Tips for Credit Card Debt Management

Debt management is a course every American needs to take simply because so many Americans are clueless when it comes to credit and debt management. This is unfortunate because many people do permanent damage to their credit record by not knowing how important managing their credit is. Also, frequently people get in trouble with debt and don�t know debt management tips, so they simply get further and further behind each month. This does not have to be the case and debt management is not difficult to do, as long as you have the desire to reduce your debt. Consider these debt management suggestions to get you out of debt quick.

Debt Management Tip #1 Make Your Payments on Time

One of the most important things you can do to help your credit score is to make your payments on time. This is also a great way to avoid late charges which not only negatively impact your credit, but also negatively impacts your wallet. Debt management means making on time payments means your account will never be late, will not go into default and will not never have late fees associated with it. If you have problems making your payment on time imagine how much worse it will be when an additional $30 - $50 is tacked onto that payment.

Debt Management Tip #2 Work with Your Creditor

Proper debt management requires working with your creditors. Many times creditors have debt management plans, as well as suspended payment options if you are having financial difficulty. Avoiding your creditors will make your credit problems worse and your debt management plan will not work. So talk with your creditor because frequently they can help you, or at least relieve the pressure for a little while.

Debt Management Tip #3 Pay of Credit Cards

An important part of debt management is paying off your credit cards. If you do not pay off your credit cards then you will pay an unbelievable amount of money in finance charges. Make paying off your credit cards one of the first goals in your debt management program. You will realize a relief in your debt within a few months and realize that a debt management plan is important for everyone with debt.

Credit And Debt Management
 by: Kelly Kennedy

Today's consumers benefit drastically from the usefulness of credit. Credit cards are especially useful for large purchases, emergency situations, reservations, identification, and protection from fraud. Unfortunately, millions of consumers abuse credit cards beyond their financial earnings. The use of credit results in costly interest payments and late fees, impulse buying, overextended lifestyles, and the unnecessary stress from harassing telephone calls from collectors.

Do You Think You Might Have a Problem with Debt?

Below is a list that will help determine whether you are a single mother debt problems.

Over the Limit Credit Card Spending

If all of your credit card balances are greater than 80 percent of your credit limits, you should consider this a danger signal to debt.

Too Many Cards/Too Much Debt

If you can't pay off your combined credit card debt within one year, you should consider this a serious issue.

Out of Money

Many people use credit for small purchases such as food and gas. If you previously paid cash for these or other small items, but are now using credit, not debit or cash, it could be a sign that there is a problem.

High Debt-to-Income Ratio

Your debt-to-income ratio measures the amount of debt you have against the amount of income you are making. You can calculate this ratio by dividing your total monthly debt payment (excluding mortgage/rent) by your total monthly gross income (before taxes). If your debt-to-income ratio is close to or over 20 percent, this is a sign that you may have a debt problem.

Emergencies

Crises and emergency situations do occur, and sometimes people are unable to afford such things such as emergency auto repairs or medical expenses because their credit cards are tapped or the majority of their earnings are put towards debt repayments. It's always important to keep an open line of credit available for such situations.

Minimum Payments

What many people don't realize about revolving credit card bills is that making only the minimum payment can take 12 to 15 years to repay. You are not applying any significant amount toward the principal if you are only making minimum payments concluding that you may be overextended and in need of putting together a spending plan.

Using Your Credit to Make Payments on Other Cards

Taking cash advances to pay bills is not a solution for paying off debts. If you are paying one credit card with another you are actually creating more debt. You will also be faced with any cash advance fees and interest from that new line of credit.

Balance Transfers

Many creditors offer new credit cards with balance transfers available at low interest rates for only a limited introductory period. It's important to remember, though, that after the introductory period the interest rate usually skyrockets up to 19 percent or more. As well, a growing number of credit cards are associating fees with transferring balances.

Skipping Payments

If you are late with getting payments in such as your mortgage, rent, car loan, or utility bills more than once per year and are juggling bills and skipping payments, this is a definite sign that you have a debt problem.

Borrowing Money

If you are borrowing money from family and friends and unable to pay them back while struggling to pay your bills, credit counseling can teach you how to budget or advise you to go on a plan for paying off your debts.

Debt Consolidation Loans

Are you borrowing from a new source to pay off an old debt? Many people who do so obtain debt consolidation loans to pay off all their existing bills. However, once the bills are paid off, some people wind up charging on their credit cards again. This means having to pay back the loan plus the new credit card charges, which ends up driving people into further debt. Learn more about debt consolidation at Incharge.

Unsure of the Amount Owed

If you have no idea how much debt you owe on a monthly basis and keep using credit cards, your financial spending might be slipping out of your control. If you noticed that you were nodding your head up and down as you read through the list of debt problems you could be on your way to a serious problem with your finances. What to do about it as a single mother comes next.

Help for Single Mother if in Debt

If you're ready to tackle your own debt pile, here's what you need to do:

Get to know your debt

Study everything relevant about your debt such as your account balances, the interest rates, if the interest is deductible, how and when those rates can change and find out if you'll face any kind of penalties for paying an account early. If you�re not sure call your lender and ask.

