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Having a large debt problem can be stressful. The stress of meeting minimum repayments can have adverse affects on both your business and private life. Indeed, financial problems of often a primary cause of relationship breakdowns and poor performance at work. Divorce, separation or a sacking from work can only exacerbate the problems. Then there is the phone calls from debt collection agencies or creditors that can add to the stress. So what can you do to avoid getting into a situation like this ? There are a few options open to you when you have debt problems.

Bankruptcy is often seen as an effective way to deal with large debt that has got out of control. However, it should really be seen as a last resort in a process that should start with talking with your creditors. Bankruptcy laws have changed making it harder to be eligible for a chapter 7 liquidation bankruptcy that clears debts. So bankruptcy may not be the solution to your problems. This article will deal with debt negotiation principles when it comes to talking to your creditors.

You may be quite apprehensive about contacting a creditor or debt collection agency about a debt that you owe them. The best way to overcome this fear is to get informed about the laws and practices of the debt negotiation process. This is the case when it comes to debt collection agencies contacting you as this can be stressful and invasive. There are strict laws governing the conduct of debt collection agencies. This is detailed by the Federal Trade Commission. Their website goes into great detail on the subject. If you feel that a debt collector has violated these laws in their dealing with you then you can contact the Federal Trade Commission.

Debt collection agencies are generally pretty impersonal but determined to get you to pay the outstanding debt. In most cases this is because they are paid per result. This means they may be tempted to resort to underhand tactics. By knowing your rights in a situation like this you can ensure that they do not try anything on.

The next thing to consider is your personal financial details. You need to know how much debt you owe. How this debt breaks down in terms of original debt and interest payments. You also need to work out how much you earn each month and how much money you have available to pay off the debt after essential expenses have been deducted. Basically, you need to get a firm understanding of what is a workable settlement or payment plan in the negotiation process. If you are not well versed in these facts and figures you won’t be able to negotiate effectively.

When you know how much money you have to play with, always negotiate to pay less than this amount.

Take notes, save all written correspondence and even tape meetings or telephone conversations that you have with debt collectors. Notify them that you will be taping the conversation. If you come to any agreement, make sure that the agreement is written down.

Never be pressured by debt collectors. If you can’t afford to pay off a debt on their time line then you can’t do it. It’s that simple. Also, If a settlement is agreed to, ask them to amend any of the information they may have put on your credit report. This should limit the impact on your credit score.

Credit cards are very useful and most of us do rely on them at some stage. With so many available we tend to only look at the balance transfer and purchase rates but there are a lot of hidden charges that you need to be aware of.Balance Transfer Fee - if you plan to start transferring balances to your new card check the fee first. If, for example, the transfer fee is 2.5% then work out how much this will cost you i.e. a transfer of $5000 might cost an additional $125.

Late Fees - credit cards must be repaid on a monthly basis even if it’s only the minimum amount. Many banks now charge a fee if this payment is late. Always check the date your payments are due, make sure you leave enough time for your payment to reach the credit card company and clear from your bank. Depending on your method of payment these times will vary, even payments made from online banking services may take several days to clear. Setting up a direct debit for the minimum card repayment amount each month is the safest way to avoid late fees and charges.

Important - many people are unaware of the clause that exists in some credit card companies term and conditions. If you miss just 1 payment on your card you may find that great 0% deal you just signed up for has been ended prematurely by the credit card company for breach of it’s terms and conditions.

There can be many reasons for missing a payment, a simply mix up at your bank, a postal strike delayed your cheque or you genuinely forgot to make the payment, whatever the reason the credit card company will still turn off your 0% deal.

Over Limit Fees - your card will be sent to you with a specific credit limit. If, through balance transfers and purchases, you go over this limit then a fee may be imposed. You can also find promotional rates turned off for breaking this term and condition.

Not Using Your Card - can you believe that some banks will actually impose a fee if you don’t use your card? So the days of holding a couple of cards with no balances ‘just in case’ you may need them could be nearing an end. Check with the credit card provider before you apply, often this is called a service fee, account fee or dormant fee.

APR Rates Explained - The APR rate (Annual Percentage Rate) of a credit card is very important because it helps you compare the repayment cost of credit cards against one another. Usually, the higher the APR on a credit card, the more you’ll have to repay on any sum of money you have borrowed (assuming that all other things are equal) e.g. a credit card with an APR of 13.9% is going to cost you more than one with an APR of 9.9% over the same period of time.

