Posts by Admin

Consolidating Credit Card Debt

By Admin, 18 March, 2011, No Comment

When it comes to credit card debt, there are several reasons why you should consolidate your debt. The main reason why most people are drawn towards debt consolidation is because they lower your interest rates. Of course, if you are already okay with your present interest rates, there is no reason for you to consolidate your credit card debt. For those that will benefit from debt consolidation, they will be able to save on the amount of interest being paid on their debts and a chance to pay off debt a lot sooner. This is normally the most popular option amongst people with debt problems.
Debt Help
If you are interested in consolidating your credit card debt, you should consider writing a list of the amount you owe on each credit card and the interest rates. After writing a list of your interest rates and the amount you owe on each card, you should reevaluate what you will save with debt consolidation. After reevaluating your financial status, and it is determined you will benefit with debt consolidating, you should consider credit card debt consolidating. Remember, you should only include credit cards that have very high interest rates. Consolidating your credit cards will only benefit you if your interest rates are extremely high.

After you consolidate your credit card debt, life will come a lot simpler when it comes to your financial status. Since your credit card bills will be consolidated into one payment, this will alleviate a lot of stress when it is time to pay your bills. If you are going to consolidate your debt, you should never do it solely on cutting out the amount you are paying each month towards your bills. The real purpose of credit card debt consolidation is to help you get your credit debt paid off a lot sooner. Debt consolidation is the best option for people struggling with credit card debt pay off their debts.

Zero percent Balance Transfers can damage your Health

By Admin, 10 February, 2011, No Comment

What you are about to read may make you reassess your attitude to zero interest balance transfer offers. I will show how these balance transfer offers are pushing more and more people into serious financial difficulties and I will suggest a few ideas on how you can manage your debt better.

Credit card debt is rising at an alarming rate and many people are now getting into serious financial difficulties. One of the reasons is the promotion of no interest balance transfer offers and interest free initial periods.

Like most people, I’ve been tempted by the these offers to change my credit cards. I’ve taken them up on their offer and moved my credit card debt and, for a limited time, had no interest to pay. But “just in case of an emergency” I usually hang onto my old card.

Then something happens, an unexpected bill, or a wedding or birthday gift I’ve forgotten about. “Never mind” I tell myself “I can put it on the old card – there’s plenty of credit on there so it’s no problem.”

A few months and a few unexpected bills later the interest free period runs out I have to pay interest on both my new card and the old card. Now I’m worse off than when I started but that’s no problem as I can look for another card offering another interest free period and zero interest balance transfers.

It’s so easy and the banks and credit card companies are so eager to lend the money that it becomes routine, until that is, something goes wrong. You could fall ill and be off work, or, you could lose some overtime and your wages fall, or maybe that big deal you were relying on falls through.

It may just be that the credit card companies decide you have too much outstanding on credit cards and you would have difficulty paying the repayments, or simply they spot that you are a regular churner of the debt and they don’t want your business.

Whatever the reason the result is that you have all the interest to pay and you start to struggle with the minimum payments and miss one or two. Because you’ve missed payments it becomes even more difficult to find the next interest free balance transfer offer.

Now you have a real problem but it is one that can be avoided.

I could suggest that you don’t use credit cards but I suspect that would not be acceptable, and I am not going to suggest you ignore the 0% offers – that would mean you paying interest when it is not needed.

The simplest way to benefit from these balance transfer offers, but keep your card debt under control, is to cut up your old card when you switch to a new one.

That way you benefit from the 0% offer but minimize your exposure to higher debt.

Once you have cut your card up though, it is essential that you contact the card issuer and close the account. Until you close the account the card issuer will continue to tempt you with special offers to use your old card.

Another tip is to never pay just the minimum payment. Always pay the maximum monthly payment you can afford. Reducing your payments simply pushes back the time when you have to repay and in the long term increases your payments. Use the interest free period to reduce your debt to the minimum and if possible clear the balance.

Credit card companies don’t offer an interest free balance transfer because they are feeling generous. They do it because, in the vast majority of cases, they will be able to charge you more in the longer term. Use interest free credit to benefit you not the credit card companies.

Your Debt Free Plan for the New Year

By Admin, 3 February, 2011, No Comment

Unmanaged spending using credit cards are the number one root cause that drives most of people into credit card debt. If you are current in debt and thinking of having a debt free life in near future, you need to start to look into your debt seriously; steering clear of unwanted debt is a great way to manage your finances and relive the stress cause by debt. Here are some debt free steps which you can put in place as your New Years plan:

1.Change Your Spending Behavior

You cannot become debt-free if you spend more than you earn. Its that simple! Financial stress relief is called money in the bank or positive cash flow. You need to know where you money goes; this can be done by list down your regular and non-regular expenses. Think twice for any item which you plan to buy, ask yourself whether it is a need or an optional item.

2.Have Your Budget Plan

Make a budget plan for yourself and eliminate or at least reduce optional stuff such as entertainment, dinner at restaurant and luxury vacations. Plan your budget according to your financial capability and spend according to your budget. You will be able to achieve your debt free goal if you can plan for a positive cash flow, which means that you spend less that what your earn.

3.Pay Your Bills On Time, Every Time

Managing monthly bills is an essential part of staying debt free and maintaining a good credit rating. If you find this difficult, come up with a system to ensure that bills are not paid late. For your current credit card debt, you may get help from finance experts such as credit counseling or debt consolidation services; they are widely experience in help people in debt management.

4.Set Your Financial Goals For Long-Term and Short-Term

To change your spending behavior may be difficult, but if you set your financial goals, both for short- and long-term, it is easy to make the necessary spending cuts to get what you really want. So set your realistic financial goals for year 2007 and a few year down the road; and manage, control and cut unnecessary expenses so that your can achieve your financial goals.

5.Plan For Adequate Emergency Savings Fund

You never know what will happen tomorrow, there may be some emergencies which will need a lump sum of money instantly, such as medical bill due to major illness and accidents; money to cover to income shortages such as temporary loss of job. Three to six months worth of bare-bones living expenses should shield you from most of these problems. Make the savings your habit.

6.Learn to Invest Your Money

Investing can make our money earn more money and keep you out of debt. Learn to invest with your money to grow it. There are many investment plans available in the market, range from insurance, to mutual fund, to stock market. Investment can make your grow your money; in contrary, it may cause you loss your money as well. Normally high gain investment will have higher risk than low profit investment. You need to understand your own risk profile and select the investment schema that meet your risk profile. You can start your learning by taking a class, find a referral to a great adviser or just start reading. Do it your way, but do it; and start now!

So, these are some tips for Your Debt Free Plan. Wish you have a Happy and Debt Free New Year.

Why You Should Take Advantage Of Student Loan Debt Consolidation

By Admin, 27 January, 2011, No Comment

Why You Should Take Advantage Of Student Loan Debt Consolidation

You went to college, and you have your degree. And now that you have a job, you are making your own money, which means you have your own bills to pay. College probably wasn’t free, and it certainly wasn’t cheap. You probably had to take out several student loans in order to pay for your tuition, books, even your living expenses. So now that you have graduated, you are faced with the prospect of paying back several loans at a time. This can be quite overwhelming. It can be difficult to keep track of several different monthly loan payments with different interest rates. That is why student loan debt consolidation is a good thing to consider.

When you consolidate your student loans, you are combining them into one loan. This has many benefits for you, including only 1 monthly payment rather than several to keep track of, and one low interest rate for the entire amount. Also, you can take longer to pay back the loan, which will help keep your monthly payments lower. In the long run, you will save money by choosing student loan debt consolidation, because you won’t be paying several varying interest rates on several loans.

