How to Deal With Debt
Evaluate the situation., Determine your secured and unsecured debts., Prioritize your debts., Establish whether or not you are in debt crisis., Don’t take out more expensive loans.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Evaluate the situation.
The first step to getting to grips with your debt problem is to conduct an honest appraisal of all your outstanding debts, and the amount they are costing you.
Start by writing down every single debt you have, and try to include as much information as possible.
You can’t make any progress until you have a clear picture of your financial situation.
Note down the key information, including interest rates, the principal amount, the monthly payments, and any collateral pledged to secure the loan.
This could be a stressful and difficult experience, but it’s essential that you do it.
Once you have all this information at hand you can begin to understand it and chart a path forward. -
Step 2: Determine your secured and unsecured debts.
Once you have drawn up a list of all of your debts, you need to make some judgements about which debts are most important and most pressing.
Start by determining which of your debts are secured and which and unsecured.
This is important, because it shows you which debts could lead to you quickly losing property, such as your home.
Secured debts are those which are tied to a particular asset, such as your home or your car.
If you default on your payments, the debt holder can foreclose on the collateral pledged to secure a loan.
Unsecured debts are those which are not tied to an asset, and generally include things like credit card debts, medical insurance bills, and signature loans., The next step is to go through your outstanding debts and prioritize them.
Although all your debts are important, some are more important than others.The most important ones are generally those which could lead to you losing assets such as your home, automobile, and other physical property.
These debts can include any rent you owe, mortgage payments, council or state taxes, and utility bills you have not paid.
Rent and utility becomes debts when you fall behind on the payments.
These can lead to you being cut off from utilities and losing your home, so should be treated as a priority.
Lower priority debts include credit card bills, some installment debt or rent-to-own arrangements, bank overdrafts, loans from relatives, or other unsecured debts.
When you are prioritizing your debts, look at those that have the highest interest rates.
If you can pay off debts which have higher interest rates quickly than you will be freeing yourself of these costs, and giving yourself a better chance to deal with your other debts.
If you have any savings, use these to pay off expensive debt.
The interest you will be charged on debt will be higher than what you can earn on your savings.However, be cautious not to spend all of your savings, since this would use up emergency funds that might be needed in the future.
It is common for companies that hold lower priority debts to be more aggressive in their collection practices, so be aware of this and maintain your focus on the higher priority debts., When you have worked out all of your debts, you need to make an early judgement as to how severe your debt problem is.
There is no fixed definition of “debt crisis,” but to try and figure out your position, ask yourself two questions.
Firstly, are you struggling to pay basic expenses to cover your debts? This could be mortgage repayments, credit card minimums and utility bills.
Then ask yourself if your debts (excluding your mortgage and car loan payments) are bigger than a year’s income after tax.
If the answer to either of these questions is yes, then your debt problem could be quite severe and you should make an appointment with a not-for-profit debt or credit counsellor immediately.
Remember that however big your debts are, the important things is whether or not you’re able to service them., For many, indebtedness can become a never-ending cycle, which gets worse over time.
Often if you have a number of expensive loans, you may be pressured or encouraged to take out more loans to pay off the existing ones.
This is particularly common with payday loan companies, and you should avoid adding more expensive debt at all times.
In some cases it may be possible to get a cheap loan with low rates from a credit union.
This could help you to pay off expensive debt and replace it with debt that is affordable.Before you do this, talk to an independent credit counsellor.
Be wary of debt consolidation loans.
These loans may require you to put your house up as collateral and offer no guarantees.
However, a debt consolidation loan can be advantageous if you work with a reputable lender and can get a lower interest rate than you are currently paying.
Just be careful to not take on any additional debt after consolidating. -
Step 3: Prioritize your debts.
-
Step 4: Establish whether or not you are in debt crisis.
-
Step 5: Don’t take out more expensive loans.
Detailed Guide
The first step to getting to grips with your debt problem is to conduct an honest appraisal of all your outstanding debts, and the amount they are costing you.
Start by writing down every single debt you have, and try to include as much information as possible.
You can’t make any progress until you have a clear picture of your financial situation.
Note down the key information, including interest rates, the principal amount, the monthly payments, and any collateral pledged to secure the loan.
This could be a stressful and difficult experience, but it’s essential that you do it.
Once you have all this information at hand you can begin to understand it and chart a path forward.
Once you have drawn up a list of all of your debts, you need to make some judgements about which debts are most important and most pressing.
Start by determining which of your debts are secured and which and unsecured.
This is important, because it shows you which debts could lead to you quickly losing property, such as your home.
Secured debts are those which are tied to a particular asset, such as your home or your car.
If you default on your payments, the debt holder can foreclose on the collateral pledged to secure a loan.
Unsecured debts are those which are not tied to an asset, and generally include things like credit card debts, medical insurance bills, and signature loans., The next step is to go through your outstanding debts and prioritize them.
Although all your debts are important, some are more important than others.The most important ones are generally those which could lead to you losing assets such as your home, automobile, and other physical property.
These debts can include any rent you owe, mortgage payments, council or state taxes, and utility bills you have not paid.
Rent and utility becomes debts when you fall behind on the payments.
These can lead to you being cut off from utilities and losing your home, so should be treated as a priority.
Lower priority debts include credit card bills, some installment debt or rent-to-own arrangements, bank overdrafts, loans from relatives, or other unsecured debts.
When you are prioritizing your debts, look at those that have the highest interest rates.
If you can pay off debts which have higher interest rates quickly than you will be freeing yourself of these costs, and giving yourself a better chance to deal with your other debts.
If you have any savings, use these to pay off expensive debt.
The interest you will be charged on debt will be higher than what you can earn on your savings.However, be cautious not to spend all of your savings, since this would use up emergency funds that might be needed in the future.
It is common for companies that hold lower priority debts to be more aggressive in their collection practices, so be aware of this and maintain your focus on the higher priority debts., When you have worked out all of your debts, you need to make an early judgement as to how severe your debt problem is.
There is no fixed definition of “debt crisis,” but to try and figure out your position, ask yourself two questions.
Firstly, are you struggling to pay basic expenses to cover your debts? This could be mortgage repayments, credit card minimums and utility bills.
Then ask yourself if your debts (excluding your mortgage and car loan payments) are bigger than a year’s income after tax.
If the answer to either of these questions is yes, then your debt problem could be quite severe and you should make an appointment with a not-for-profit debt or credit counsellor immediately.
Remember that however big your debts are, the important things is whether or not you’re able to service them., For many, indebtedness can become a never-ending cycle, which gets worse over time.
Often if you have a number of expensive loans, you may be pressured or encouraged to take out more loans to pay off the existing ones.
This is particularly common with payday loan companies, and you should avoid adding more expensive debt at all times.
In some cases it may be possible to get a cheap loan with low rates from a credit union.
This could help you to pay off expensive debt and replace it with debt that is affordable.Before you do this, talk to an independent credit counsellor.
Be wary of debt consolidation loans.
These loans may require you to put your house up as collateral and offer no guarantees.
However, a debt consolidation loan can be advantageous if you work with a reputable lender and can get a lower interest rate than you are currently paying.
Just be careful to not take on any additional debt after consolidating.
About the Author
Julie Moore
Julie Moore is an experienced writer with over 7 years of expertise in education and learning. Passionate about sharing practical knowledge, Julie creates easy-to-follow guides that help readers achieve their goals.
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