Saturday, December 6, 2008

Will A Debt Consolidation Loan Work For You?

Too much debt can be a major cause of stress and anxiety. If you're struggling to make the minimum payments on all your bills, a debt consolidation loan may be a good option but there are some things to take into consideration first.

A debt consolidation loan is basically a loan for the total amount of all your outstanding debt - car loans, credit cards, department store credit, etc. This money is used to repay all the high-interest debts and then you only have to make a single payment, usually at a much lower rate of interest.

Before looking into a consolidation loan, there are some other options that may help you as well in reducing or paying off your credit card debt.

1. Ask For A Lower Interest Rate

Credit cards generally have the highest interest rates of all debt. Often, a simple phone call to your creditor, asking for a lower rate or to match a competitor's rate, may do the trick.

2. Learn How To Manage Debt More Effectively

Rather than getting a loan to consolidate your debt, you might simply need to learn how to effectively manage the debt. There is plenty of information available for free on the internet, and most cities have non-profit organizations that will help you with debt management.

3. Get A Bank Loan

If the bulk of your debt is on high-interest credit cards, you may be able to consolidate those with a loan from your bank. Rather than putting all your debt into a single loan, you might be able to simply consolidate your credit cards into a single, lower interest loan from your bank.

Consolidation of debts can efficiently save you money and decrease the monthly stress of locating money for multiple payments. If you're dealing with unmanageable debt, this may be the solution for you.

No comments: