Google

Debt Management Systems


What is a debt management system, and when do you need it? Like any kind of management system, debt help systems can be good or bad. We will take a look at what you can do to manage your debt better. One element is paying off debt, but that's not the only one. It is much more than paying off your credit cards, and doesn't end when you pay off your mortgage or car loan either. You have to make a system of good money management, and follow this system in your daily life. Here are the key elements in such a system:

Make a budget

The purpose of making a budget is to keep track of the money that comes in and get's out of your economy. This is basic in every financial system and absolutely necessary to stay on track. Unfortunately too few people are actually doing this and many are even living above their means. Approximately 10 percent of the American people spends 10 percent more than they make each month. If this can be called a system for managing debt, it's indeed a bad one.

Follow your budget

Now, it's necessary and great to make a budget. But you'll also have to follow it. There's no meaning in using time and effort on making it, if it's only function is to stay in a drawer.

The first symptom of not following it is experiencing a growing need for debt relief. As soon as you eventually see this, you must put all your effort in getting back on track. This might take a bit of time, but it's absolutely obtainable.

What to do if you get off track

If you for some reason do not follow the budget you have made, you need to find a program that can help you get back on track again.

There are many such programs that can help you obtain debt relief. What such programs have in common are that they

The criteria for chosing a plan is that it must be realistic with regard to the time it will take to bring you back on track. If you make goals that are too high, you are setting yourself up to fail, which means a big risk of falling back into your old habits. The average length of a credit-counseling program for example, can range from four to six years.

Credit counseling

This kind of program for managing your debt, is to create a realistic budget, adjusted to the new financial situation you are in right now. Counselors are professionals, who teach their clients good money management. You can also get help to reorganize your debt payments. This is done by consolidating all your monthly payments into one. You don't have to pay each creditor bill by bill. The various payments are automatically distributed to all of your creditors, from this single payment. This normally means decreased interest rates and no over the limit or charging late fees.

Loan consolidation

Loan consolidation programs have much in common with the type of program described above. The main difference here is that all your debt is consolidated into one loan, which usually has a low interest rate.

Debt negotiation

This kind of program is also called debt settlement. The main element in this way to manage your debt is to outsource your problems to a debt negotiation firm, which negotiate with your creditors to reduce the total principal of your debt. The main difference from counselling is that your amount of debt are modified, not the interest rates.

This is the most radical program and is probably the quickest way to debt relief there is. In USA the average length of a such a program is three years.

Terje Brooks Ellingsen is a writer and internet publisher. He runs the website 1st-In-Loan.net Terje gives advice and helps people with personal financial issues like getting out of debt and debt consolidation

MORE RESOURCES:

RELATED ARTICLES

Fast Track Out of Debt
You go to the mail box and scan - a couple fliers (nah), your magazine subscription (yes!) and bills (groan). Every month the bills show up and as you sigh and take out your check book you wonder if you will ever be free.
Utah, the Nation's Bankruptcy Capital
Congress recently passed the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act, designed to minimize frivolous bankruptcy filings and to require debtors to repay some of their debt. Once it takes effect in October, 2005, the law will make it harder for those with problem debt to have their debt wiped away by the courts.
Debt Relief with this Simple Formula
Is there a way to get out of debt without getting a second job or having to increase your income in some way? Can the average person take his or her current income and pay off his or her bills in a matter of a few years, including the car and mortgage payments?The answer is YES!!! You can do it without having to cut out all of your fun and extra-curricular activities as well. Now, you may need to cut down on going to the movies or going out to eat, but you will not have to stop altogether.
British Families and Debt
There is current concern from the Bank of England that British families are getting deeper into debt, however, it has been said that lenders are putting themselves at risk because people are now more willing to make themselves bankrupt.Despite people already having significant amounts of debt, credit card companies are still prepared to lend these people money.
New Bankruptcy Law - Targeting the Wrong People?
Last April, President Bush enthusiastically signed into law the oddly-named Bankruptcy Abuse and Consumer Protection Act. This bill, representing the biggest overhaul of bankruptcy law in twenty-five years, was written in order to discourage "bankruptcy of convenience.
Tips For Saving Money
Still living from pay to pay? Or envying those great wealth accumulators and wondering how they did it? Every month you make a resolution of saving some dollars from your paycheck, but only end up breaking it. Looking for some magic formula for saving money?Well, there’s no magic formula—only some simple rules to be followed with determination and persistence.
Worried About Debts?
Having trouble paying your bills? Getting dunning notices from creditors? Are your accounts being turned over to debt collectors? Are you worried about losing your home or your car?You're not alone. Many people face a financial crisis some time in their lives.
Bankruptcy - Is It The Right Choice For You?
Bankruptcy is one of the tougher choices we as adults face in today's society where it is the norm to be in debt, albeit some more so than others. Credit card offers materialize whether you are looking for credit or not.
Credit Counseling or Bankruptcy: Which is Best for You?
People often get to a place where they simply can't pay their bills, especially in today's economy which is not particularly sympathetic toward the poor or even the middle class. Inflation has impacted nearly every facet of daily life including food, gas, rent, clothes, utility bills and more.
Help for the Single Mother with Managing Credit and Debt
Today's consumers benefit drastically from the usefulness of credit. Credit cards are especially useful for large purchases, emergency situations, making reservations, identification, and protection from fraud.
How to Get Money When You Are Broke
(Money You Don't Have to Pay Back) 1. One way to get money is to have a yard sale and sell itemsthat you are getting ready to toss away because you don't wantthem any longer.
Learn The Five Key Debt Reduction Steps You Must Take Immediately!
Step 1. The purpose of this first step is to bring you back to reality.
Is Independence Overrated?
Happy Independence Day from The Money Motivator!If you don't celebrate "The 4th of July" like we do in the United States, today still presents you with an awesome opportunity to examine your independence.Independence means the quality or state of being dependent.
Five Hot Tips To Get Out Of Debt Forever
The financial and psychological burden of being in debt causes us and our families continuous emotional stress. That stress eats away at the quality of our lives and leaves us feeling powerless, angry, depressed and helpless.
Individual Voluntary Arrangements- A New Alternative to Bankruptcy
This May, the Department of Trade and Industry in the UK found that there were 10,091 bankruptcies in the first quarter of 2005. This represents an increase of 24.
The 7 Secrets to Getting-and Staying-Out of Debt
As vice president of the American Credit Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps individuals and families manage their debt, Mike Peterson knows firsthand how financial problems can wreak havoc in one's life. Each day, counselors at the Midvale, Utah-based foundation help desperate clients dig themselves out from under piles of unpaid bills, stern notices from collection agencies and ominous foreclosure threats.
Think for a Change
I'm not sure where it originated, but I've heard it repeated time and time again: Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. As much sense as that statement makes, we often find ourselves addressing the same issue with solutions that are little more than rearranged expressions of previously failed solutions.
Bankruptcy As An Option
If your financial worries are preventing you from sleeping at night, then you may have considered bankruptcy in hope of a little relief. Usually, consumers only turn to bankruptcy if there is no other hope for them to get out of debt.
Different Ways Of Dealing With Debt
Bills, creditors, debt collectors. Are you yearning for the days when all you had to worry about was the money in your piggy bank? If so, you are far from alone.
How to Deal with Bill Collectors
So you've screwed up. You're drowning in debt.