Debt Consolidation - Is Your Future Bright?
Most people have taken out plenty of loans and other forms of
credit, from various sources over the years. These could include
student loans, credit cards, store cards, a bank overdraft, car
loan, goods bought on a buy now pay later basis. All of these
sources of credit will have different terms depending on who you
borrowed from and how much. One important factor with all these
loans is that they will all have different rates.
Rates and APR
The rate you repay your loans at is vitally important. Many
people underestimate the influence the APR will have on how much
they repay for a loan; the difference can be astounding. The
bottom line is that you want your interest rates to be as low as
possible.
If you have many different loans and they are all at different
rates, and some of the rates are very high, you may consider
debt consolidation. This is taking out a new loan that will
provide you with enough cash to pay back all your other loans.
Then the only loan you have to worry about is the new debt
consolidation loan. The main advantage of this is that you may
be able to borrow the consolidating loan at an interest rate
substantially lower than what you're paying for your other
loans. This will mean that all your monthly payments will be
replaced by one reduced payment, thus saving you thousands.
Lift Those Weights!
Another advantage of debt consolidation is the stress it can
take off your shoulders. It is sometimes very difficult to keep
track of all your various payments, when they're due, how much
they'll be and whether or not you'll have enough to cover them.
This may lead to you frequently missing payments and incurring
further late fees. A debt consolidation loan will remove all
this hassle, as you will now only have one loan to repay.
Words of Caution
The main drawback of a debt consolidation loan is that the new
loan is likely to be secured over your home. While your other
loans will likely have been on an unsecured basis, you will be
making them secured over your home. If there is a chance that
you will not be able to meet the repayments, then you are
putting your home at risk. This is highly unadvisable. Unsecured
creditors can ultimately make you bankrupt and take your home
but the process is lengthy and can often be avoided. If the loan
is secured there is a much greater risk that your home will be
taken to pay off the loan.