Credit Counseling: Helping You Navigate Through Your Credit Card Debt

Credit card debt is the number one form of debt for Americans and continues to swell even more every year. When economic times are tough credit cards get even more use and for items they would not normally be used for, like groceries and gas. When this happens you are paying interest on daily essentials and paying more for them down the line instead of using your credit cards for emergency or large purchases. When anything is charged on one of your credit cards it is subject to interest rates and often paid off at the minimum payment over a period of years. So, one tank of gas or one trip to the grocery store for a week’s worth of food will literally take you years to pay off!

Credit counseling is a form of debt management that allows you to meet with a trained and often certified debt specialists with information about all areas of debt management include debt consolidation and debt negotiation, who can take a look at your current credit card debt situation and advise you on the path through your credit card debt and to a brighter, more stress-free financial future.

Before you journey out to find a credit counselor, take the time to put together a list of all your credit card accounts with the following information included for each: creditor, creditor contact information, current balance, monthly payments and interest rate. This is the basic information about your account and can help with the process of planning to get rid of that debt. For this article, we will cover the two main forms of credit counseling and the other ideas surrounding it. These include debt consolidation and debt negotiation.

Debt consolidation is the form of debt management that allows you to request a loan that will be used to pay off all other, including credit card, accounts leaving you with only one loan with one monthly payment and one interest rate. This can often bring instant relief from harassing phone calls and letters and can lower your monthly payments and overall interest rates. These loans are available in secured and unsecured like other loans and this is decided by the level of borrowing power you have.

Debt negotiation is a form of debt management that allows you or a representative for you to contact your creditors and negotiate with them to lower monthly payments, interest rates or come to a settlement agreement to pay off the loan or account balance at a lower amount. This can be intimidating for many debtors to do, but with the help of a credit counselor the process can be rewarding and successful.

Credit counselors can also offer other credit card debt elimination services like helping you put together a smart pay off plan, plan for the better, smarter financial future and work with you on budgeting and sticking to a monthly budget. When considering the options of credit counseling and they can help you find the best way out from under credit card debt and help you avoid getting into the same situation in the future. Credit counseling does not have to be a hard experience with embarrassment and ridicule, it can be a light, supportive process with the right credit counselor and credit counseling services firms behind you.

Credit Clean Up: Paying Off Debt

Cleaning up your credit can seem a little daunting and overwhelming when you are first looking for a way out from under your debt. Before embarking on your journey of debt recovery there are some things you need to know to make the process easier and more successful. One of the key ways to cleaning up your credit is paying off your debt. A debt pay off plan is the best way to start working toward a future without debt. There are a few steps toward forming a debt pay off plan that can make the process a good one. Those steps are as follows and should be considered when putting together your pay off plan.

Step 1: The first things you need to do are a get a grasp on your level of debt and face it head on. You need to order and print them out. They can be ordered on the Equifax and other credit reporting agency web sites and then you can print them out. The reason printing them is the best way to handle it, is because you can then spread everything out in front of you and get a good look at the items on there. Also, pull all your recent statements and bills and put them on the table or work surface with your credit reports. If you are more about computers, then use Excel to create the following list and them formulate a cell for a grand total at the bottom or top of the list. The list should include the creditor, creditor contact information, due date, monthly payment, interest rate and current balance. Cross check the information you pull from your bill pile with that from your credit reports to make sure there are no doubles and that the information is the most up to date as possible.

Step 2: Next you need to highlight or star the accounts with the highest balances (top five) and the highest interest rates. These are your most detrimental accounts. These are the accounts you want to focus your extra money and attention on. Keep in mind though that you still need to pay the minimums on your other accounts while you are concentrating on the larger accounts one at a time. This will keep you from defaulting further and getting more into trouble.

Step 3: You should always attempt to negotiate and pay off companies if you have the resources to do so. If you have access to a lump sum or have close to the balance of any of the accounts, then you need to get on the phone and negotiate down the debt with them and offer them a settlement. This can get rid of a debt quickly while still saving you money. If some of your creditors are unwilling to budge on the balance than ask for a lower interest rate.

These are all ways to help you find the best way to pay off your debt and when used together can have the best success in forming a debt pay off plan that you can stick with and will find success with. Paying off debt is a big task and it will take tenacity and strive to see it through to the end, but when you get there the push and drive will be replaced by pride and relief and hopefully a renewed sense of respect for credit and the money you make.

