debt management

Basic Essential Money Concepts You Need To Know

August 30, 2014 by penn

Being knowledgeable is gaining financial freedom

Applying good financial decisions towards your money is the beginning of financial security and progression. Knowing the basic essential money concepts in life help jumpstart the way you think about a lot of things that are involved with how you handle money.

Below are some of the things you need to start getting in touch with in order for you to start understanding and utilizing your financial capabilities.

Budgeting

Being in touch with your money and how you use it is a start. Having some sort of plan as to how you make the most of it or not is a great way of establishing a great financial future and stability. You have to know what it is you want and what to do away with in order to attain certain financial goals.

Risks Involved

You have to know what kind of risks are involved and as one of the essential money concepts, it is very essential for it lets you know how to increase your money or how knowing how you are going to sustain it. You have to weigh out the risks and be familiar with them. However, things might lead you on the wrong path of blowing all your money on some investment that may end up being bad. So caution is advised at all times in these circumstances.

Credit Cards

It is wise to know how credit cards work. If you have them, then you have to learn how to use them so that they don’t end up ruining your credit. If used wisely, they can actually be a big plus to your financial goals. Credit cards are essential money concepts that can either make you or break you depending on how well you know about them and the level of self control you have with them.

Having Index funds

These are easy essential money concepts that can benefit you in the long run if you have done your homework on them. When it comes to your own personal investing, the best method is through index funds. With time, you will be familiar with other kinds of investments, but index funds are an effective way of immersing yourself in the stock market, especially you don’t have a lot of money.

The concept of compound interest

If you can learn the concept of compound interest, you can save a lot of money. Saving without compound interest is not money worthy like saving with it. Even saving small amounts of money with compound interest can help you acquire a heft sum for your retirement and get you living a comfortable life.

The housing and mortgage Concept

You have to learn and understand that the housing prices don’t always go up. Therefore, make sure that the mortgage loan is not only affordable every month, but always affordable in the lifeline of a mortgage debt.

It is quite a crucial aspect of essential money concepts that you should be ready to embrace if you want to stay afloat in any housing financial crisis that may crop up at any time.

The Appreciating and depreciating concept

When you make purchases, keep in mind that not all of them are necessarily investments.

Things that you may buy in your lifetime will decrease in value and even if they are not bad sales, it is important to note that one factor.

By understanding the appreciating and depreciating assets, you shall be able to make good decisions in your purchases.

Having that in mind as essential money concepts will help you improve in your ability to make such determinations.

The Taxes concept

Understanding how taxes work is extremely important in your financial health. By knowing the basics you are able to:-

Save a lot of money in a long term plan.
Know what to keep and not what to keep in regards to receipts and documents for your taxes each year.
Have an idea of what you might be saving at the end of each tax year.

Being able to automatically determine your finances without having to do so much; gives you a sense of assurance that will keep you financially happy.

The Savings/Emergency fund concept

You never know when things might hit rock bottom with money, so if you understand this concept, then you will have understood the essential money concepts in general. In an instant, life can financially change and even with the best of plans, things can go horribly wrong.

It is always wise to have some funds stashed somewhere in case of anything and it is great to equip yourself with knowledge for the best options out there.

There is always the risk of unexpected damage or loss to assets and the emergency fund can come in handy and get you out quickly.

When Is Debt Management Better Than Debt Settlement?

June 26, 2013 by penn

Debt management and debt settlement are both effective ways to get out of debt. They each have their pros and cons. If you are torn between the two, you need to know your financial capabilities in order to make the smart debt relief decision. It is not about how much you can save but more of what you are willing to sacrifice to get to your intended financial goals.

In most cases, people are focused on getting as much savings from their debts. This is why debt reduction is sweet music to them. If that is important to you as well, then debt settlement should be your first choice. However, debt freedom is more than just paying off what you owe and getting the most savings out of it. In some cases, paying for your debts in full is more beneficial in the long run. And if your problem is the high monthly payments, debt management can help solve that.

Here are some reasons why debt management may be better than debt settlement.

