other option may be to lose out on the whole amount of the debt, they are more likely to agree to negotiate with you. If your creditors aren’t willing to negotiate with you or you aren’t comfortable negotiating with them yourself, you can get help from a nonprofit debt counseling agency, which can do the negotiating for you. However, some of these agencies are mainly funded through credit companies and therefore may have a conflict of interest. They may try to stick to agreements that leave you paying off the full amount of your debts when you might be able to get creditors to forgive some of the debt if you negotiate on your own.
Another of the alternatives to bankruptcy is debt consolidation. We have all heard the commercials for this on the radio and on tv. You take out a lower interest loan to pay back all of your high interest loans so that you only have one, lower interest loan to pay each month. There are debt consolidation companies that can help you with this, though be aware that some of them are not reputable so you want to be very careful when choosing a debt consolidation company. If you have decent credit you may be able to get a loan from your bank.
How Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Can Help You
Chapter 13 bankruptcy is a form of debt relief put into place by the federal government that allows you to pay your debts back to your creditors over a period of no more than five years. How long you have to pay back your debts after you enter chapter 13 bankruptcy depends on a number of things, including factors such as your income and the amount of debt you owe. It is there for people who do not want a chapter 7 bankruptcy or those who do not qualify for a chapter 7 bankruptcy, and looks a bit better on your credit report.
Who qualifies for a chapter 13 bankruptcy? Anybody whose debts are under a certain amount can file, even those who work for themselves. The only time a person cannot file is if they have already filed a bankruptcy within the past 180 days and it was dismissed for any reason. This means that anyone who wants to seek relief from their creditors in the form of a payment plan may do so by using chapter 13.
During a chapter 13, a debtor has certain responsibilities to uphold. When filing a bankruptcy petition, a person has to submit a list of all of his or her creditors, as well as all income, assets, and expenses. Those few things are what will determine how much and over what time frame the debtor must pay back their debts. Additionally, before a debtor files, they must submit proof that they went through approved credit counseling classes, and the last six months of pay stubs from his or her employer. A debtor must submit prior years tax returns, and any interest that has been accrued on student loan accounts.
Chapter 13 can help you get out of debt in an organized way, in equal installments over a period of time. If you are in over your head in debt, and you do not want to go the route of a chapter 7 bankruptcy, you may want to consider a chapter 13 bankruptcy. It looks better on your credit report and you will be able to pay off the debts that you owe. Depending on the creditor, you may still be able to keep your accounts open with them.
For many people, chapter 13 is a very good form of debt relief. There are many reasons a person would want to file a chapter 13 instead of a chapter 7. Some of those reasons include having a more positive credit report, and the feeling that they are paying back the debts they owe. They feel more responsible doing this instead of taking an easy way out.
When you file chapter 13 bankruptcy, you do not have to worry about your creditors harassing you with their phone calls and letters any more. By law, once you file bankruptcy, creditors are legally prohibited from contacting you. They may not try to collect on your accounts anymore. Best of all, they cannot garnish your wages.
Bankruptcy & Student Loan Debt
A number of people are having difficulties with preserving their financial situation however they possess college student loans that needs to be paid. But, the matter of a filing student loans debt bankruptcy is actually one that might not be an option. This will not make a difference in cases whether the college student will be still in school or perhaps just graduated.
According to the latest laws and regulations put in place by the government, right now there tend to be extremely stringent rules in place which restrict the government, state and also private loan companies that provide money with regard to financial support to be integrated whenever a person files to get bankruptcy. Typically, the majority of these dramatic modifications emerged around 1998 along with the improved Title 11 within the United States system.
Based on this rule individuals might not be able to have their college student loans removed along with the remainder of debts. However, this was amended by the legislative body in 2005, which makes it practically very unlikely for persons to get discharged after student loans debt bankruptcy. Presently, there might be a little window of security which several individuals might discover in order to get a relief. This particular procedure requires declaring of a formal request in the court in order to show that you happen to be struggling with serious difficulty by means of absolutely no wrong doing of your own. In most cases, which are rare, persons are able to get some or even all of the loans discharged.
For you to become a suitable candidate who can provide scenario as a difficulty, you have to clearly show these people that you are not capable to sustain the lowest standard of living for your family based upon the federal government rules. In addition, you would also be required to show that you don’t have a way to significantly change your financial situations to a much better position in the near future.
In the event that the courts cannot figure out that an excessive hardship is taking place for you, then your student loan payment might not end up being discharged. Nevertheless, numerous people seem to be capable of discharging most of their additional bad debts. This particular procedure frequently retains much more disposable earnings in order to pay the outstanding debts, such as the student loan.
There is also another option by means of the courts which is to re-classify an academic loan along with financial support funds whenever a person files for a bankruptcy under Chapter 13. That enables the person to pay out much more of their earnings towards the college student loans, simply because the actual sum of unguaranteed financial debt has been lowered.
In the event that you discover that your own income may be utilized for the repayment of student loans debt, the highest amount which could be suspended according to Title 11 would be 10% of your own gross income. Even though several individuals find themselves in problems whenever it comes to the repayment of student loans, the capacity to acquire an elimination or reduction in this debt is practically unreal under these new legislations.
Non Profit Debt Consolidation Services
Non-profit debt consolidation services are the type of services that each and every debtor should know about. They are services that help and serve people in need of help in maintaining their financial status. They are also services now given by organizations or ‘consolidations’ in counseling and educating their clients of their financial issues, namely their budgeting plans.
Debt consolidation services are meant for consumers who are in need of support and guidance due to their mismanagement of their financial situation. Such services provide personal assistance by giving professional budget planning and credit counseling. These services provide answers for financial questions and recommend steps to resolve the consumers’ financial difficulties that may be preventing them from making the most out of their money and credit. Advice and guidelines are given to help out their needs, so they can take control over their financial situation.
There are various companies that provide these non-profit debt consolidation services where the consumers are able to speak to the company’s certified consolidation specialists who will design a payment plan that is specific to their individual needs. As we know, these companies primary objective is to help consumer to solve their financial problems. They are basically designed to help people pay off bills and pay down debts. These services are meant for all those who are not able to meet their debt and expenses with their current income.
These services have another objective that, as the consumers repay their debts through the companies, they will become more educated about consumer debt and how it affects their lives. They could act as a guide to achieve success in their financial planning. These services have been known to help lower credit cards interest rates and their monthly payments by almost half. The main objective of such non-profit debt consolidation services is to help consumers gain control of their financial system and plan their budget well.