Posts Tagged ‘Bad Debt’
Constantly Planning to Get Out of Debt
Having a constant plan to get out of debt will help you keep your finances in order.
When you keep your focus on your debt and money situation, you are able to better control it.
Most advisors will tell you that you need to be debt free. Yes, that is the ultimate goal, but for many people, it isn’t exactly reality. There are situations, like buying a home, in which you have to accept debt.
There is good debt and bad debt. Good debt is debt you can afford and bad debt is debt you can’t afford. That’s all there is to it. If you can afford your mortgage, car payment and RV payments, then it is alright. If you can’t, then it isn’t good debt.
When it comes to credit cards, however, they are bad debt, regardless. You will eventually reach a point where you can’t afford them. That is almost guaranteed.
The key is to constantly work to paying off yoru debt. Start with your credit cards and high interest loans. Focus on paying off the cards with the highest interest rates to start with. This will save you money in the long run.
Once you have all of your credit cards and personal loans paid off, start working towards your autos and student loans. I like to focus on what has the lowest balance to pay off first. This helps you knock things off rather quickly — adding to your gratification. If everything is about equal in balance and interest rate, I pick the highest monthly payment.
When you pay off a high monthly payment loan, you free up more money to put towards the next debt.
When you have your cars and student loans paid off, the next thing you have is your mortgage. You can be working on your mortgage throughout the process as well. By adding as little as $100 a month to the average mortgage, you can knock several years and thousands of dollars off the mortgage.
That’s the overall game plan. But be aware that it can change.
For example, you may find that you are in a situation in which you must have a new, reliable vehicle. You don’t want to spend your emergency savings. The only debt you have is your mortgage. You are able to afford the monthly payments, yet plan to pay it off as quickly as possible. Then go ahead and finance a reasonably priced vehicle. Transportation is very important for work, school and other obligations.
What you must do is adapt your debt-reduction plan around the new car payment. Although you have added debt, it doesn’t mean that you still can’t work to be debt free.
Financial management is built around the idea that you must be flexible and able to adapt to the situation with smart choices. Too many people believe that there is a right way and a wrong way. That isn’t necessarily true.
Can You Get Out From Debt?
The first principle towards settling your debt and moving towards a debt-free existence is in prioritizing your debt. What you must hold on for now to and what you must clear immediately is the first step towards debt management. A good debt management and prioritization of you loans settlement will get you out of debt. This article will give you some information guide on your debt management.
Which loans to prioritize?
Logically, the one with the highest rate of interest is the one that should be cleared quickly.
Two types of loans that should be cleared as soon as possible are personal loans and credit card loans.
The interest rate on these loans is the highest. On credit cards, it amounts to around 24% per annum (at 2% per month). A personal loan should be around 18% onwards. Even if you get the personal loan at a discount, it would be around 14% per annum.
Which loans can be serviced over time?
In your debt management process, there are loans which you need to prioritize to pay them off first, but there are loans which you could service them over time to reduce your loan repayment burdens. These loans can be serviced over time:
- 1. Loans with low or no interest rate
- 2. Loans with tax benefits
Home loans and education loan offer tax benefits and can be settled over time. Same for loans to family or friends, which are either interest-free or carry a low rate of interest.
The loans which you can close now
If you are in the bad debt situation, it is critical for you to close as much of loans as possible in the short period of time. Look at your asset list and see whether you have loan on these assets. For instance, you take a car loan for an asset - which is the car. In such a case, you can sell the car and close the loan.
If you are really struggling to pay your home loan, shifting to a smaller home or more economic location is solution for it.
Switch to Other Loans
As you know credit card interest rate is high and you might not able to clear it in short period of time; then, look for an alternative and switch it to a financier who will charge you a lower rate of interest.
For credit card, there is service call balance transfer. Say you are paying 2% or 2.25% per month on your card. You can go in for another credit card. They will pay back the bank and transfer your loan onto the new card. For the first six months, they will give you a lower interest rate. Say 1.5% or 1.75% per month. This lower rate of interest will help you pay back more.
For home loan, there are home loan packages which offer a very loan interest rate in the first 3 to 5 years; some even offer 0% interest rates in first 1-2 years. Take up these benefits by refinancing your home loan.
Summary
Almost all people have debt in somehow or rather and debt is the worst poverty. Being in debt is bad enough and not managing it well is worse. Know your debt and manage it property and you will get out from debt one day.