Takes better care of credit score. If you have plans for your future personal wealth and you know that you need financial aid for that, you need to take care of your credit score. Debt settlement can ruin your score because you will be asked to default on your payments to prove that you are in a financial crisis. This is something that you do not have to do in debt management.

Creditors are more inclined to cooperate. There is no debt reduction in debt management so you can expect that creditors will be more cooperative. Also debt management companies usually have an agreement with creditor already. You are relying on that relationship so that the creditor can allow you to make lower payments every month. This is not so true in debt settlement. You will be haggling with them so they forgive a portion of your debt. That means less profit for them so they will be fighting you every step of the way – or at least make it difficult to arrive at an agreement.

Will not cause as much in service fees. This is actually a tricky issue that can go either way – depending on your debt amount and the settlement agreement. Debt settlement companies usually charge depending on how much debt you enrolled. So if it is a big amount, you can expect it to be quite big as well. The average service fee is 20% and if you have $7,500 in debt (which is the minimum amount that settlement companies usually require) that means the service fee is $1,500. But if it is bigger like $30,000, the fee will be $6,000. In debt management, the government placed a cap of $50 every month. If you complete the 5 years, you end up paying $3,000. Do the math before you really decide which program is best based on their service fee.

Any saving will not be taxed. In debt settlement, any debt forgiven that is above $600 is considered a taxable income. Although you can request from the debt collector that the amount you saved should not be taxed, there is a chance that they will not agree. So be prepared that the forgiven amount on your debt will be taxed. In debt management, since there is no reduction, there is no taxable income.

Although this paints debt settlement at a disadvantage, you still have to realize that the lack of debt reduction in debt management will require you to have a steady income to afford payments. Debt settlement will take 4 years or less – depending on how fast you can come up with the settlement amount. In the other debt solution, you have to follow the structured payment plan that was created for you – which will take as long as 5 years. Make sure your income will not falter within this time because creditors will be very strict about you meeting your payments.

So do not close your doors on either of these programs – just look at your finances and be honest about what you are willing to sacrifice in the long run.

How To Select The Right Debt Management Company

June 10, 2013 by penn

Some people are hesitant to work on their debts alone because they do not trust the way they handle their money. Until they learn how to properly manage their finances, opting for debt assistance is the logical way to approach debt relief. When things get too complicated, getting professional help is often times the fastest way to solve the problem.

If that is your course of action, debt management should be the best course for you to take. It enlists the help of a debt counselor who will not only help you with your debts, they will also educate you on how you can stay out of debt. On a the plus side, this debt relief program will hardly affect your credit score.

However, there is one important step that you have to take carefully – who among the many debt management companies will you entrust your debt to? Here are some tips that could help you make the selection.

First of all, read the TSR or Telemarketing Sales Rule. This is the law implemented by the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) to assist consumers in identifying the legitimate debt relief companies from the scam.

One of the telltale signs of a illegitimate company is when they ask upfront fees. This is a big no-no in the TSR. No legitimate company will ask this from you. In relation to that, initial consultations are always for free and does not obligate the consumer to avail of the services of the company after.

You should also be wary of companies who promises too much. Remember that they want to earn from you so they will say a lot of things to you. If they insist on a solution even before looking at your finances, there is something wrong here. If the debt counselor promises that your interest rates will go down, you have to question that. While debt management companies will try to negotiate this with clients, it is not a guarantee. So if they are claiming otherwise, you need to be a bit more cautious.

Ask them what they can do for you. If you cannot understand, ask them again. It is very important that it is clear to you what the debt management company can do for your debts. In relation to that, you have to ask them for the costs that is expected of you. Hidden fees are in violation of the transparency clause in the TSR.

Another concern that you should inquire involves your money. In this program, you will send your monthly payments to the counselor and they will distribute it to your different creditors. Get the full details of this procedure and make sure that you remain to be the only owner with full control of the account where your money will be kept. Also, it has to be kept in an FDIC insured account for your safety.

