Justdebtfree

Dont let what happened to me, happen to you. Getting my finances in order required reading my credit card statements and repayment agreement closely. I discovered in the event of default, my credit card company had the right to increase the interest rate (which they had done). I thought default meant I must have submitted payment late or missed it completely (which I knew I didnt do). Upon closer inspection, I learned that one of the conditions of default was to exceed the monthly limit. I had a 5,000 credit limit, spent 6,000 one month, paid it in full the following month, but I was still considered in default on the entire 6,000. Dont let credit card companies trap you.

Along with the lowest savings rate in the industrial world, the United States had the highest consumption rate. We save the least and spend the most. Debt is the vehicle by which greater consumption is made possible. As the ratio of debt goes up, society adapts and says its OK. For example, as homes go up in value, many people refinance their homes to afford vacations, pay off credit cards, etc. This leads to big problems if you first dont learn how to curb your spending. I know many wealthy people that have played this game to their detriment. Instead of doing something wise with the money, too many people pull equity out of the house and use it to spend more, increasing debt. The stock market and real estate market dont solve the problem because we dont pause long enough to reap the benefit thats inherent in those boomswe just spend more and continue the cycle.

The power of the charge cardhow do you compare to the average American?
The average American has 11 credit cards, which is up from seven in 1989.
Credit cards in circulation have increased 34 percent.
Credit card transactions have gone up 55 percent.
The overall value of credit card transactions has increased 98 percent. We doubled what we spent with credit cards between 1988 and 1994

Whether you need money for bill consolidation, a new car or a vacation to Hawaii, there are many convenient providers that will tailor a loan with terms and payments appropriate for you. Here are some tips on How To Borrow Money from CitiFinancial.
It’s so easy. Apply Online Today!

Borrow Money Face-to-Face

Start with your own large financial services providers, set up a Face-to-Face meeting to discuss borrowing money. Shop around, you should meet with at least three loan providers to discuss loan terms and guarantees. Choose a lender like CitiFinancial that understands your needs and offers the right solution to balance your budget.

Borrow Money for Genuine Needs

Sure you can borrow money to gamble in Las Vegas, but is that a wise move for you and your family? Some genuine needs for borrowing money include bill consolidation, college or school tuition, extra cash for weddings, home repairs, personal loan for an emergency, refinance your house and that once in a lifetime vacation.

Magic Potion – Save Money Each Month

Theres no magic potion for saving money and paying off your debts. When you refinance or take a loan to consolidate your debts, draw up a monthly plan to pay off your credit cards, car repairs, home improvements and save money each month. After three months on a CitiFinancial budget, you will be used to it and this will solve you long term financial problems.

Loans & Lenders – Apply Online for Loans

Why waste another day? Apply today for the money you need from a quality lender such as CitiFinancial. Just list your assets and reason for the loan – home improvement, car, second mortgage, etc. You may borrow money through a home equity loan or personal loan tailor made for your needs. The lender may issue your loan within a few days.

Like most of general public, you may find that managing your money is an overwhelming task. But the consequences of not managing your money well can causes you to trap into financial crisis; when you are in the trap, more efforts and times are needed to get out from there.

With the enhancement for computer technology and many personal finance software have been released in the market, managing your money is no more a difficult task. The tough part is to get you started.

This article provides some information on how to get you started in managing your money. If you can’t do it all at least do more than you were doing, make progress. Then when that’s under control come back and add another chunk. Eventually you’ll have it all working for you.

The first step in managing your money is to figure out where you are at right now. To know this, you must list down all your ongoing expenses to a sheet of paper or into your personal finance system (if you are using a software application to manage your money). You may find that listing you ongoing expenses can be more difficult than it first seems; it is alright because everybody has the same feeling.

Ongoing Expenses

Try to list every pound you spent within the last twelve months. Can’t quite remember everything? Start with the ongoing monthly expenses then add in daily and weekly expenses like food and transportation. Then focus on non-regular expenses like haircuts, birthday expenses, and vacations. Write down as much as you can. Once you have a yearly total then divide by twelve to get your real monthly expenses.

Incomes

Then, list down all your source of incomes including your job, gifts, garage sales, and income tax refunds. Once you have a yearly income figure divide it by twelve and your will get your average monthly income.

Compare your monthly income with your monthly expenses. If you get a positive result, you should glad that you have money left for saving or for other investment purposes; else you are adding debt to yourself and effort should put in place to find extra money to pay down your debt while making sure your necessities are taken care of.

Debts

List down your existing debt your owe exclude all those ongoing expenses listed above. Be sure and include all credit cards, car loans, and home mortgages. Then, add-in the loan’s interest rates, your monthly payment and any ongoing fees, like annual credit card fees, and determine how long it will take you to pay them off and the total amount paid. You may be shocked to see the figures; but relax, knowing these figures now will help to have a better picture on your debt situation and get them under control.

Assets

Your house, cars, investments, bank accounts or even your cash in hand are all your assets. Assets are what your own, list them down and compare them against what you owe (debts).

Get rid of debt

Now that you have a better idea of where you are and where you are headed. There are many methods which you can implement to reduce your debt and eventually eliminate them and enjoy a debt-free life. Among the common methods are:

Debt Consolidation
Debt Consolidation Loan
Home Equity Loan
Credit Counseling

Investment

Once you have your debt under control. Next, you can start to build your wealth. This means you will have to invest it with the expectation of getting more money, returns. Your money must make more money. The safest investments have the lowest returns. The highest returns come with the highest risk. Learning how to balance your tolerance for risk and make your investment based on your risk profile.

In Summary

Effectively managing your money is the only real way to get ahead financially. You must know the flow of your money in order for you to manage it effectively toward a debt free life.

