Debt Free

Become Debt Free

By now everyone has heard the commercials stating "Sign up with our debt consolidation company and get on the road to leading a debt free life!" Have you ever wondered whether this is the right choice for you? For that matter, does debt consolidation even work? There's only one way to find out if you can go debt free.

Debt Free Information

Most ads for debt consolidation companies state that their program is for people with more than $10,000 or $5,000 of unsecured credit card debt. This brings up the question "What does the amount of debt I am currently carrying have to do with my desire to become debt free?" To answer this question we must look into how these debt free living programs work. Most debt free plans require you to make a standard monthly payment that combines money that is to be sent to your creditors with their "service fee" as well as whatever miscellaneous fees (such as making an automated ACH payment, or a surcharge for making a payment through Western Union).

In order for you to become debt free this new monthly payment must be less than the total of all of your minimum monthly payments made to your creditors, otherwise you would be better off paying down your debt on your own! So, if you are carrying a smaller debt load such as $4,000 then a $20 service fee and a $15 ACH fee will erode whatever savings you gained when you chose to consolidate debt.

More on How to Become Debt Free

Beware when debt consolidation companies claim that you can become debt free today. These programs take time. A typical debt consolidation program will take 60 months to complete. Not only do these programs require time to complete, but most of the real savings is not seen until the second or third year of the program. This is due to the snowball effect that occurs when your smaller balances are paid off and the money that was allocated towards those credit cards is now being directed towards your higher interest rate debts. The fact that your monthly payment remains the same is a key factor of why you can become debt free in only 60 months compared to the 20 years it could take to discharge a similar amount of debt through minimum payments made on your own. If you are currently making minimum payments, watch how your minimum payment drops by a couple of dollars each month. Over time, with the outrageous interest rates credit card companies charge, those few dollars will add months to your repayment plan.

The biggest advantage of choosing a debt consolidation company to help you become debt free is their ability to reduce your interest rates. A lot of credit cards come with a 14.9% or 19.9% or even 26.9% APR. A debt consolidation company can slash those interest rates, sometimes even eliminating them entirely. The closest a consumer can come to achieving this on their own is through the use of balance transfer cards with introductory 0% APRs. However, the balance transfer fees may make this an unattractive offer, especially if the introductory period is only 4 or 6 months. Choosing a reputable debt consolidation company is the most sure way to become debt free currently available to debt laden consumers. Debt free programs are yours for the taking and we cannot achieve a debt free America without them! Are you ready to become debt free?

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