Before you sign any contract, make sure that all the details are understood by both parties. If you are not comfortable with anything, do not sign it.

Trust your gut instinct when it comes to choosing the right company. If something doesn’t feel right, there may be a good reason for it.

Protect Yourself From Abusive Collectors: Know Your Rights

June 6, 2013 by penn

One of the things that make debt very hard to live with are the collection calls that go along with it. Most of the time, these calls turn ugly and threatening. It keeps consumers awake at night and it brings in a whole new level of stress that can lead to a lot of health complications.

This is only one of the dreaded effects of debt and if you want to relieve yourself from it, you have to know your rights first. There are rules and regulations that bound debt collectors and these are all designed to protect consumers.

The most prominent law that you have to know is the FDCPA. Short for Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, this contains a list of do’s and don’ts for all debt collectors and even the original creditors. The federal government came up with this law as part of the Consumer Credit Protection Act and it helped a lot of consumers in dealing with their respective debt problems. This was most helpful during the most recent economic crisis that the US went through.

When you start hearing from debt collectors, this usually means that you had been late on your payments. While your debt is your own responsibility and you have to own up to it, that does not mean your life should be made a living hell for it. Here are the important parts of the FDCPA that will help you communicate with them.

Based on the FDCPA, debt collectors are expected to:

1. Identify themselves, the original creditor, debt amount and provide proof that the debt being collected is owned by the consumer. Everything must have a written documentation.

2. Explain the rights of the consumers in terms of disputing a collection or verification request. Consumers should also be made aware that they have 30 days to do it.

3. Respond when needed when a dispute or verification request is submitted.

4. Stop collection calls/communication when requested by the consumer.

5. File a lawsuit only in the State where the consumer lives or the contract is signed.

Also stipulated in the FDCPA, debt collectors are prohibited from:

1. Calling the consumer:

outside the timeframe of 8am to 9pm (local time of the consumer).
repeatedly as it is harassment.
in the workplace when the consumer requests that calls should be in their home.
when they have a representative (e.g. a debt relief expert or a lawyer).
before submitting verification of the debt.

2. Misrepresenting themselves as a law enforcer or lawyer.

3. Placing the consumer’s name on the list of “bad debts” without prior notice.

4. Collecting an amount that they cannot justify or is not part of the original debt.

5. Making false legal or arrest threats.

6. Using abusive or profane language.

7. Calling other people to discuss the debt of the consumer.

8. Placing incorrect information on the credit report of the debtor.

The FDCPA is not only there to protect the consumer, it also encourages fair collection of debts and to provide a venue for any complaints against abusive collectors.

Read this law and know it by heart. If you really want to stop collection calls, you can also use debt management for that. You will be assigned a debt counselor who will help negotiate and communicate with creditors on your behalf.

Consolidate Debt Rather Than Paying Only The Minimum

June 3, 2013 by penn

Minimum payments are practically the biggest trick that credit card companies have come up with. They make you think that you are cruising just fine with your credit card debt by just sticking to this amount. That is a big fat lie. While you may be saving yourself from late penalty fees, you are not making any significant progress in your debt. Chances are, you are setting yourself up to pay your credit card debts for the rest of your life. Your creditor prefers this scenario because the longer it takes you to pay off your balance, the more interest you will give them. That means more profits for the company.

The Credit Card Act of 2009 actually mandated card companies to inform consumers about the repercussions of sticking to minimum payments. If you look at the statement on your credit card bill, you will notice that there is a box containing relevant information about your minimum payment. The text box includes figures that indicate how long it will take you to finish paying off what you owe and the amount you will waste on interest if you stick to your minimum. Most consumers find this useful and have in fact, taken it upon themselves to pay more than that amount every month.

But here’s the problem, what if your budget can only afford to pay the minimum? How can you solve this dilemma?

This is where debt consolidation comes in to help. This type of debt solution provides consumers with a structured payment system that allows them to make lower monthly contributions towards their debts. You may be wondering how that is different from minimum payments.

