Fixing Your Debt Problems

By Bob Jones

You must differentiate between the various types of financial problems. For example, a financial crisis is when you suffer a situation that can render you penniless, homeless or without any substantial property. You should separate these sorts of emergency from a threatening phone call or a letter from a bill collector.

When experiencing an emergency such as these, it is crucial to act at once. You have to begin by contacting your creditor. Doing so gives you time to work out a temporary solution, which may help you to keep your property. However, it does not always work and if it doesn't, contacting your lawyer to negotiate with the creditor is necessary.

Face up to your Problem: The popular misconception in debt situations is "the less you know, the less it hurts". However, you must learn how to face your debt problems. You need to be able to do this since rebuilding and repairing the credit will not happen if you do not know exactly where your money goes or where it needs go instead.

Although it is not problematic to slightly overestimate the amount of your debt, it is always necessary to know how much money you actually owe. You can do this by looking at the bills you have had. If you have thrown out your bills without even looking at them, you can still call customer services and ask about them or request duplicates.

Several creditors even use an automated telephone system, which can provide the balance you owe and information regarding missed or future payments automatically, which means you do not even have to talk to anyone. Furthermore, information about your account might also be available on your creditors' web sites. After acquiring the necessary amounts, total it all up, especially your overdue instalment bills.

Options Available for Dealing with Debts: There are various options available to you when dealing with your debts. One method is to do nothing. This option is probably the most popular approach employed by those who are very deep in debt. Most often, these people have a very low income and maybe no resources and do not normally foresee any change in their lifestyle. If you do not anticipate any steady income any time soon, you can consider this method.

However, doing nothing does not really help, so perhaps you can find some money to pay your debts. You can do this by, first, selling a major asset, like a car or a house. This can be a good idea if you can no longer afford your car or house payments. Instead of waiting for a repossession or foreclosure to happen, selling the property is always a better solution.

The proceeds you gain from the sales should be put towards lessening your debt. Moreover, you should remember to pay off the liens placed by the creditors and use anything that is left to pay (something) off your other debts. However, before taking this step, make sure that you have already come up with an alternative for your housing or transportation needs.

A further way to help you pay off your debts, is to cut your expenses. This will aid you not only in the repayment of your debts but also when negotiating with your creditors. Try to shrink the cost of your food by cutting out coupons, buying generic brands, shopping where there is a sale on or shopping at discount stores.

However, if you cannot reduce your outgoings enough, you can always borrow money from a tax-deferred account. Tax-deferred retirement accounts, like IRA or 401(k), can be used to help pay off debts by withdrawing money from them before retirement. However, since you might need to pay a penalty or taxes, this should only serve as your last resort. - 33390

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6 Tips To End Credit Card Debt!!

By Doc Schmyz

If you want to get out of credit card debt, it takes action on your part. So whether or not you are being swallowed by the sink hole of credit card debt or you are just starting out to dig yourself into credit card debt - you have to take action before it's too late in order to be come debt free.

The six tactics below can help end your credit debt...if you use them.

1. Stop using your cards - By using your credit cards you are paying additional interest on the credit card balance you owe on which you've already been charged interest. Unless you pay the new charges when you are billed you are accumulating additional interest on both present and past charges. (Don't you love credit companies...and yes this is legal for them to do.)

2. Figure out how much credit card debt is costing you. How you may ask! You can determine how much credit card debt is costing you by seeing how much interest rate you have to pay. This is done by reading the fine print on your latest credit card statement. If you do not understand then you call your credit card company and have them explain it to you. By law they have to explain it to you.

3. Lower that interest rate!!!! Lowering your interest rate is the most effective and easiest way to get your credit card debt problem under control. You can lower the interest rate you are paying by transferring high interest rate amount balances to lower or no interest credit cards.

4. Call your credit card companies and tell them to lower your interest rates. Since you already know the interest rates it is time for you to ask your banks and credit card companies to lower the interest rates. You should call them and ask to speak with a supervisor. The supervisor has the authority to give you a lower interest rate.

You should tell them the rates are too high and you want it lowered. And also let them know that if they are not willing to lower your interest rate you are considering to close your account and transfer all your credit card balances to the company that is willing to give you the lowest interest rate.

5. Consolidate your credit card debts - transferring all credit card balances to one credit card - is an effective way of getting out of credit card debts. So when negotiating to get a lower interest rate you should let it be known that your ultimate goal is to get out of credit card debt at the lowest possible cost and not credit card shuffling.

6. Cut your savings in half. It would be foolish to be paying high interest rates while continuing to save the usual amount, if you are indeed saving. Once you have removed the credit debt you can actually increase your savings by adding the former "credit payment" to your savings account.

It works like this. Get all your credit card balances. Divide each balance by the minimum amount you are required to pay each month. This tells you how long it would take to pay off each balance. Start by paying off the one that takes the least amount of time (half your savings + minimum payment). Continue making minimum payments on the rest. When that least payment is finished you would pay the next least payment and so on. You would continue using this tactics until you are no longer in debt.

If you follow the above tips and tactics you should be on your way to getting out credit card debts in very short order. - 33390

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