Ineffective Debt Reduction Programs
February 22nd, 2010While looking for a debt reduction program, it is also important to ensure that the plan chosen is not an ineffective one. One example is requesting for a loan from friends and family members who have the financial capability to help you repay all of or part of your loans. This may seem to be a good solution because there is no interest to be paid unless you or they insist on it. You can take your time in repaying the loan because you cannot default on the loan and there are no due dates to follow. Unfortunately, the fact that there is no pressure on you to repay the money at a particular time could be a disadvantage because you may dilly dally too long in repaying the debt until your relationship with them gets hurt.
Another example of debt reduction programs that are ineffective is the plan to simply pay the minimum amount that is due every month for your credit card bill. It may look like you are progressing in your plan to repay the debut but if you compute how long it would take to repay the whole amount, you might be shocked to discover that it is several years. The reason is that the amount that is left unpaid will grow because of the interest that is added to it every month.
Another kind of debt reduction program that will not really get you ahead in your desire to become debt-free is getting the services of consumer credit counselors that charge exorbitant fees. Credit counselors who are authorized to do business can really help you in your goal of becoming debt free. However, there are certain individuals and companies who exploit the fact that people with lots of debt are emotionally stressed by asking for substantial amounts of money right at the start.
Consolidating the various debts into one loan carrying a high interest is another one of the debt relief solutions that are not feasible. The excitement of finding a loan that would accommodate all of the other loans and thus you have only one loan to think about may keep you from checking whether the interest rate is low or not. It is advisable to check the fine print that is often found in the contract or else you may just be exchanging your debts with a loan that has a higher interest rate and will therefore make it even harder for you to escape the debt trap.
Lastly, while bankruptcy can be considered as one of the debt reduction programs that may actually work, it is advisable to make it the last choice. While it is effective for your debt reduction elimination for most of your debt, it will also degrade your credit rating for several years to come.