Friday, July 3, 2009

Credit Card Debt

Credit card debt takes many years to repay, especially if you only pay the minimum amount due each month. Credit card debt consolidation will be useful primarily because it offers a lower interest rate. If you opt to consolidate credit card debt, your minimum monthly dues will then be significantly lowered as well. Credit card debt is a huge problem for many American consumers.

Credit card debt is a major issue in a substantial percentage of consumer bankruptcies. Credit card debt is a plague that has stricken countless families. Paying off the excessive debt can stress your monthly cash flow but having too much debt can keep you from getting a good rate on a home mortgage or car loan. Credit card debt is destroying many Americans’ financial lives. Credit card sharks continue devouring us with outlandish interest rates of up to 24%.

Consumer advocates now advise debtors not to acknowledge old debts or debts they don't recognize as their own to avoid inadvertently re-setting the clock on the statute of limitations. In January, average debt on credit accounts and fixed-payment accounts such as auto loans climbed to $16,600, up from $15,500 last April, according to the credit reporting agency Experian. Consumers with this many cards are still in the minority, but experts say that the majority of U.S. It's true that credit cards have become important sources of identification -- if you want to rent a car, for example, you really need a major credit card.

Carrying credit card debt costs money. When you signed up for the credit card, you agreed to pay monthly finance charges to the credit card company for every $1 you didn’t pay before the grace period.

Fees can be similarly changed. Credit card companies also engage in a variety of other practices that most of us would agree are somewhat “shady.” Bankruptcy is not your only option! The result is a vicious cycle of borrowers being hit with higher interest rates, hair-trigger late fees and curtailed credit lines just when they need funds the most. Banks don’t need the government’s permission to write down losses. They can do that it already, but they want the government to change accounting rules so that writing down credit card losses is advantageous to the banks.

Free Credit card debt consolidation and dealing strictly in cash are two of the new the most common changes that people are making. Truthfully, the only free method of paying off your credit card debt is doing it on your own.

Actually, in order to get the benefits of having access to standby credit and receiving positive credit reports, it is important for you to learn how to get out of credit card debt. Actually, it’s a good idea to begin building an emergency fund while you’re going through your debt consolidation program. That way, you have some savings to fall back on in case of a financial emergency.

Consolidation isn't the only step though. You also have to find ways to reduce expenses or increase your income. Consolidation of all your credit card accounts and bills can be of great help in reducing the interests or fees that you pay on the different credit cards and loans. Debt consolidation can also bring down your monthly payments by almost 50 percent. Consolidate your debts onto one or two credit cards that have the lowest interest rates you can get (as far under 10% as possible). Bargain for those rates!

Secured credit cards can be a good first step to building or establishing your credit. From there, you can proceed to a guaranteed unsecured Visa or MasterCard.

Colleges then receive money, either in a lump sum, an amount for each completed application, or, in some cases, a percent of the amount charged by those possessing the cards. Credit card companies often are allowed to seek business on campus. College students may frequently encounter credit card offers on campus and in their everyday activities. Credit issuers offer cards to students through the mail, campus displays, and tables at athletic events, college publications, and flyers in bookstores.

Student loans, credit cards, car payments, rent-sometimes it seems like the whole system's conspiring to keep you broke. Mortgage lenders will pull a copy of your credit history and credit score when you apply for your loan, but they'll pull another one just before you close. You don't want to do anything, or buy anything, that will make your debt-to-income ratio look bad, or you risk losing your loan just before you close on your new home.

Gather your bills and clear a space at the kitchen table to line them up. Rank your cards from the lowest to the highest interest rate. Gather all of your credit cards and make a list. On the list write down the name of the card, what you owe, the current interest rate, and the phone number for each card.

Granted, we make a decent income to be able to pay over $2,000 extra per month to our debt (first our one car and then the credit cards), but we also live a fairly frugal lifestyle. Our frugal lifestyle doesn’t involve reusing paper towels or taking baths every third day. Granted the plan may result in some new jobs a few years down the road once the additional federal borrowing to pay for it works its way through the economy.

Perhaps the most infamous trick card issuers have employed in recent years is double-cycle billing. This basically set up consumers to pay newly acquired interest on balances they've already cleared from their card. Perhaps you're a loyal credit cardholder: is there some room to negotiate with your credit card company? It doesn't hurt to ask if they can work out a better rate for you.

Thank you for taking your time to read this article. Your comments on this article will be highly appreciated. To access hundreds of Gurmit’s articles please visit http://gurmittoor.blogspot.com.

Information shared here does not constitute financial, legal, or other professional advice, and no attorney-client or confidential relationship is or should be formed by use of the site. This article is intended to provide general information only and does not give advice which relates to your specific individual circumstances. Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Any link-listing or ad-listing on this site does not constitute any type of endorsement.

Gurmit loves travelling; he has been over 70 countries. He speaks fluent Cantonese, Polish, Hindi, Punjabi and English. Gurmit is an author, writer, insurance and mortgage expert. He frequently writes on various topics of interest to his readers. Gurmit Singh is a licensed mortgage expert with Dominion Lending Centres Mortgage Villa.

Gurmit Singh, mba
Mortgage Expert
M08009905
Dominion Lending Centres Mortgage Villa (11574)
Email:gurmit@gurmitsingh.ca
Website: http://www.gurmitsingh.ca

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