Repay your bills on time with debt solution services
February 27, 2010 by Dorothy Parker
Filed under Credit Score
Debt solutions service is what you need if you cannot afford your minimum monthly payments any longer. Debt solutions include counseling, debt management plan, bill consolidation program, debt settlement program and bankruptcy.
How can debt solution help you?
A debt solutions service works to reduce the interest rate on your debts and replace your bills by a single affordable monthly payment. The service offers the following benefits:
- Provide you with a Counseling service: A certified debt counselor analyses your financial situation and provides you with personalized repayment solutions based on your goals.
- Communicate with the creditors: A representative of the debt Solutions company effectively communicates with your creditors so that you do not receive collection calls any more.
- Reduce your monthly debt payments: The company representative designs a debt management plan for you and negotiates with your creditors to lower the interest rate on your loan and waive off late fees. This helps you lower your monthly payments.
- Helps you consolidate your bills: You can consolidate all your bills into one by enrolling in a debt consolidation program. The consolidation company negotiates with all your creditors and helps you reduce the interest rates .In this program, you have to pay a single lower monthly payment to the company and the company will distribute the payment on time among all your creditors.
- Assist you to settle your debts: If you are unable to pay your monthly bill payments and want to settle your bills as soon as possible, you can go for a debt settlement program. The debt solutions provider negotiates with your creditors to reduce the outstanding debt by 40-60 %. In the meantime, you save money in a trust account. When sufficient money is accumulated in the account, the bill is finally settled and you become debt free.
Debt solutions also include bankruptcy. You can discharge all your unsecured debts by filing a bankruptcy. It is your legally declared inability to pay your creditors. But bankruptcy considerably lowers your credit score and hence is used as the last resort to eliminate your debts.
Mortgage Vs Renting
November 27, 2009 by Dorothy Parker
Filed under Credit Score
Recent economic downturns have fairly well focused on the commercial mortgages lending market, where terms have loosened allowing more people than ever in Australian history to buy a home. Although the slipping economic times cannot be blames solely on a requirement-reduced lending atmosphere, a return to more traditional mortgage lending practices have many people thinking their only choice for shelter is to rent.
Not for the Return
Traditionally, Australian home ownership is a national collective dream. For many, buying a home is not motivated as a money-making, short-term investment where the search for a favourable commercial mortgage rate is the primary goal. It is, after all, a place to “hang your hat” and to “lay your head.” The emotional reasons for buying a home far outweigh others when seeking a mortgage to buy. There is no secret realising the many emotional advantages “owning” have versus continuing to rent. Although a secondary motive, wealth accumulation springs forth from the long-term investment made when obtaining a home loan.
A Better Idea
Although some financial advisors state people should consider homes as shelters and not investments, when the associated costs comparing the two are carefully examined, and potential buyers can afford all home-buying costs including a necessary and adequate down payment, it still makes greater sense to be a home owner rather than a renter. This is especially true if one’s personal financial situation allows for obtaining a low-interest mortgage. Additionally, there are many tax-deductible advantages when securing a mortgage for home purchase. For example, if a homeowner has an annual income of $50,000 and has secured a 30-year mortgage with a monthly repayment of $1,000, during the initial loan years, 80 percent goes toward interest. If in a 15 percent tax bracket, this can translate to an additional tax savings when itemising deductions.
Options to Both Buy and Renting
Many individuals opt not to seek home finance for a purchase. Instead, lease-purchase arrangements are made with property owners that allow “renters” the opportunity to accumulate a portion of monthly payments toward an eventual purchase. Depending upon contract details, this amount could be as little as 10 percent and, in some quite favourable situations, 100 percent of monthly payments could go toward the eventual purchase. This arrangement also accomplishes a couple of other things like providing time to accumulate the necessary down payment while locking in the purchase price at the time the lease-to-own contract is signed. Often a lease-purchase arrangement is predicated upon market conditions such as situations where a property owner has been unsuccessful moving the real estate. The property owner benefits from an occupied house that, essentially, should be well-maintained. The owner receives rental payments from occupiers with a vested interest in eventually owning the home.
Speaking Through the Numbers
Financially speaking, with a fixed mortgage instead of a variable mortgage, your housing costs remain stable, unlike rent which could rise based on a number of market situations out of your control. Furthermore, mortgage repayments, unlike rent, do not disappear. Rental payments go straight into a property owner’s pockets while mortgage repayments add to your equity available down the road for a child’s education or possibly to fund your own retirement.
Student loan consolidation: How to get out of student loan debt
March 30, 2009 by Dorothy Parker
Filed under Credit Debt
If you’re facing problems in repaying your student loans, then student loan consolidation may be the suitable option for you. This gives you the freedom to make just one monthly payment, which helps in simplifying your repayment procedure.
Student loans can be primarily divided into two categories – federal student loans and private student loans. Usually it is not possible to consolidate private student loans and federal loans together as they have different terms and conditions.
Types of student loan consolidation
Student loan consolidation can be done in 2 ways – student loan consolidation program and debt consolidation loan. Though both of them make the repayment structure simpler, debt consolidation loan is a better alternative to loan consolidation program.
1. Student loan consolidation program
There are various debt consolidation companies that help you in getting rid off your debts through proper and effective planning. After you enroll yourself in a loan consolidation program, the company starts working on a plan, as per your financial condition. They try to negotiate with the creditors to reduce the interest rates, and decide on a monthly payment that you need to pay towards your student loan debts. All you need to do is just make the approved monthly payment to the company. The company will make the necessary payments to the creditors on your behalf.
Eligibility criteria for the consolidation program
In order to enroll in a consolidation program, you need to satisfy certain factors, which are given below.
1) You are in repayment status of student loans.
2) You are no longer enrolled more than half time in school.
Benefits of a loan consolidation program
Student loan consolidation program offers you a number of benefits, as stated below.
- You will not get any more harassing calls from your creditors.
- Your company will negotiate with your creditors to reduce the interest rates.
- Your repayment terms will be simple.
- There will be no adverse effect on your credit score.
2. Student Debt consolidation loan
Debt consolidation loan is actually a personal loan, which you may take from a lender or a financial institution in order to pay off your student loans. It helps you in combining all your debts and replacing them with a single loan.
Eligibility Criteria for a debt consolidation loan
In order to get a debt consolidation loan, you need to satisfy certain factors, which are given below.
1) You should have multiple student loans from different lenders.
2) You should have good credit.
3) You are experiencing problems in staying current on payments.
Benefits of a consolidation loan
There are numerous benefits of consolidating all your student loans into one personal loan. The advantages are summed up in the following lines.
- You can enjoy extended repayment term along with reduced monthly payments.
- You can combine several monthly payments into one single payment.
Some of the lenders who offer federal student loans allow for forbearance and deferment when you can’t repay such loans. However, you can take the help of student loan consolidation to enjoy a number of benefits in your federal as well as your private student loan repayments.