Credit Clean Up: Dispute Incorrect Information from your Credit Report

When you are working to clean up your credit the job can seem overwhelming and too much to handle. To make it easier there are a few simple ways to go about the process that when used together form the best results and more peaceful you. One of the steps to the process of credit clean up is to inspect each of your credit reports and dispute any incorrect information you find. This is vital to not only maintaining good credit, but is also important when cleaning up your bad credit and preventing and catching identity theft. Ideally, you should purchase your credit reports once a year and go over them with a fine tooth comb and dispute anything you find to be incorrect.

There are three major credit reporting agencies Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. They all have a web site with ordering instructions on how to pay for and download or print your credit report. There are also sites that offer all three of the reports at once and other services as well. Be careful when considering these sites as they can be a little shady and want you to join as a member to receive their services or special prices. It’s best to stick with ordering and printing your reports straight from the source.

Once you have your credit reports take a few minutes to print each one and staple them together to keep them from getting mixed up. While, you will be going through them separately, you will want to compare the information between them as well to check for discrepancies. Once you have everything in order, find a comfortable place you can concentrate with a highlighter and a pen to mark things of question you find.

Generally, the credit report is separated into different categories starting with your personal information, residential information and employment information. Though the focus of a credit report is one the accounts, you need to look through these areas to check for name, address and employment errors because these could be a sign of identity theft. Next, move on to the accounts, collections, judgments and other sections you need to look for accounts that you have paid that are not marked as paid. Incorrect balances, accounts and other information. Not only do you need to mark the items you feel are incorrect, but then you will need to go through your financial records to find receipts and other levels of proof to show the information is incorrect. This is your burden to prove the information on the reports are not correct and you may need to contact the companies the accounts are through to try and find out their side of it too, in order to get the information changed to reflect the right information.

At the end of all credit reports is the dispute information and procedures that each credit reporting agency uses. Make sure to following them down to the exact letter in order to keep your claim from getting thrown out. The creditors have a time frame to look over the dispute and have up to ninety days to make the change and then the credit reporting agency can make the change or take action for you. It does take some time to get wrong information corrected, but the time is well worth it and you could be saving your self money and interest rates in the future.

Credit Counseling: Find a Positive Way to Handle Student Loan Debt

Student loan debt can be an intimidating and sometimes sudden thing to face, but with the right tactics and actions you can find a way out from under your imposing student loan debt and work toward a brighter financial future. School loans often come to the surface right after graduate and put a damper on your feeling of elation and accomplishment, now you are not only faced with starting a new life on your own and finding a job, but also paying back all the money you borrowed over the time of your academic career. If you had to drop out of school, you are also hit with the same realization, though there are deferment options for extreme situations, like medical illness and others.

If you are considering the options of debt management that work the best for school loans and debts, credit counseling can help you find the answers you need. Credit counseling companies are abundant and often offer services for free or little cost, depending on your financial obligations and reality. Many credit counseling organizations are non-profit offering services and help for free. Credit counselors are often trained well in the different areas of debt consolidation, debt negotiation, credit repair and planning for a successful financial future. They should also have a vast knowledgeable about the world of school loans and the different tactics that can be used to help pay them down or offer settlement options to your creditors.

Before you start looking for a credit counseling firm it’s important to get a straight shot look at your student loan debt. This means making a list of all your loans with the following information: creditor, creditor contact information, current balance, interest rate, current or proposed monthly payments and any other pertinent information you may need to assess your debt. Then total it all up. This may be difficult and bring you into a shattering reality, but you need to know the depth of your debt to ensure you find the right credit counselor for your situation.

When considering a credit counseling company or organization it’s important to do a little homework and make sure you are working with a credible firm before sharing any financial information or signing a contract with them. You can do this by starting with the company’s web site you are most interested in. Look for displayed certifications, contact information, staff qualifications and information, services offered, potential fees and real customer testimonials. They should also have a physical address listed and have a professional looking site that is easy to navigate and not trying to sell you products or unrelated services.

For the first meeting, make sure you take your list and full information on the school loans you are wanting to work with and an open mind. A credit counselor should look over everything with you and share with you what they think would be the best course of action, however they must also share with you all other options you have and how to go about those options if you are interested in any of them. Some of the most popular options are debt negotiation where you can negotiate a settlement offer and pay off a loan at a lower price than the current balance. You can also negotiate down the interest rate or monthly payment if need be. Credit counselors have experience with this and may offer this as a service for you, to help relieve the stress you are facing with your student loans.

Debt consolidation should also be an option they offer and share with you. This involves offering you a loan that will cover all your other loans, paying them off and leaving you with only one loan with one monthly payment and one interest rate. This can offer immediate relief to your credit report and score as well as stop any harassing phone calls or letters you may be dealing with.