Unfortunately, many who acquire an unnecessary amount of consumer debt take the easy road and file bankruptcy to avoid their obligations. Reducing debts without bankruptcy protection is doable. However, this requires effort and persistence. Debts accumulate over years. Thus, it is unrealistic to expect a quick fix. There are many options for reducing debts and monthly payments. Here are a few tips on ways to lower debt payments and save money.

Reduce Interest Rate

Higher interest rates on credit cards and other types of debts will result in higher monthly payments. The key to saving money on debt payments is to negotiate a lower rate with creditors. If your credit rating is high, you may be able to do this without the help of a debt consolidation service.

Before an interest rate reduction occurs, creditors review credit reports. Be aware, this will show as an inquiry on your credit report. Credit inquiries can potentially reduce your credit score. If you have many credit accounts, it may help to only reduce the accounts with the highest rate.

Once the interest rate on credit cards is reduced, a large percentage of your monthly payments will be applied to the principle balance. This makes it possible to reduce debts at a faster rate.

Personal Debt Consolidation Loans

If getting a debt consolidation loan, you will in essence be reducing your interest rate on credit accounts. Again, obtaining lower rates is the easiest and most effective way of quickly reducing monthly debt payments. Various lenders offer debt consolidation to people with all credit types. In most cases, collateral is required for this type of loan.

Transfer Credit Balances to a Low Interest Credit Card

High interest credit cards make it harder for some to get out of debt. With this said, take advantage of low interest or 0% interest balance transfers. By transferring credit card balance to a low-rate card, you are able to save money and eliminate debt at the same time.

If using a balance transfer option, timely payments are essential. These credit card companies will penalize you for irregular payments. A late payment immediately validates an interest rate increase.

Debt counsellors

Debt management companies can offer an excellent service for large amounts of out of control debt. If you are having difficulties keeping up with any repayments, then do seek advice from a debt counsellor. They are professionals and know how the creditors work.

If you have your debt management plan accepted, a singular monthly payment is made to the debt management company, who in turn pay your respective creditors with monthly payments.

The monthly payments that the debt management company pays to the creditors, is negotiated on your behalf by the debt management counsellor. Negotiations are all to do with the amount of debt you are in, amounts you can afford and the term you have left. Most creditors have different policies for handling situations like this. Depending on the creditors terms and conditions and the counsellors negotiation skills, some credit agencies reduce and even freeze interest rates for the term of your loan, some companies extend the term interest free with a lower monthly payment. It really does depend on the creditors and there policies as to what deal you will receive.

A debt management programme can take a long time to clear any outstanding debt. However programs like this are often an excellent solution. Your debt is handled by professionals, this relives the stress of debt and gives you piece of mind knowing you have a professional taking care over your debt.

There are a couple of things you need to be wary of. Some debt management companies require a monthly fee which can be quite costly. Others require a one off start up fee. It is best to look into debt management companys policies before committing to a debt management plan. Charity based companies are usually the best http:www.cccs.co.uk offer a service for free. CCCS only use the interest from your monthly payment to your creditors as payment.

Bankruptcy

When an individual is deemed bankrupt, it means the individual has become insolvent. Personal insolvencies in England and Wales are dealt with usually under the Insolvency Act 1986. When the court is satisfied that there is absolutely no hope of the debt being paid, a bankruptcy order is issued on the petition of the debtor (which is you) or one or more of your creditors who are owed 750 or more.

The official receiver investigates the financial affairs of the debtor for the period before bankruptcy and is appointed to act as trustee from the date of the bankruptcy order until a trustee takes control.

Bankruptcy is by no means the best way of dealing with your debts. When an individual becomes bankrupt there are severe restrictions placed against a bankrupt person, for instance:

Acting as a director of a company, starting, managing or promoting a company without the consent of the court’s
Continuing to run a business in a different name from that for which the bankruptcy was made without informing all associates doing business with you
Obtaining credit of 250 or more without disclosing to the creditor, your bankruptcy

Upon bankruptcy all banks will be informed of your insolvency, bank accounts will be closed, all future assets lost, and all hire purchase items will be returned. In effect you will be left with nothing but the home you live in. However you will be debt free. Only as a last resort should you opt for bankruptcy. The ability to obtain a new bank account or any future credit will be considerably harder to achieve for a term of around 7 years.

Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVA)

An Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) is a legal process for UK residents with major debt problems. An IVA can be arranged with the help of professional insolvency practitioners.

An IVA can be effective at curing debt problems without many of the negative aspects that can be produced by bankruptcy. An IVA is an especially viable solution for those with equity to protect.

Depending on your circumstances, IVAs can write off a high percentage of your debt. If you keep up the arranged monthly payments, you can be debt free in as little as five years.

You the client agree to the details of an IVA with your creditors at a creditors’ meeting. A 75% majority vote, in favour of an IVA is needed for an agreement.

With an IVA you can avoid any legal actions, freeze all interest charges, remove CCJs and design a programme of manageable monthly payments based around what you can afford.

You also avoid the penalties associated with bankruptcy as mention earlier:

Acting as a director of a company, starting, managing or promoting a company without the consent of the court’s
Continuing to run a business in a different name from that for which the bankruptcy was made without informing all associates doing business with you
Obtaining credit of 250 or more without disclosing to the creditor, your bankruptcy

However, IVAs are usually only suitable for those with unsecured debts of at least 20,000.

Although an IVA protects you from the stigma of bankruptcy, where all details are advertised publicly. If your application for IVA fails, you could still be made bankrupt. You will also be charged for the cost of the IVA; however this would be added to the debts.