Another huge advantage of student loan debt consolidation is that it is beneficial to your credit rating. If you have several loan payments to keep track of and pay per month, the chances of you missing a payment are much higher than if you have just one loan payment to pay monthly. And missing student loan payments is nothing to mess around with. If you get behind on your loan payments, you run the risk of having property and possessions revoked, and your credit rating will be damaged for a very long time. Therefore, if you are someone who might not be able to keep track of several student loans at a time, you should consider student loan debt consolidation!

Going through the student loan debt consolidation process is not difficult, and takes very little time on your part. There are many reputable lenders (especially on the Internet) that will help you through the process, either online or over the phone. Once you choose a consolidation company to handle your loans, the process usually doesn’t take any longer than 45 days (you should continue to pay your loan payments until the consolidation is final). How a student loan debt consolidation works is the consolidation company pays the balance on all of your existing student loans, and then lumps the entire balance of them into one loan. Then an interest rate is determined. Usually, this is based on an average of the interest rates for your previous student loans. The advantage, though, is that once an interest rate is locked in, the rate remains unchanged until the balance is paid off. With unconsolidated loans, the interest rate is subject to rise ever July.

Student loan debt consolidation seems like an ideal way to pay back your student loans in a manageable and responsible way. You only have to deal with one lender, you only have to deal with one low interest rate, and you only have to deal with one monthly payment. And, you will save money in the long run, because you are not paying the extra amounts in interest that you would be paying if you did not consolidate. In addition, your credit rating will remain at a good level, which you allow you to make major purchases at lower interest rates throughout your life.

Why We’re So Deeply In Debt

By Admin, 20 January, 2011, No Comment

It’s been widely reported that as a nation we’re collectively in debt to a higher level than ever before, and many more people are starting to experience problems keeping their finances together. The level of personal insolvencies and bankruptcies is skyrocketing, and banks are having to put aside ever increasing amounts of money to cover bad debts that their customers are failing to repay.

Many financial experts are predicting a debt crisis in the near future, and there’s talk of a severe impact to the economy as the chickens come home to roost. How did we get into this situation? Why are our debts so high?

- Easy Credit

We’re constantly bombarded with advertising and marketing telling us how easy it could be to take out credit, and how much doing so could change our lives for the better. Competition between lenders has meant that many of them have relaxed their lending criteria, accepting applications that they may have rejected in previous times. Combine these two facts and it’s little surprise that the number of people taking out loans has increased dramatically.

- Cheap Credit

Interest rates are, historically speaking, at very low levels. This means that we pay less in repayments on our debt, making it easier to borrow larger amounts. While interest rates remain low this is perhaps not a problem, but rates will inevitably rise at some point, which could be very bad news indeed for those already stretched to the limit.

- High House Prices

The last decade or so has seen a mammoth surge in the cost of housing, with prices spiralling upwards year after year. This has led to increased debt in two distinct ways. Firstly, people buying their first home are having to take out huge mortgages to be able to afford them. Where once it was normal to save up a deposit, even this isn’t realistic for many people, and so 100% mortgages for large amounts have become more common.

Not only do high prices mean higher mortgage debt, they also give a feeling of increased wealthiness to people whose properties have doubled or tripled in value. Many people who bought houses before the property boom are now fortunate to have huge amounts of equity in their home, as their outstanding mortgage is much smaller than the value of their home. ‘Cashing in’ this equity by taking out a loan secured on their home is a seemingly easy way of obtaining extra cash to be used for a variety of purposes from consolidation to home improvements, and has become more and more popular as our collective equity has increased.

- Attitude to Debt

Society as a whole is now a lot more open to the idea of debt. Where once being in hock was anathema to most, it is now an ordinary part of life. Whether this is a cause of debt or a result of our new-found dependence on it is, however, open to question. What’s certain is that more and more people are starting to question whether their personal debt levels are supportable, a trend that’s likely to grow in the next few years.