Prioritize your debt

Divide your debts into two piles

Debt Management
 by: Jason Holmes

At times of severe financial crisis Debt Management Plan (DMP) helps you to manage your funds and also protects you from the humiliation of debt struck conditions. The famous American author Washington Irving in �Wolfert�s Roost� addressed dollar as Almighty and described it as the great object of Universal devotion. A man who can manage his dollars well can manage his life as well. A Debt Management Plan (DMP) teaches you how to manage your dollars well and lead a prosperous life even during times of financial crisis. Debt Management is a process that allows you to compile your multiple debts into one amount and work out a repayment scheme where you pay the debts in affordable monthly installments. Debt management companies usually negotiate with your creditors to reduce or eliminate high interest charges, delete late fees and other penalties, and update your past due accounts to show current status.

Debt Management Plan has gained immense popularity in the past couple of years with the striking difference they created in gifting hundreds of people a debt free life. In a recent survey it was reported that almost 32% client filed bankruptcy. Additionally almost 10% reported that they are going to file bankruptcy. However, the remaining 58% clients are opting for Debt Management Plans which they find is highly beneficial. The other half who opted for bankruptcy did not prefer to manage their debts and work on a new repayment scheme.

Clients who successfully completed a DMP felt that it provided a wealth of different benefits, both for the present days and the future ahead. Almost 85% of clients felt that the ability to payoff their debt was beneficial and almost 55 % felt that the plan helped stop collection calls. In the long run, almost 32% of the clients felt that the plan helped them balance their budget and almost 41% felt that they learned new budgeting skills. A total of almost 38% felt that they improved their credit worthiness and almost 51% felt that they improved their overall financial status.

With the Christmas festivities happening in the recent past Debt Management Plans seems to be on an upraise. It is reported that millions of Americans ran up billions of dollars in spending on their credit cards in the past month. The issuers of two major credit cards, MasterCard and Visa, reported some record numbers, according to reports published by CNNMONEY. Reports also cited Visa reporting a 31.8 percent increase in spending when compared to 2003. MasterCard processed a record number of transactions at 914 million, totaling $60 billion, up 12.9 percent from last year. The statistics reflects the confidence and merriment among the consumers. However, the financial analysts at this juncture can smell heavy financial burdens that can cause a wrinkle for people who are not in a position to pay back their debts. With this trend, it is expected that the majority of the population undergoing debts will opt for Debt Management Plan which will show a surge in this program like never before.

Debt Management Systems
 by: Terje Brooks Ellingsen

What is a debt management system, and when do you need it? Like any kind of management system, debt help systems can be good or bad. We will take a look at what you can do to manage your debt better. One element is paying off debt, but that�s not the only one. It is much more than paying off your credit cards, and doesn�t end when you pay off your mortgage or car loan either. You have to make a system of good money management, and follow this system in your daily life. Here are the key elements in such a system:

Make a budget

The purpose of making a budget is to keep track of the money that comes in and get�s out of your economy. This is basic in every financial system and absolutely necessary to stay on track. Unfortunately too few people are actually doing this and many are even living above their means.

Approximately 10 percent of the American people spends 10 percent more than they make each month. If this can be called a system for managing debt, it�s indeed a bad one.

Follow your budget

Now, it�s necessary and great to make a budget. But you�ll also have to follow it. There�s no meaning in using time and effort on making it, if it�s only function is to stay in a drawer.

The first symptom of not following it is experiencing a growing need for debt relief. As soon as you eventually see this, you must put all your effort in getting back on track. This might take a bit of time, but it�s absolutely obtainable.

What to do if you get off track

If you for some reason do not follow the budget you have made, you need to find a program that can help you get back on track again.

There are many such programs that can help you obtain debt relief. What such programs have in common are that they

help you organize a plan to pay off debt and

offer advice on how to stay on track with your budget.

The criteria for chosing a plan is that it must be realistic with regard to the time it will take to bring you back on track. If you make goals that are too high, you are setting yourself up to fail, which means a big risk of falling back into your old habits. The average length of a credit-counseling program for example, can range from four to six years.

Credit counseling

This kind of program for managing your debt, is to create a realistic budget, adjusted to the new financial situation you are in right now. Counselors are professionals, who teach their clients good money management.

You can also get help to reorganize your debt payments. This is done by consolidating all your monthly payments into one. You don�t have to pay each creditor bill by bill. The various payments are automatically distributed to all of your creditors, from this single payment. This normally means decreased interest rates and no over the limit or charging late fees.

Loan consolidation

Loan consolidation programs have much in common with the type of program described above. The main difference here is that all your debt is consolidated into one loan, which usually has a low interest rate.

Debt negotiation

This kind of program is also called debt settlement. The main element in this way to manage your debt is to outsource your problems to a debt negotiation firm, which negotiate with your creditors to reduce the total principal of your debt. The main difference from counselling is that your amount of debt are modified, not the interest rates.

This is the most radical program and is probably the quickest way to debt relief there is. In USA the average length of a such a program is three years.