The APR does not include all the costs of a credit card, for example, late fees or over limit fees, but it tells you about the most important one. If you are looking around for a new credit card you usually want a card with the lowest APR rate possible. This is only one factor to take into account though. A credit card may have a low APR but if carries a service fee, late payment penalties or high cash withdrawal fees then this may effect how much you are being charged overall.

When you decided to create a budget, it can be frustrating to find that it is hard to create and even harder sticking to it. Sometime due to over sight, we may have made an unnecessary and expensive purchase that caused us to be disheartened and gave up the budget all together.However giving up is not the way and the answer, rather you should change and learn from it and improved further on the budget. In fact a budget is a great way to keep track of your family’s expenditures and help you to identify it there are ways to reduce expenses and increase savings.

Here are the five steps to create a no frill family budget. Hopefully they make your budgeting job easier.

1.  Gather three months of your income details and calculate your average monthly income.

2.  Next, gather your three months of your monthly bills. Do this for the fixed expenses like the rent, phone bill, car payments and other loans that are monthly. Then add them up and get the average. Do the same for other expenses like groceries and credit card bills.

3.  Review the results of your calculations. Do a detail review of your average monthly earnings against your monthly fixed expenses and other monthly expenses. And at the same time think of some ways to economize. Cut back on some items if necessary.

4.  Once you know how much income and expenses you have, you can then develop a family budget. Do your best to stick to it every month.

5.  And when you have a monthly budget, set up a savings account. This account is where you make regular deposits. Even if you can only save a few dollars from each paycheck, it is very important to start developing good saving habits.

The above are 5 basic steps that you can use in developing and implementing a no frill, easy to stick to family budget. However do take note that each family has different needs and wants. What’s important to keep in mind is that you have the freedom to set up a budget that suits your family’s situation.

Credit scores are designed to measure the risk of default by taking into account various factors in a person’s financial history. Credit scoring is often used in determining prices for auto and homeowner insurance as well. Lenders, such as banks and credit card companies, use credit scores to evaluate the potential risk posed by lending money to consumers and to mitigate losses due to bad debt. Using credit scores, lenders determine who qualifies for a loan, at what interest rate, and to what credit limits.

In the United States, a credit score is a number that is based on a statistical analysis of a person’s credit report, and is used to represent the creditworthiness of that person–the likelihood that the person will pay his or her debts. In the case of insurance companies, the likelihood that the person will pay his or her debts directly correlates with their likelihood of filing a claim against their insurance policy. People with lower credit scores have a greater history of filing claims according to an overwhelming amount of research and statistics done over the past 15 years or so.

The theory is that when times are tough smaller less relevant claims are now getting submitted to the insurance company, also claims are padded to look bigger so people can get a little extra cash from their company. A credit score is primarily based on credit report information, typically from the three major credit bureaus. Although the Fair Isaac Corporation develops these credit score versions for the different agencies (known as FICO scores), they are different numbers, and are periodically updated to reflect current consumer loan repayment rates. Recently, some of the agencies that generate credit scores have also been generating more specialized insurance scores, which insurance companies then use to rate the quality of potential customers as I mentioned before.

Understanding your credit score is the first step to improving it and making it work in your favor instead of against you. With an improved credit score, lower expenses,proper asset and identity protection, and maybe some extra income on the side; all of which I will discuss in future posts, you can eliminate your debt completely in a few years (not a joke) and live a less stressful life. Here are some tips on improving your credit score relatively quickly:

Payment History - Your monthly bills consist of expenses and debt. The debt is loans such as credit cards, car payments, mortgages, etc. You must make sure your debt is paid on time every month. Any history of late payments (including missed payments and derogatory payment statuses) is a negative factor. No reported history of payments on any account is also negative because lenders cannot tell whether you paid on time or were late. Some cases of late payments are worse than others. If you have not been late with any payments recently, lenders may think you are responsible and do not (or will no longer) miss payments. Lenders realize that many people occasionally pay late. Therefore, being late with a single payment is typically not as harmful as being late with two or more consecutive payments. Similarly, being late on many accounts is typically worse than being late on one. Also, lenders may view late payments as a more serious problem if you have collection accounts or negative public records such as bankruptcies or court judgments. These types of credit records indicate a pattern of credit problems.