Who To Go To For Debt Advice?

By Admin, 13 January, 2011, No Comment

Personal debt is not only a very common problem in Western countries; it is a very difficult problem to prevent, or overcome, at an individual level. It is, indeed, very personal. For that reason, many people may want to keep quiet about it, and maybe not even tell close family that there is, or is about to be, a money problem. They would probably benefit from some help, but who do they go to for debt advice?

Prior to actually receiving debt advice, most people will go through three phases: Firstly, acceptance that there is a debt problem; Secondly, deciding whether to seek advice from a third party about the problem; and Thirdly finding out where to get advice and then seeking it.

Acceptance of a Debt Problem

Personal debt is something that many people may not even be aware of as a problem, even when it is. They may be in a revolving debt situation, whereby they keep borrowing more to make repayments on existing loans and credit card debts. As each facility reaches its maximum, they may seek another credit card, to add another creditor to their revolving debt cycle. Eventually, the debt roundabout stops, and creditors come after their money. If acceptance of the problem has not be there before, suddenly a person may be forced into acceptance.

Deciding Whether to Seek Debt Advice

Once the debt problem is accepted, or acknowledged, by an individual, they then have to decide if they need to seek advice.

Some people may be aware that they have a problem, and for a variety of reasons, may think that they can get by without any outside advice. They may think they do not need help as they can sort the problem out themselves. It is also quite common for some people to be too ashamed and embarrassed to admit that they have a debt problem, especially if they live in a country where being in debt has a social stigma attached to it, such as the UK. Others may just think that getting debt advice is either too expensive, or that they will be conned out of their money, or both.

Eventually, though, the weight of the debt burden forces most people to consider seeking advice on their debt situation. The pressures from creditors may become so overwhelming that even the most reluctant may seek some sort of expert debt advice or counseling.

Who Can Provide Debt Advice?

The next stage can be as difficult for many people as the earlier two: finding somebody appropriate, trustworthy and knowledgeable, who can be relied on to provide sound financial advice in a way that benefits you, and will help you extricate yourself from the burden of debt.

As with any problem, it is best to share with those close to you; indeed, with debt, they may well be affected anyway, so they should know. While you have been quietly suffering with debt worries and keeping it to yourself, your spouse or close friend may know somebody who can give free and useful advice, as well as share the emotional burden.

Should there be nobody in your close circle who is able to give you useful advice, which is normally the case, then you need to consider your local options.

The local options for debt counseling and advice will depend on where you live. The local laws may vary greatly, and it is important that you consult somebody who is aware of current regulations on consumer debt, and the treatment of debtors by creditors. That way, you may have your worries eased about your creditors coming to your house, and taking your possessions as a way of recovering their money. You will be aware of any legal protection you may have in your country or state, and act accordingly to protect yourself.

For those who live in the UK, there is a free option for debt advice: the Citizen’s Advice Bureau (CAB). The CAB have specially trained people who concentrate mainly on consumer credit counseling work. They will provide the advice you need on your rights, help you assess the debts, and then write to your creditors on your behalf. Having an advisor who will contact your creditors, and deal with them on your behalf, can reduce the personal pressure enormously.

In other countries, options will vary. What can discourage many from seeking advice about their debt problem is a fear that they will be cheated by an unscrupulous counsellor. Debt is an industry that, unfortunately, does attract some who prey on the unfortunate. They may lure customers with claims of being able to clear a bad credit record, when in fact it is not possible to do so. They may tempt people in bad debt with consolidation loans, demand a high up front payment, and then get a high commission on the loan as well.

Such sharks are quite easy to avoid if you shop around for the best counselling services at a reasonable cost. The following tips may help wherever you live:

1.Check with local and central government agencies to see if there are any free debt advice services. If not, ask if there is a licensing system for legitimate advisors, and stick to those.

2.Be wary of outrageous claims to clear your debt, and requests for large upfront payments.