When you opt for debt management, which is one program of consolidating debt, you will hire a counselor who will aid in creating a debt management plan. This low payment plan stretches your balance over a long term. This is presented to your creditors and once they give their blessing, you can make payments based on this plan through the counselor. Your account will be frozen – meaning you will not be allowed to use it until you have finished or decided to quit the program prematurely. But until then, your minimum payments will not have the same effect as long as you stay under the debt management program.

If you opt for debt consolidation loan, you will apply for a loan amount that can pay off the other debts that you have. This will eliminate your credit card debt altogether and just shift all of what you owe into the new loan. So no minimum payments here either. Unless of course you decide to re-use your card again – which is highly discouraged.

Of course, you always have the option to earn more money so you can pay more than the minimum. The thing is, you don’t really have to put in a lot of additional into it. Even an extra hundred dollars will make the difference. So think about it by consulting your finances. You will always go back to your budget and your payment capabilities to see how much you can really afford to pay towards your debts. You have a lot of options before you – just make sure that you will never include sticking to minimum payments as one of them. That really never works out for anyone.

Debt Relief Options That Lower Your Monthly Debt Payments

May 18, 2013 by penn

Debt becomes hard to get out of because it restricts your monetary resources significantly. So if you want to survive your debts, you may want to find a way to lower your monthly contributions. That way you have more money to spend on other things in your life.

But how can you do this? Surely your creditors will not allow you to dictate how much you will send towards your debts without imposing some sort of penalty. The good news is, you have debt relief options that will make this possible and minimize or eliminate the penalty charges associated with it. All types of program will allow this to happen but you need to consider what you have to sacrifice for it.

Debt consolidation is probably the best debt relief option that will allow you to lower your monthly payments without ruining your credit score. There are three different ways to accomplish this.

First of all, you have debt management. This type of consolidation involves a debt counselor. They will help you come up with a debt management plan that basically stretches your payment over a more extended term. This is what makes your lower monthly contribution possible. They will show this plan to the creditor and if they approve, you can send a single payment to the counselor and they will be in charge of distributing it to the rest of your debt accounts. They will also negotiate for a lower interest rate which will lower your monthly payment even more.

The second option is debt consolidation loans. In this method, there is no professional involved but the same consolidation and longer payment term takes effect. Unlike the previous, a low interest rate is easier to guarantee. What you will do is apply for a loan that is enough to pay off your debts – at least the accounts that can be paid in advance. Some type of debts will penalize prepayment transactions. The key is to make sure your loan has a low interest – which can be done if you have a high credit score or a collateral. Loan payment terms are usually 3-5 years long and that can help lower your monthly payments too.

Another option is balance transfer. This means getting a new card that has a zero interest promo. The consumer will transfer the amount so that the high interest balance will be transferred to one that will not impose interest – at least during the promo period. This usually lasts from 6 months to a year. That means any payment that you will make during this time will only go to the principal debt.

There is also the option to get out of debt using debt settlement and bankruptcy. Both can also allow you to make lower monthly payments. Debt settlement actually aims for an overall debt reduction. The idea is to negotiate with the creditor so you are allowed to pay only a percentage of your debt and have the rest of it forgiven. Bankruptcy involves a court system that will decide if your debts should be discharged or not. If your financial conditions are qualified, you could end up not paying anything towards your creditors. Of course, that comes with a price and it is your credit score. If you don’t mind lowering your credit score, then these two could be an option for you.

Control Debt Desperation Through Debt Management

May 15, 2013 by penn

A desperate individual is oftentimes very dangerous. It implies that they are placed in a position where they have nothing left to lose and that drastic measures are deemed to be quite logical. This is what a person in debt can lead to.

Debt is such a destructive force that it can literally turn your world upside down. If you are not careful with it and you do not know how to manage it properly, you could end up with more payments than your income can handle. It can create a strain in your personal relationships. Not only that, it can cause so much stress in your life that it could lead to serious physical illnesses. All of these debt effects are not assumptions. If you read through the life stories of people in debt, you will find one or more of these in their lives.

