What Is Debt Consolidation? By Alan Lim At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Wallowing in debts? There’s relief! Read up on Debt Consolidation and find out how it can help you pay of your debts at lower interest rates! It’s your window to financial freedom!

The harsh reality of economies all around the world demands that people continue to live pay check by pay check and often on credit cards offered by credit cards companies and banks. Living with debt is a common trait of our society. In fact, most people have more than just one debt that they need to clear. It is this circumstance that has given birth to the idea of debt consolidation.

The basics

Simply put, debt consolidation is the process of taking one loan so that you may pay all of or at least some parts of your other existing loans. You can do this by first pulling together all the unsecured loans that you have and then creating a single loan out of it. To be granted that new loan as part of debt consolidation you need to place collateral with the lending institute and most commonly it’s the house which is mortgaged.

The advantage

The advantage of debt consolidation is that the interest rate can often be lower than the many interests you were previously paying. This is so because the lending institute already has collateral, such as a house and hence a very low risk of losing its money even if the borrower goes bankrupt.

Research and implement

These days, you can even go online to find a variety of online services that will help you calculate the interest after debt consolidation so you know in advance if it is worth it or not. In fact, offering a “low interest rate loan” after debt consolidation is also one of the most common email scams. But here are things you can do to ensure that debt consolidation will be a safe path for you.

For example, if you are a home owner then you can take out a home equity loan. The advantage of the home equity loan is that the interest on it is tax deductible and the interests are already low to begin with. These fixed rate loans run for 15 years and have some fees in the initial process. If a person has managed to maintain a fairly good credit history, then there is the possibility of qualifying for debt consolidation through credit unions. While the interest rates might still be high, chances are they will still be lower that what you may have been paying the credit card companies. And believe it or not, many customer service agents at credit card companies actually have the authority to even reduce interest rates when speaking with you just over the phone! So sometimes, asking nicely or negotiating a better interest rate just might do the trick.

However, debt consolidation is by no means a magic wand that can salvage you from your financial crisis. Often companies that claim to take care of all your debt problems at a lowered interest rate might not be the best option. So keep a sharp eye out for conditional or hidden fees. Just keep in mind that the best way to really cut down on your debts is to cut down on all extra and unnecessary expenses while trying to clear all your dues on time.

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