3.If you decide a consolidation loan may help, shop around carefully, and select the lowest interest rate option, with no upfront charges.

Once you have found an advisor, be sure to take their advice, and co-operate in every way you can to allow them to improve your debt situation. It will be worthwhile in the long run.

When Your Debts Get Tougher

By Admin, 6 January, 2011, No Comment

Financial problems are ones of the most difficult to solve.

We cannot do away with them because there will be points of our lives when we need to ask somebody to lend us some amount: big or small. Inevitable situations like death of the breadwinner in a family, terrible sickness or any emergency for that matter and so many credit cards to pay for. These push someone to lend money.

You can lend money in the fastest way available now. With an advanced system of money lending today, you will really be tempt to give it a try. Borrow fast and pay slow or possibilities may not be favorable to you. Worst, you will have a hard time paying for them. This is where bankruptcy knocks on. Bankruptcy is fatal. Yes, it is a figurative way of telling how bankruptcy may bring the most negative effects to a person or to a home.

When one faces this so tough problem, the bankruptcy laws with a lawyers help may ease the burden. Your lawyer may give u good advice like talking to your creditor asking them to lower down a bit or ask them to give you more time to pay. Another option is to seek advice from a credit counseling service. Private or public, they will help you deal with this situation and may help you negotiate with your creditors. The last available option is debt consolidation.

US bankruptcy laws offer two options for bankruptcy. One can choose between liquidation plan and repayment plan. These have both advantages and disadvantages. Consider all the sides of the situation and choose what suits you best.

You start your move to survive against bankruptcy by bankruptcy proceedings. This is commenced by filing bankruptcy forms. One gives his or her personal information. This includes your list of assets and liabilities. A meeting with ones creditors will happen after a month. In most cases, creditors do not show up. This meeting aims to ask and confirm what one has written on the form. An interrogation will let you answer questions regarding your assets and liabilities. Ones lawyer is always there to help him or her out.

Under the bankruptcy laws, its will protect you from the harassment of your creditors before the proceeding starts It means you will not experience all those pressing calls forcing you to pay as soon as the next day. Creditors are not allowed to contact you during unreasonable hours. In addition, creditors must not leak your situation in your workplace. It will just modify the way your work image to your boss. Moreover, creditors are asked to cancel any means of hurrying you up to pay. Another important point is that your current employer is not allowed to use your bankruptcy as a reason for firing you out of a company.

A trustee appointed by the court will work with you after you have filed your bankruptcy forms. In the liquidation proceeding and repayment option, the trustee portrays different roles. He has the role to sell your assets and the money acquired will be distributed among your creditors. That is his role on the former. On the latter, he has the role of collecting payments from you and he will distribute them to your creditors. He also takes control in approving any of your new credit obligations.

After the bankruptcy proceedings, the court will end your accountability to dischargeable debts. For a span of ten years, all your bankruptcy proceeding records will be noted. Within this span of time, this record will be considered by any agency or person you wish to transact business with. The proceeding and all is not for free but one will not pay too much. An amount for the forms is the only thing to pay for. For a repayment option, one needs to pay like 10% of the amount you paid for the creditors. Lawyers fee may soar but the result will send one to greater heights.

Bankruptcy is inevitable. It may be the test of fate. But do not even let it test you.

When To Use A Collection Agency

By Admin, 30 December, 2010, No Comment

What is a collection Agency?

A collection agency is a specialized organization that acts on behalf of a creditor to collect overdue amounts. A collection agency usually does not take ownership of the debt but just acts on behalf of its clients to organize the collection activity. It does not guarantee the collection.

Why do people fail to pay?

There are many reasons why people do not pay on time. A lot of the time people just dont want to pay. Sometimes genuine financial difficulties, particularly of a temporary nature, are among the causes. In such cases, the person is likely to pay as soon as his financial problems are over.