But if you found that your debts have spiraled out of control and you don’t want to be subjected to all these negative effects, what can you do?

As unfortunate as it may seem, being is debt does not remove all traces of hope. There have been successful stories of people who have overcome debt. The key lies in your commitment to get out of debt and the debt solution that you will choose to help you achieve that.

One of the effective programs that will allow you to pay off your debts conveniently is debt management. This solution involves the help of a professional who is called either a credit or debt counselor. The program begins with a careful analysis of your current financial standing. The counselor will give you advice regarding the best way to get yourself out of your credit crisis.

When the counselor has an idea of your debt and your capabilities to pay it off, you will both create a debt management plan that will serve as your guide throughout the whole process. Also known as a DMP, this plan will contain all of your debts and the corresponding payments that you will send towards each account. The payments will be relatively smaller than what you are currently paying. That is because the counselor will distribute your balance over an extended payment term. This will be negotiated with the creditor. If the creditor agrees, you will send a single payment to your counselor, who in turn will distribute your payments to the various creditors you have enrolled in the program.

The result of debt management is a more organized debt payment plan that will allow you to ease up on debt monitoring since your counselor will be doing that for you. Although you may want to take a peek every now and then, you will find that you have more free time to concentrate on growing your income so you have more money to send towards your debt payments.

The great thing about this program is the fact that you will be educated on how you can stay out of debt. This is a needed lesson by people in debt because no matter how good your debt solution is, if you haven’t learned your lesson, you could end up in debt once more.

What You Need To Know About Payday Loans

May 1, 2013 by penn

If you are thinking about getting payday loans to tide you over difficult situations, you need to understand the pros and cons of it first. This is one option of people in debt – especially those who wish to use debt consolidation loan but are burdened with low credit scores. People who are desperately in need of money yet have bad credit reputations are forced to make drastic decisions and opt for payday loans.

The thing about these loans that make it appealing is the fast approval. Regardless of your credit score, they can approve of your loan even within minutes or hours after your application is submitted. Of course, this convenience has a catch. You have to pay back these loans immediately – usually as soon as your next paycheck comes in (thus the term payday loans). Not only that, you have to deal with the very high interest rate – usually around 400% APR. The fees involved in a payday loan is also quite high. This is probably why a lot of financial experts discourage people from using this as a debt solution.

Payday loans can be a big pitfall for consumers who get it for immediate debt relief. It does not really solve the problem of your debts. You have to understand that this type of loan should only be a one-time temporary option. It should not be your main solution for your debts. You need to partner it with a more concrete plan to get out of debt or your financial crisis.

In truth, payday loans may not be the smartest debt solution. Unless you are sure that you can pay off the short term loan, you need to keep your eyes open for other alternatives. There are other programs that you can use to as a solution for your debt and may even get you better results in the long run.

If you want to use debt consolidation but you have a low credit score, you can actually opt for debt management. They will allow you to make lower monthly payments so you have the cash to use for your other expenses. With the freed up funds, you can start to grow your savings so that you have a significant amount of money in case of emergencies. That way, the need for payday loans will no longer be needed.

If you have a bad credit score, you also have the option to use peer to peer lending. Instead of getting the high interest payday loans, you are borrowing against individual investors and lenders. The interest may not be the same as a secured loan but it will definitely not be as high as the payday loan.

Another way to eliminate the need for high interest loans is to practice better financial management skills. Live within your means and make sure you follow a budget that will keep you from going overboard on your spending. By being smart with your financial choices, you will keep yourself from making too much mistakes and thus falling into a financial ruin.

How Debt Consolidation Takes Care Of Your Credit Score

April 17, 2013 by penn

Debt consolidation is one of the debt relief options that will not make your credit score suffer. In fact, as you continue to stick to the program, you will see that your score will continue to improve and reflect that you are now a more responsible credit holder.

Unlike the other debt relief options, you will still end up paying off the balance of your debt. Since there will be no reduction, your account will not be marked as “Settled” or worse, “Included in bankruptcy.”

