Browsing Tag

Debt

3 Ways To Destroy Debt Fast

Recovering from a snowball of debt can seem nearly impossible, especially for those with only one income or even a part time income. Although there are many options – debt consolidation, financial advising, an experienced debt assistant, etc.; however it is always wise to consider all options.

1) Obtain a Second Income

One of the easiest ways to destroy debt fast is to acquire a second job, either full time or part time. Since you are already living on one income, the entire second income can be put towards your debt. Almost every debt assistant and financial advisor will suggest that you pay off the debts that charge the highest interest first, in an effort to save you from paying solely interest.

May 4, 2010

Debt

Do You Want To Retire And Still Be In Debt?

According to a poll carried out by Investors Group, 62% of Canadians plan to retire while still being in debt. In fact, many people polled indicated that they were willing to retire regardless of whether their mortgage was paid off.

As well, the poll results indicated that Canadians seem to be worried about rising interest rates. There is a big concern right now that Canadians are taking on too much debt at these incredibly low interest rates, and then when interest rates begin to rise, it will cause many Canadian households to be under financial stress due to increased interest payments.

We as Canadians need to become more responsible for the amount of debt we are taking on. Although it may seem really affordable right now, we have to remind ourselves that we are enjoying historically low interest rates. They won’t last forever. In fact, the Bank of Canada may even increase their rates as early as June 1^st.

May 2, 2010

Debt

Should I Go For a Fixed Rate Mortgage?

If you are are in an open variable rate mortgage like we are right now, you may want to consider if it’s better to move into a fixed rate mortgage before the prime rate goes up. The Bank of Canada will likely be raising interest rates soon and although prime is at an all time low right now, it won’t stay there forever. Some major banks have already raised their fixed mortgage rates, so if you are thinking of switching, now is the time to do it before the rates go up even higher.

For my husband and I it makes the most sense for us to stay where we are as we are likely going to be selling our home within the next year or so. For those of you who are not planning on selling your home anytime soon, you may find it more affordable within your budget to take advantage of a fixed rate.

April 24, 2010

Debt

Are You Really Ready To Ask Someone To Co-sign For You?

It looks like you may have reached a turning point in the road. Whether it’s for an auto loan, a personal loan, or department store credit, you may not be able to qualify by your own merits. This is when the cosigner comes into play. The best place to look for a cosigner is within the family, or among friends. You’ll want to trust them just as much as they will want to trust you.

If this individual is backing your loan, they will be privy to the same credit checks as you would be if this were your loan all by itself. Their creditworthiness is based on income, homeownership, credit history, and job security. If you default on any payments, the cosigner will have to pick up the tag. That’s why it’s good to make sure that you have all of your ducks lined up in a row before you put the cosigner’s financial credit rating on the line.

Say what you mean and mean what you say!

To the cosigner, you are saying that you plan to honor the credit contract to the letter they have cosigned for. Don’t try to take on too much new credit at first. Take the time to really look at your spending habits. If you have had trouble in the recent past keeping up with your finances, this may not be the best time to put someone else in the cross hairs.

Building and managing credit is a huge responsibility. Just ask any one of the thousands of people that have low credit rating scores. These people started out in good faith. They had every intent of making sure their payments would be complete and on time. However, things often happen beyond anyone’s control and those things that happen are events that can often send a good credit rating south for much longer than just the winter.

Put aside a little money each month to cover the loan repayment and make it a priority. Protect the person who cosigned as if he or she were you. Remember that the reason you needed them in the first place was because you couldn’t qualify on you own merits. That doesn’t make you a bad person in the least. It just means that it may take a while before the system deems you credit worthy and until that happens, make sure you have the cosigner’s best interest at heart.

About the Author

Liz Roberts is a loan consultant with New Horizon Finance, specializing in bad credit,& has been providing consumers & business owners with financing since 1989. Join Experian Triple Advantage at http://www.newhorizon.org & get a free credit report & credit score.

November 29, 2009

Debt

Know The Dangers of Debt Consolidation

Interest rates have been historically low over the past years and many households have been tempted with the opportunities to borrow to service their wants and needs. As a result many are now realizing that they have created an unserviceable debt situation and are looking for options to get them back on their feet. One of the common avenues to get out of debt is through a debt consolidation loan. While this might seem like a holy grail to get out of your debt situation there are some pitfalls that you need to be aware of.

The idea of a debt consolidation loan is logical enough, consolidate all your high interest loans and debts into a single lower interest rate loan with a single monthly repayment. It simplifies your debt repayment system because its just the one loan and it reduces your overall monthly repayment because it’s a lower interest loan.

The problem is that while a debt consolidation loan is a good option for many people it can also often be misused. For instance if you consolidate your debt through accessing your equity on your home you have dealt with the immediate problem of your debt but you haven’t actually dealt with the cause of how you got into debt in the first place. Many times after a debt consolidation loan they often get into debt through their credit cards and all of a sudden they are in a worse predicament then they were before the consolidation loan.

If you are to pursue a debt consolidation path you need to be willing to first deal with the cause of your situation. There is no point looking for a quick fix to get you out of your immediate jam only to get into a bigger debt problem further down the road and no longer having the option to consolidate.

If you know you aren’t disciplined enough to deal with the causes of your spending you are probably better off not consolidating your debt. That way you are forced to face your mess daily and by learning to pay off your high interest debt slowly you may eventually drill some sense into you and realize the futility of spending unwisely. It is only through changing your spending habits will you really benefit from a debt consolidation loan anyway so why not learn through managing your current debt mess than learn through a debt consolidation loan only to find that the mess has now gotten bigger.

At the end of the day you need to realize that there is nothing that is going to be a quick fix in life. While a debt consolidation loan makes logical sense, it is only going to be a temporary band-aid solution if you don’t get your spending in order.

November 13, 2009

Older Posts

Newer Posts