Debt To Credit Limit Ratio - Having accounts with a high credit limit or loan amount is a positive factor, because it indicates to a lender that other lenders have trusted you with a lot of credit in the past. On the other hand, having accounts with low credit limits or loan amounts is a negative factor. It may suggest that your credit reports contained information that was of concern to lenders at the time they determined your credit limits or loan amounts. Finally, having no accounts with a reported credit limit or loan amount is a negative factor because lenders cannot evaluate how much other lenders have trusted you with credit so far. It might be beneficial to close the lower limit accounts and ask for higher limits on your preferred accounts.

Activity - Having accounts listed in your credit reports is a positive factor because the payment history of these accounts shows lenders how well you pay your bills. Therefore, having too few accounts or too few open accounts may be considered negative. However, having too many accounts or adding new accounts too quickly may also be considered negative because lenders worry that you are spending (or preparing to spend) beyond your means, even if you have never been late with any payments. Note that closing accounts will not change this. Also, if you do not currently have credit, getting your first few credit cards may be difficult and may involve high fees, high interest rates, and low credit limits. Note that accounts from personal finance companies (which specialize in lending to people with credit problems) may be considered negative.

Revolving Credit Balances - High balances are a negative factor because lenders worry that you are living beyond your means and may not be able to repay them. This is particularly true for credit cards. For installment loans such as mortgages and auto loans, lenders often use the proportion of the loan that is still unpaid to judge your ability to take on new debt. If very little of your installment loan balances have been repaid, lenders may not give you more credit that could add to your debt. In general, lenders evaluate how much you owe (your debt) in relation to how much you earn (your income). However, no matter how high your income, having a lot of debt may lower your credit scores because lenders know that adverse changes in your employment and life events such as divorce or illness may make it hard to pay your bills. Low balances, on the other hand, are a positive factor because lenders do not stand to lose as much if you become unable to repay them. However, not using your credit accounts may be considered a negative factor, because it does not provide lenders with information about how you typically use credit and repay your debts.

Applying For Credit - Applying for credit many times within a short period can lower your credit scores. When you apply for any type of credit (such as an auto loan, credit card, department store card, or mortgage), the lender considering your credit application checks your credit history. This is recorded in your credit reports as a “hard inquiry.” Although inquiries are an unavoidable result of applying for credit, lenders dislike seeing many inquiries within a short period (such as 6 months). This is because they cannot tell whether you are “shopping” for the best offer or if you are desperately trying to get credit because of financial trouble. Therefore, try to limit your comparison to a small number of lenders when “shopping” for the best offer.

In summary, it is quite easy to improve your credit score by 30-50 points in just a three month period. This could be difference between paying 25% more or less on your car insurance, or getting a credit card or mortgage with rates of 3-5% higher or lower. These little differences will most definitely affect your ability to get ahead of the game. People that pay more for insurances and have higher interest rates on their loans will never become debt free or get out from under it all.

The Differences between Debt Reduction and Credit Card Consolidation

Using credit cards to consolidate your debts is not as effective as debt reduction. Credit cards often have high rates of interest, and will often lead you into deeper debts. In fact, credit cards are one of the leading causes that debtors seek out debt consolidation solutions.

Debt reduction means that you are working to decrease your bills, not add or keep the bills in existence by using another source to pay off the debt. Therefore, instead of considering credit cards as a source for debt consolidation, you must find a way to reduce your debts.

Let’s say you owe money for your mortgage, car payments, insurance, utilities, and other bills that add up to $1200 per month. Now, is there a way we can reduce this amount? Absolutely, but can we find a mortgage that will refinance our loan and help us to combine our monthly bills into one payment?

Yes. There are loans available that offer cash back, underpayment, and overpayment plans; as well as loans that will wrap your bills into one, combining the bills and adding them to your monthly installment.

Do not misinterpret this: your utilities are your responsibility, but for the most part, your car payment, mortgage, and any credit cards or other loans will be rolled into one monthly payment. Therefore, if you’re paying out of the $1200 up to $800 per month toward car payments and mortgage, you may find a lender who will reduce this amount to $600 more or less per month.

Furthermore, if you land a loan that offers cash back, you can use this money to payoff your debts.

Finally, utilities can be reserved and grocery bills can be reduced. In addition, insurance coverage can also be reduced. Therefore, debt reduction is wiser than credit card debt consolidation in the long run.