The downside of using a collection agency

The persons owing the money generally view using a collection agency with apprehension. This makes them view the approach by a collection agency in a negative light. This might cause them to resist any attempts to collect money from them, even if its genuine. Moreover, it might result in loss of genuine and valuable customers, from whom the money would come to you in course of time, although they might have delayed the payment temporarily or in a particular case.

It is, therefore, apparent that using a collection agency should generally be the last resort. There are a few collection agencies that specialize in early intervention on a diplomatic basis.

Use a collection Agency when the case is clear

The thing that can be inferred straightaway from the above is that you should use a collection agency when you are reasonably certain that the party has the capacity to pay, is obliged to pay the amount, and is refusing or is unwilling to pay. Also the debt should be due in fact overdue. Its always better to wait for a short while and make your own attempts through reminders and follow up with the party before you approach a collection agency.

When not to use a collection agency

You should also consider when it is inappropriate to use a collection agency. There are many situations in which the debtor may have her own defense, and initiation of any formal or legal proceedings may become counterproductive and lead to unnecessary delays and complications. First of all, you should consider whether the debtor the person owing the money to you has, or thinks he has, a valid reason for not paying. If this is the case, it is very likely that he would be prepared for a fight even if it means a prolonged legal battle. This works to the advantage of neither of you. In such cases, it is better to first try and sort out the issue, if possible. Among other things, this is going to happen if the amount in question is under dispute. If this the case find out the cause for the dispute and try to settle it through proper communication and discussion. Another thing that might happen is that there is another claim against you that the debtor is trying to adjust against the current debt. In this case it is better to sort out the issue in totality.

Other difficulties and issues

Even where the debtor has no valid reason there might be circumstances under which it might become difficult to recover the amount legally. For example the debtor might not be solvent enough to pay the amount. Legal recourse would only establish your right at the most, but would not obtain the payment to you. Bankruptcy also prevents collection activities.

The cost of using the services of a collection agency

You must remember that using a collection agency involves payment of fees to the agency itself. Another consideration is the fact that legal proceedings initiated by the collection agency under circumstances similar to the ones outlined above could make your life more difficult and make the collection process long drawn out and of uncertain outcome. Because of this, it is better that you retain control over this process and over the decision as to if and when to proceed legally.

When you have security

If you possess a collateral security, it is best not to proceed legally or engage a collection agency if you can use the security to recover your amount.

What Is The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act

By Admin, 23 December, 2010, No Comment

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, also known as the FDCPA, is a law, which was passed by Congress that regulates the methods collection agencies, can use to collect money from debtors who are behind on their payments. In the past many collection agencies would use unethical methods to extract payments from people, and this law was created to regulate them while protecting the debtor.

There are certain guidelines that collection agencies must follow when attempting to get payments. The FDCPA applies to a wide variety of debts, including medical bills, car loans, and credit cards. Many states have additional laws that serve to protect consumers, and their laws may cover debts that aren’t covered by the FDCPA. It is important to have a basic understanding of this law. It will keep you from being the victim of collection agencies that use illegal methods of extracting payment from you.

Under this law, collection agencies are not allowed to contact the relatives or employers of a debtor. The only person who may be contacted other than yourself is someone who has co-signed the loan with you. They are also not allowed to threaten to ruin your credit or report you to an attorney in order to intimidate you into making payments. They may only warn of you these actions when they are in the process of getting ready to do it. Making false warnings to scare you into making payments is not allowed.

Collection agencies are not allowed to make phone calls at times that are deemed unreasonable. Any phone calls made before 8 AM or after 9 PM are not allowed. You must approve any calls that are made outside this time span first. Debt collectors are also not allowed to call you while you’re at your place of employment. The use of profanity or racist terms is also not allowed. Letters cannot be sent to you that resemble those sent by courts, and if they decide to sue you they are not allowed to take you to a court that is far from your home.

