Cut Your Debt | Become Debt Free | Debt Management

To reduce your debt two things are needed self discipline and good financial planning. Below are ten ways that can help you with debt reduction:

1. Home Equity Loan: Homeowners have a great asset that can be used to reduce their debt. If you are a homeowner who has equity in your home, you can use that equity to obtain a line of credit, get a home equity loan or simply refinance your current mortgage. The equity you pull out of your house will help you pay off your debt. This has to be considered carefully because missed payments could result in the loss of your home

2. Lower interest rate credit cards: There are tons of offers out there for low interest rate credit cards that want you to transfer your balances from higher interest rate cards. Some of these will even offer 0% interest for a limited period of time to encourage you to transfer your balances to their credit card. However, beware of missed or late payments. Those credit card companies are quick to push the interest rates up extremely high because of one slip up.

3. Sell assets: Do you have assets that you can dispose off like an extra car, antiques, jewelry, extra property? If yes, put them up for sale either on eBay or at a local yard. Then use the money you make to start paying your debts. Always begin with the biggest debt first, they are the ones that are the most difficult.

4. Consolidation Loan: If you have decent credit it should be relatively easy for you to obtain a debt consolidation loan. If you are a member of a credit union you may find they offer better interest rates. Banks have their own set of requirements for making loans. Lenders may require that this type of loan be secured by some asset.

5. Refinance your mortgage to reduce your payments: If you do not own a home you can try to apply for an income loan with a relatively ow interest rate. Lower mortgage payments will free up cash to help pay your debts.

6. Decrease your spending habits: Only spend money on your necessities. Limit your credit card use to emergencies or necessities. Self discipline will put you back on the right track.

7. Use extra money wisely: If you come across unexpected money, such as gifts or refunds, use it wisely. Put it toward your outstanding debt.

8. Pull cash from low interest savings accounts: The amount of interest you are gaining on those low interest savings accounts is probably far less than what you are spending in interest on your debt. It is better to take that money and pay off your debt.

9. Find an extra source of income: Find a second job that earns you a bit more without eating into your time. Every little bit that goes into paying off your debts can make a huge difference.

10. Use your debit card: You cannot overspend with a debit card. You can only spend what is in your account.

Technorati Tags: credit card debt, Debt, debt free, debt reduction, debt relief, get out of debt, how to get out of debt, pay off credit cards, pay off debt, personal finance

No Comments yet »

Regardless of your track record or credit history, you can take some simple steps and do your own credit repair. You can begin right away, and it won’t cost you anything - but the improvement can be gigantic!

The first step is to get copies of your credit report, read them, and understand them. There are three credit reporting agencies, and there can be differences in your file between them.

The law entitles consumers to a free copy of the credit report, one from each of the three agencies: TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian. You are able to get one from each bureau every year.

The Federal Trade Commission, or FTC, has set up a website where you can order them: annualcreditreport.com. Be careful of any other website that claims to offer you free reports - this is the “official” site, and any others have strings attached.

You can begin your credit repair efforts once you have your reports in hand. You will want to go through them carefully, line by line.

Along with the report, you will get a “dispute” form - or an address where you can get it. This is where your initial credit repair efforts will focus.

For every entry that is incorrect, inaccurate, or outdated, you will be filing a dispute. Provide the correct information, or why it is incorrect, such as a debt that has been paid but not removed.

By law, the credit reporting agencies have 30 days to verify the information being disputed. If they cannot verify it, or don’t do so within the allotted 30 days, those entries must be removed from your credit report.

With just this simple step, some of these negative entries will be removed from your credit report. They will no longer contribute to a low credit score, and your score will immediately go up - sometimes by hundreds of points!

Technorati Tags: bankruptcy, credit, credit repair, Credit Score, credit tips, Finance, fix credit, money, personal credit, personal finance

No Comments yet »

Losing a home can be one of the most traumatic experiences a family can endure, but it does happen and in some areas of the country it seems to happen more frequently than in others. Persons looking to take advantage of certain situations and find houses at reduced prices, foreclosure information on homes available in their area is available through newspaper advertising as well as through court filings.

In most states, before a lender can foreclose on a home, they must file a claim with the court, offering information and facts to support their claim that a borrower is in default of the loan agreement.

Following the judge’s official review of the foreclosure information, they will make a judgment regarding the claim. The individual being foreclosed on is then given a certain amount of time, often thirty days, by which they must pay back their entire loan. The home can be auctioned by the court after the designated period of time is up.

There are still some options available to the homeowner even when the court has agreed to foreclose. They can pay back the money before the house is auctioned. Since all court proceedings regarding home foreclosure is made available to the public, an individual interested in purchasing a home could find information about the homeowner and contact them to buy their house before it ever goes up for auction.

Don’t Make Offers Until You Have the Facts

Before making any quick decisions about buying a home, interested buyers should consider some important details about the home. This is especially true if the foreclosed home was an investment. If, for example, the home was recently purchased and has not yet had time to build up equity, it could cause the cost involved in buying the home higher than the estimated value of the house.

For buyers, looking for information on the homeowners of foreclosed homes in newspapers can help you to get in contact with them and thus begin negotiations without having to go through a lender or other individual.

The lender knows that through auction as well as subsequent civil action they can recoup the cost of the loan and legal costs incurred trying to collect. It would be rare for a lender to accept a lower amount for a mortgage, but then again, there is no harm in trying.

Technorati Tags: avoid foreclosure, bad credit loan, Foreclosure, free foreclosure information, high risk lenders, Home Equity Loan, personal finance, real estate, save your home from foreclosure

No Comments yet »