Your One Stop Resource for Saving Money.
Ruther Associates Debt Review - The Bills.com Blog
Bills.com Blog > Debthelp Questions > Ruther Associates Debt Review
Ruther Associates Debt Review
Question: Have you heard of Ruther Associates for debt help? I am looking to get out of $50,000 of debt & need advice.
Answer: I haven't heard about Ruther & Associates, but quickly scanning their website they look like a debt resolution strategy that negotiates settlements on your debts.
If you have $50,000 in debt and you want a free quote from one of Bills.com's approved providers, you can apply fora free quote here:
Free Debt Relief Savings Quote
If you want some more info, not specifically about Ruther & Associates, but about debt resolution options, I'll try to give you some color on your options... but before you do anything, make sure that you do your homework and pick a good firm.
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 - and once you pick the right program, pick the right company.
Debt Settlement
It looks like what you are contemplating with Ruther, is Debt settlement, also called debt negotiation. This is a form of 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, getting collection calls, the possibility of a lawsuit versus saving money and a low payment that gets you debt free relative quickly.
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 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 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.
We have done a thorough review here of one of the larger debt settlement firms: http://www.bills.com/freedomdebtrelief
I hope the information provided helps you Find. Learn. Save.
Best,
Bill
www.bills.com
Also, make sure to get a free financial health check-up with Bills IQ!
Submit questions/comments about this post:
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!
© 2006 - 2008Bills.com LLC. All Rights Reserved.