Also, opting for debt settlement will require you to default on your payments. This is one way to really pull down your score. You need to allow it to happen so your creditors will be convinced that you have no money to pay your debts and the only solution, apart from bankruptcy, is to allow you to settle your debts. That means you will only pay off a portion of your balance and have the rest forgiven. Once completed, your score will be much lower than before and will be marked as “Settled” and not “Paid in full” – which is more preferable than the latter.

While debt settlement is effective when used under the right financial circumstances, it all depends on what you are willing to sacrifice. Bankruptcy is much worse because it gets your score even lower than settlement and that taint will stay on your record for the next 7-10 years.

Debt consolidation, at the very least, will indicate that you are current on your payments. If you apply the program at the right time, you may even avoid showing any late payments on your credit report. It will continue to reflect as “Current” which means you are still in debt but you are not missing out on payments.

Consolidating your debts allow you to make lower monthly payments to ensure that you can keep up with your contributions without putting too much restriction on your budget for basic necessities. In debt consolidation loans, you accomplish this by getting a loan with a lower interest than your current average. You then pay off the other debts, completing payments, without missing any due date. You will be left with this one bigger loan that you will pay off in the next 3 to 5 years. This could lower your score a little since your debt amount will increase. However, it will improve as you completely pay off your other debts and regularly pay back the loan.

In debt management, you will be assigned a credit counselor who will help create a debt management plan. The plan will show lower monthly contributions that are stretched over a longer payment term so you still end up paying for the whole balance of your debt. In most cases, this has hardly any effect on your score.

Some financial experts used to find credit score concern quite ridiculous. It is like taking care of your debt so that you are eligible to take in more loans. However, recent changes show that it has become a vital part in our society. There is more at stake when you do not take care of your credit history.

For instance, a good credit score will keep the interest rate on your mortgage loan low. In most cases, landlords also look at your credit history to see if you will be a responsible tenant. Even employers look at this figure to gauge how you will perform in the workplace.

What To Do With Your Maxed Out Cards

April 11, 2013 by penn

A maxed out credit card simply means that you have been making very bad spending choices. There are only a few options for you when you reach this point.

One of them is ignoring your cards. That is a flat out bad idea. This is the worst thing that you can do because not paying anything for a couple of months can increase your debt balance significantly.

The other option, and obviously the better one, is to pay off your credit card debt.

First things first, you need to stop using your cards. If you maxed it out, you will not be able to use it anyway. But in case you have other cards that are not yet maxed out, then you need to stop using them as well. It will help you solve your debt problems if you stop adding to it. That will allow you to expedite getting a debt free life.

It helps to actually remove the physical cards. Keep them in a place where it will be very difficult for you to access them. Some people refuse to close the account for credit score purposes. If this is what you want, then make sure you come up with a great place to hide it. You can keep only one card in case of emergencies but even that should not be kept at home. Do not bring it with you as you go out performing your errands to avoid using them unnecessarily.

Once you have your cards out of the way, you can start thinking about how you will pay off what you owe. There are debt relief options like debt consolidation that can do wonders for your credit card problems.

There are two ways for you to consolidate your debts. One of them is getting a loan that will help pay off your loan. This is called debt consolidation loans. If you had been taking care of your credit score, you can get a low interest rate. That will be a better alternative for the high interest on your maxed out cards. These loans are usually stretched over 3-5 years so your total card debt will be paid over that time. That can effectively make your monthly contributions smaller.

The other option is getting help through debt management. This involves going to a third party company for help. They will assign a credit counselor who will help you come up with a payment plan called the DMP or debt management plan. This plan will contain a new payment term that spreads out your debt over a longer period – much like in debt consolidation loans. The difference is it will be subject for your creditor’s approval. But once the credit card companies agree, you will send a single payment to your counselor who will distribute payments on your behalf.

Probably the best thing about debt management is learning how to make smarter financial choices. The best companies offering this service usually have financial education and training programs that will help their clients stay out of debt. Credit card debt is the easiest pitfall to get into so you need to learn the right habits that you will implement even after you have reached a debt free status in life.