It is important to understand this law if you find yourself in a situation where you have a large amount of debt and are having trouble making payments. While you should always try to repay back what you owe, collection agencies are limited in how they are able to contact you about those payments. Many agencies may violate this law, and if you are not familiar with it you will not be able to take any actions to defend yourself. If a collection agency violates the FDCPA, it may be possible for you to take them to court. If it is found that they have made numerous violations against debtors, a class action lawsuit may be filed.

If a collection agency violates this law when contacting you, you can report the incident to the state Attorney General’s office. If the agency is in a different state, you can contact the Federal Trade Commission for assistance. You can also dispute the debt you owe by sending a letter to the agency within 30 days of the first notice informing them that you do not owe them anything. The agency will be forced to stop contacting you, but may decide to take further action that may require you to go to court.

The FDCPA is an important law that can protect in the event you are being contacted by collection agencies. While it is important for you to pay off any debts you have, agencies should not use unethical methods for getting you to make payments. This is a violation of the FDCPA, and they could be held liable.

What Are Debt Negotiation Programs?

By Admin, 16 December, 2010, No Comment

Debt negotiation is not the same thing as credit counseling or a Debt Management Plan (DMP). It can be very risky and have a long term negative impact on your credit report and, in turn, your ability to get credit. Thats why many states have laws regulating debt negotiation companies and the services they offer.

The Claims

Debt negotiation firms may claim theyre non-profit. They also may claim that they can arrange for your unsecured debt typically, credit card debt to be paid off for anywhere from 10 to 50 percent of the balance owed. For example, if you owe 10,000 on a credit card, a debt negotiation firm may claim it can arrange for you to pay off the debt with a lesser amount, say 4,000.

The firms often pitch their services as an alternative to bankruptcy. They may claim that using their services will have little or no negative impact on your ability to get credit in the future, or that any negative information can be removed from your credit report when you complete the debt negotiation program. The firms usually tell you to stop making payments to your creditors and instead, send your payments to the debt negotiation company. The firms may promise to hold your funds in a special account and pay the creditors on your behalf.

The Truth

Just because a debt negotiation company describes itself as a non-profit organization, theres no guarantee that the services they offer are legitimate. There also is no guarantee that a creditor will accept partial payment of a legitimate debt. In fact, if you stop making payments on a credit card, late fees and interest usually are added to the debt each month.

If you exceed your credit limit, additional fees and charges also can be added. All this can quickly cause a consumers original debt to double or triple. Whats more, most debt negotiation companies charge consumers substantial fees for their services, including a fee to establish the account with the debt negotiator, a monthly service fee, and a final fee of a percentage of the money youve supposedly saved.

While creditors have no obligation to agree to negotiate the amount a consumer owes, they have a legal obligation to provide accurate information to the credit reporting agencies, including your failure to make monthly payments. That can result in a negative entry on your credit report.

And in certain situations, creditors may have the right to sue you to recover the money you owe. In some instances, when creditors win a lawsuit, they have the right to garnish your wages or put a lien on your home. Finally, the Internal Revenue Service may consider any amount of forgiven debt to be taxable income.

Tip-offs to Rip-offs

Steer clear of debt negotiation companies that:

– guarantee they can remove your unsecured debt

– promise that unsecured debts can be paid off with pennies on the pound

– require substantial monthly service fees

– demand payment of a percentage of savings

– tell you to stop making payments to or communicating with your creditors

– require you to make monthly payments to them, rather than with your creditor

– claim that creditors never sue consumers for non-payment of unsecured debt

– promise that using their system will have no negative impact on your credit report

– claim that they can remove accurate negative information from your credit report.

If you decide to work with a debt negotiation company, be sure to check it out with your state Attorney General, local consumer protection agency, and the Better Business Bureau. They can tell you if any consumer complaints are on file about the firm youre considering doing business with. Also, ask your state Attorney General if the company is required to be licensed to work in your state and, if so, whether it is.