The Three Hidden Traps of Getting a Debt Reduction Loan (and How You Can Avoid Them)
If you have a lot of debt, you've probably gotten several phone calls from telemarketers who offer to give you a debt reduction loan. On the surface, these loans sound great. You'd have to be crazy to not want to turn lots of small debts into one loan with a low interest rate, right?
Any wise man will tell you that you can't get something for nothing. This is absolutely true when it comes to debt consolidation loans. Although they look good, these loans can be full of traps to snare the unsuspecting person, getting you in more trouble than you already were in. Here are the worst of the traps of getting a debt reduction loan:
Trap #1: You're putting a band-aid on the symptom, not solving the problem.
The problem with debt reduction loans is that they treat the symptom of being in debt, rather than curing the problem of spending more money than you have. What you end up with after getting one of these loans is a large loan that you're making payments on, as well as new debts that will pop up when you inevitably spend more money than you have.
Statistics will tell you that people who use these loans to pay off their debts will likely end up with the same level of debt, and probably more, in two years or less. This is on top of the consolidation loan that they're making payments on.
Trap #2: Transforming unsecured debts into secured debts.
Credit card debt is commonly known as "unsecured debt". What this means is that the loan is not "secured", or backed up by collateral (i.e. your home). Most debt reduction loans are "secured debt", meaning debt that is backed up by collateral. Most often, this means the house that you live in.
The problem with this is that if you fail to pay off your debt reduction loan, the creditor can now foreclose on your home. With the original debt, the only recourse the creditor had was to sue you in court. They couldn't come after your home.
What taking out a secured loan does, in effect, is to put your home at risk of being foreclosed on. Not the brightest thing you've ever done, is it?
Trap #3: Trading lower interest rates for higher interest rates.
Even if you opt for an unsecured loan instead of a "high risk" secured loan, you're still going to get smacked with higher interest rates on your loan. The reason for this is that your high load of debt, along with the fact that you're having difficulties keeping up with your debt payments, makes you a credit risk. Anyone who may be willing to grant you a loan will only do it at a higher interest rate in order to make up for their additional risk.
They may change the loan in different ways, including a longer loan term, in order to offer you lower monthly payments than you're making right now. However, this means that you will still pay more in the long run for your debts. As somebody who is already in debt, you probably can't afford to do this.
So, what's the best way to steer clear of these traps?
You can steer clear of all of these traps by deciding to manage your own debt. Unless you're already filing bankruptcy, you still have the capability of getting out of debt without resorting to the help of some new lender or a so-called credit counselor. You'll have to make some drastic changes to your lifestyle, but after you change your lifestyle, you'll be well on your way to changing the behaviors that got you into debt in the first place. - 23204
Any wise man will tell you that you can't get something for nothing. This is absolutely true when it comes to debt consolidation loans. Although they look good, these loans can be full of traps to snare the unsuspecting person, getting you in more trouble than you already were in. Here are the worst of the traps of getting a debt reduction loan:
Trap #1: You're putting a band-aid on the symptom, not solving the problem.
The problem with debt reduction loans is that they treat the symptom of being in debt, rather than curing the problem of spending more money than you have. What you end up with after getting one of these loans is a large loan that you're making payments on, as well as new debts that will pop up when you inevitably spend more money than you have.
Statistics will tell you that people who use these loans to pay off their debts will likely end up with the same level of debt, and probably more, in two years or less. This is on top of the consolidation loan that they're making payments on.
Trap #2: Transforming unsecured debts into secured debts.
Credit card debt is commonly known as "unsecured debt". What this means is that the loan is not "secured", or backed up by collateral (i.e. your home). Most debt reduction loans are "secured debt", meaning debt that is backed up by collateral. Most often, this means the house that you live in.
The problem with this is that if you fail to pay off your debt reduction loan, the creditor can now foreclose on your home. With the original debt, the only recourse the creditor had was to sue you in court. They couldn't come after your home.
What taking out a secured loan does, in effect, is to put your home at risk of being foreclosed on. Not the brightest thing you've ever done, is it?
Trap #3: Trading lower interest rates for higher interest rates.
Even if you opt for an unsecured loan instead of a "high risk" secured loan, you're still going to get smacked with higher interest rates on your loan. The reason for this is that your high load of debt, along with the fact that you're having difficulties keeping up with your debt payments, makes you a credit risk. Anyone who may be willing to grant you a loan will only do it at a higher interest rate in order to make up for their additional risk.
They may change the loan in different ways, including a longer loan term, in order to offer you lower monthly payments than you're making right now. However, this means that you will still pay more in the long run for your debts. As somebody who is already in debt, you probably can't afford to do this.
So, what's the best way to steer clear of these traps?
You can steer clear of all of these traps by deciding to manage your own debt. Unless you're already filing bankruptcy, you still have the capability of getting out of debt without resorting to the help of some new lender or a so-called credit counselor. You'll have to make some drastic changes to your lifestyle, but after you change your lifestyle, you'll be well on your way to changing the behaviors that got you into debt in the first place. - 23204
About the Author:
Sean Payne has been studying personal finance and how to pay off debt for over 10 years. To get more information about how to pay off debt without a debt reduction loan, check out Sean's free mini-course on paying off debt fast.
posted by X - Men @ 6:15 AM
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