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Consolidate My Bills

Question: I need to consolidate my bills, but cannot refinance. i need another kind of loan. what can i do?

Answer: I can think of a several possible solutions to your problem, depending on how old the debts are, your financial situation and how much money you can afford to allocate to your debts on a monthly basis. If you follow the links below, I can put you in contactwith a company that may be able to assist you in resolving these debts.

Very quickly, if you want a free debt consultation with one of Bill's approved debt help partners, click here: http://www.bills.com/debthelp/debt/

First, you may be able to obtain an unsecured consolidation loan, which is basically an unsecured personal loan used to repay your other debts. The problem with this type of loan is that, unless you have very good credit, the interest rate charged for an unsecured consolidation loan may actually be more than you are currently paying for your other bills. I encourage you to visit the Bills.com Debt Consolidation Resources page at http://www.bills.com/debt-consolidation/ to read about the various debt consolidation options available to consumers and how an unsecured debt consolidation loan may be able to assist you.

Another option to consider is a Consumer Credit Counseling Service, or CCCS. CCCS companies offer numerous services, such

as financial counseling and budget planning, as well as Debt Management Plans (DMPs). In a DMP, the CCCS would arrange a new payment amount with each of your creditors, usually based on a reduced interest rate. You would then make a single monthly payment to the CCCS which would distribute the funds to your creditors, based on the new payment amounts. There are several drawbacks to CCCS, though. First, depending on your creditors, it may not be able to reduce your monthly payments enough to improve your financial situation. Second, it may have a negative impact on your ability to obtain a loan, so you may not wish to enter into a DMP if you anticipate any large purchases, such as home or an auto, in the near future. Third, the average DMP takes around five years to pay off your debts, so you must be willing and able to commit to a long-term repayment plan.

You may also want to consider the services offered by debt settlement firms. Rather than making monthly payments to your creditors, these programs negotiate lump sum settlements with your creditors, frequently

reducing your debts by 50% to 60% of your principal balances. These programs usually take only 2-3 years to complete, so this is a good option for many people to rid themselves of debt in a relatively speedy manner. In many cases they can also reduce your monthly payment toward your debt. There is one major drawback to debt settlement programs, though–they will significantly damage your credit while in the program and for at least a year or two afterwards. However, if you are currently unable to afford to pay your creditors, the hit to your credit may be worth the benefit of ridding yourself of credit card debt.

Depending on your income and the type and amount of debt, one of the several options I have described above may be able to help you. I encourage you to explore the Bills.com website, http://www.bills.com/debthelp/ to read more about these and other options available to you.

I hope this information helps you Find. Learn. Save.

Good Luck,
Bill
www.bills.com

Also, make sure to get a free financial health check-up with Bills IQ!

User Comments

1. Posted by Mia Turner on Thursday 4th October 2007 09:10

need to consoildate current bills mortage,sears, merrick bank.

2. Posted by Bill on Thursday 4th October 2007 10:50

First, if you own a home, a secured debt consolidation loan may be right for you. This type of loan is essentially a home equity loan which is used to pay off your other creditors. Secured consolidation loans help many consumers by consolidating all of their debts into a single monthly payment with a lower interest rate and payment amount. You may even be able to include your auto loan in a consolidation. However, be careful before you borrow money against your home to pay off credit cards and personal loans; you are converting what was previously unsecured debt into secured debt. This could cause you problems down the road if for some reason you are unable to make your payments, or if life circumstances force you to file bankruptcy, as you may not be able to discharge the secured debt as you would unsecured debt. However, secured debt consolidation loans work for many people, so this is an option to consider carefully–the Bills.com Savings Center, which you will find at the top of most pages on Bills.com, is a great resource to help you find a lender for this type of loan. Bills.com makes it easy to compare mortgage offers and different loan types, if you do own a home and can refinance. Please visit the loan page and find a loan that meets your needs at: http://www.bills.com/mortage/refinance Now for non-loan type of debt help options, it is very important to know that debt consolidation comes in many forms, so it is important that each consumer reflects on what their needs and concerns and financial situation is before signing up for an online debt consolidation program. The four primary concerns for most consumers are: i) monthly payment, ii) time to debt freedom, iii) total cost, and iv) the credit rating impact of the consolidation program. Be sure to evaluate each program, relative to your prioritization of these factors. Since there are a variety of online debt consolidation options, including credit counseling, debt negotiation/debt settlement, a debt consolidation loan, and other debt resolution options, it is important to fully understand each option and then pick the solution that is right for you. Credit Counseling Credit counseling, or signing up for a debt management plan, is a very common form of online debt consolidation. There are many companies offering online credit counseling, which is essentially a way to make one payment directly to the credit counseling agency, which then distributes that payment to your creditors. Most times, a credit counseling agency will be able to lower your monthly payments by getting interest rate concessions from your lenders or creditors. It is important to understand that in a credit counseling program, you are still repaying 100% of your debts – but with lower monthly payments. On average, most online credit counseling programs take around five years. While most credit counseling programs do not impact your FICO score, being enrolled in a credit counseling debt management plan DOES show up on your credit report… and, unfortunately, many lenders look at enrollment in credit counseling akin to filing for Chapter 13 Bankruptcy – or using a third party to re-organize your debts. Debt Settlement Debt settlement, also called debt negotiation, is a form of online debt consolidation that cuts your total debt, sometimes over 50%, with lower monthly payments. Debt settlement programs typically run around three years. It is important to keep in mind, however, that during the life of your debt settlement program, you are NOT paying your creditors. This means that a debt settlement solution of online debt consolidation will negatively impact your credit rating. Your credit rating will not be good, at a minimum, for the term of your debt settlement program. However, debt settlement is usually the fastest and cheapest way to debt freedom, with a low monthly payment, while avoiding Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. The trade-off here is a negative credit rating versus saving money. Debt Consolidation Loan Many people think first of a debt consolidation loan when seeking online debt consolidation. This option typically means a second home loan (or home equity line of credit) or refinancing your primary mortgage. In a debt consolidation loan, you exchange one loan for another. The most frequent form is taking out a mortgage loan, which carries a lower interest rate and is tax deductible, to pay off high interest rate credit card debt. It is important to be aware that shifting unsecured debt to secured debt can create a volatile situation, if there is ever a chance that you cannot afford the new mortgage payment you are now putting yourself at risk of foreclosure! In the case of a debt consolidation loan, most mortgages are 30 year loan, which means that the total cost and the time to debt freedom could be very high… but the monthly payment will be lower than other options and there is no credit rating impact. Net-net: while there are many forms of online debt consolidation, many people with good to perfect credit who own homes should look into debt consolidation loans, while consumers with high credit card debt and poor credit may want to explore debt settlement or debt negotiation. However, each consumer is different, so find the online debt consolidation option that fits for you. Bills.com makes it easy for you to apply for the best solution that meets your needs, by following this link: https://www.bills.com/debthelp/debt

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Bill has answered all sorts of questions and has been able to provide those in need of financial guidance with helpful and valuable advice and information on their specific financial area of interest. If you need specific guidance on any of the above mentioned financial areas, feel free to Ask Bill your financial questions and get better informed. Also, make sure to get a free financial health check-up with Bills IQ!

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