Regardless, of the credit counseling services you decide to go with or the company you work with, you should keep an open mind and discerning eye. This will help you find credible, solid help in dealing with your student loan debt and help you on your way to a more secure financial future.

Credit Clean Up: Make a Plan for the Future

Credit clean up can be a daunting task, especially when you have no idea which direction to go. Once you have taken on the task of paying off debt, adding good accounts and disputing the incorrect information on your credit report the time has come to set a plan into action for the future to avoid getting yourself into the same financial mess. A plan can be a simple as giving yourself some ground rules around spending and money management, or as intense as hiring a money manager or freezing your credit cards. You need to think about the methods it will take to get you into a habit and practice of spending smart and efficiently.

Money should be respected, after all you work hard for it and you should be able to enjoy life with it, within reason. Many people find themselves living above their means and often have such a hard time reeling back in after a financial crisis, but planning for the future does not have to mean depriving yourself of all the things you love or time out with your friends, in fact it shouldn’t. Like with dieting, if you deprive yourself you are more prone to failure than if you just learn a more healthy approach.

While, you were working through your debt pay off plan and other aspects of debt management there should have been a period of time when you kept track of your daily spending to see where you money was going and how you could conserve and pull from that to pay off the debt. You should pull this list out now and take a look at it in a different light. Before you were living from the list, taking everything for granted and during your pay off time you were living without any extras and in complete deprivation, now is the time to find balance. Through the time of depravity you should have build a more solid sense of what is important and what is not. Do you really need to spend $7 a day on an iced mocha when you are trying to lose weight? No way, you are sabotaging yourself and wasting money. Even if you don’t drink coffee, you understand the point. Go back through the list and star the things that were unnecessary and that you have learned to live without and highlight the little things you missed. If the items you missed are still hard on your monthly budget then look for ways to cut them down a bit. If you can’t live without a salon visit for hair and nails, instead of going once a week, go once every two weeks instead. Stylists and nail technician all know ways to make your cut and manicure last longer. Take advantage of this and save a little money.

Now, that you know what areas you can survive without and how to make your money stretch so that you are living within your means, you can relax a little and continue on your journey toward a brighter financial future. With a few little changes and some self discipline you can find a way to start new healthy spending habits and get rid of the old. This will round out your credit clean up work and help you to avoid falling into the same situation in the future. Plus, wouldn’t it be great to save for that dream vacation?

Do you know what you need to know for Credit Repair?

Credit Clean Up: Add Starter Accounts

Credit clean up can be a difficult thing to do, but if you take the right steps toward cleaning up your credit you can be on your way to a brighter, more secure financial future. One of the best ways to work on building a strong financial future during your credit clean up process is to add or refine the starter or good accounts you currently have. Starter accounts are those smaller credit or loan accounts that people with no credit are usually able to get in order to start building credit. These are often in the form of jewelry, store accounts and tool accounts. They are smaller in limit and don’t require the high level of credit that other loans, like credit cards and home loans, do. These are good accounts not only for those just starting out in their credit journey, for also for those recovering from bankruptcy and other financial set backs.

If you already have some of these accounts, you need to take a hard look at them and make sure they are not in trouble. If they are, you need to do what it takes to get them current and the balance paid. While, some accounts on your credit report you will want to close as you pay them off, like high interest rate credit cards, starter accounts you should leave open. The open, active account with a current paid balance will reflect positively on your credit report and through your credit score. You do want to use them occasionally to keep them active and in good standing, but don’t go crazy or charge more than you can pay off in a month or two. These accounts generally have lower interest and small monthly payments, but don’t let the small payments entice you into getting in over your head. If it’s a jewelry account, buy your loved one some $100 earrings for a gift and pay it off within the next thirty days. This will show you can use the account responsibly and show future lenders you can handle a loan and the responsibility that goes with it.

If you have no starter accounts, then take the time to look for one that will fit well with your current credit situation and your spending habits. If you love tools, then a Sears card should NOT be your first choice because of the temptation to max the card out and get into trouble. Instead, go for something you are only likely to use occasionally and work within the same guidelines as mentioned above when using the account. Some of the store cards have gotten more stringent in their guidelines and you may meet some resistance when looking for one. Try not to go to every store there is and apply for a card because the more times your credit is checked in a short period of time the worse it looks on your credit report and could cause the reporting agencies to think there is some form of identity theft going on.

Starter accounts are a great way to build your credit and help it recover from hard times. Take the time to research the types of starter accounts available and open only one or two and stick within the parameters listed for the best results. Changing your spending habits can be hard, but the benefits for the future are many.