Showing posts with label debt consolidation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label debt consolidation. Show all posts

Friday, January 2, 2015

Using a Debt Snowball to Eliminate Debt








Of all the personal debt solutions, the DEBT snowball method stands out as the one that anyone can relate to and apply to their own lives. You are standing on top of a snowy hill and you make a little snowball. This snowball is what you can pay on your CREDIT card bill each month. It's not much. You might wonder if it is good enough. But don't worry about that. Instead, send it down the hill. As it rolls down, it gains speed and it picks up more snow as it goes. Soon, your little snowball isn't so little. When it gets to the bottom of the hill, you have a large snowball that you can apply to your monthly DEBTS.
The DEBT snowball method for eliminating debt is perhaps most famous for its recommendation by the financial guide Dave Ramsey. It's accessibility makes it appealing to those who have tried more complicated means of DEBT elimination but failed.
The first step is to list out all of your debts. There are two different ways you can order your list, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. The first way, and the way recommended by Ramsey, is to list your debts in order from least to greatest. Next to each one, write the minimum payment each month.
For example, you have a Sears card that you owe $50 on, and your minimum payment is $5.00 a month. You also have a Visa with $643 owed and a monthly payment of $52. Finally, you have a MasterCard a balance of $2,430 and a monthly payment of $100.
To get started, pay the minimum amount monthly on each of your debts. For the first debt, find extra money so that you can pay it off as soon as possible. Eliminate un-necessities in your life, sell some possessions, or get a second job. Instead of five dollars a month, you discover that you can afford to pay twenty-five dollars. Pay that each month and you will have that card paid off in two months time. An important note: do not spend any money on your cards while you are doing the debt snowball. Pay for things in cash or use your debit card, not a charge card.
At the end of the two months, you have an extra monthly twenty-five dollars freed up. Apply that to the next smallest DEBT. In the sample list, you will now be paying $77 a month on your Visa instead of the $52. Repeat this process until you have eliminated all of your DEBT. This process might take years, but can be sped up if you find ways to increase your income while decreasing your spending. Any "extra" MONEY can be applied to the snowball.

The other way to list out your debts is to list from the highest interest rate to lowest interest rate. This will save you money and make your DEBT elimination go faster. Some people who use this method, though, get discouraged because it does take longer to see the results. If you use this method but find yourself wondering if you'll ever pay off your debts, pay a small one of before returning to the high interest LOAN. When applying the debt snowball, your focus and determination are the most important things. With those you will find yourself paying off your debts no matter how you have them listed.








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Eliminating Debt - 3 Debt Elimination Secrets From Debt Free People

http://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.pngMany people are on a roller coaster called DEBT. Their DEBT goes up and then they pay it down and then something comes up so DEBT goes right back up.It seems like we are going in circles. Everyone knows someone somebody who is financially free. What did they do to get them there? They put there minds to it and stuck with there plan. Here are a some of the secrets of the financially free.
1. Debt Snowball 
This is the number one secret. This method has been proven successful by most financial experts. Here is how it goes: list your smallest debt
 first all the way to the largest. Pay as much as you can on the smallest while just paying the minimums on the rest. Finally, take what you were paying on that debt, and add it to what you are already paying on the next smallest debt. This is how your payments snowball. When it comes time to start paying more on the final debt, you will have a large amount of cash to pay it off with.
2. Stop Spending 
The second secret seems obvious, but it is the hardest one to accomplish. Creating more debt will just get in the way of eliminating your debt. Only spend money on what you need, not what you want.
3. Create a Budget
Finally, you need a budget. It is surprising how many people do not have an active budget. Some people just have an idea of how much they can spend but do not have an exact amount. Sit down, bang out a list of bills and expenses, and pay off your debt
 with the rest of the money.
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Pay Off Credit Card Debt With a Reverse Snowball Method

Consumer CREDIT card DEBT has grown alarmingly in the past few years. With minimum payments of as little as 2% or 2.5% of the principal (plus interest) due each month, it was easy for consumers to charge purchases and keep monthly payments low.
Lulled by low interest rates, the charge card was our friend. Found a great bargain? No problem - charge it. Family vacation not in the budget? No problem - charge it. Before long, many found themselves stretching just to meet minimum payment requirements on multiple charge ACCOUNTS. Then the playing field changed - and the payments went up!
In 2006, Federal regulators pressured revolving CREDIT lenders to collect a more reasonable percentage of the total amount due. The logic was that paying back only 2% monthly could require payments on a $2000 total DEBT to continue for 20 years or more. That's 20+ years of paying interest and the resulting debt would last much longer than the item purchased with the "borrowed" money.
Bowing to Federal pressure, credit issuers raised the minimum payments to 4% (plus interest) monthly. The result was that many families carrying multiple ACCOUNTS with typical totals of $10,000 saw their payment increase by several hundred dollars a month. For some, this led to default; for others, the result was filing for bankruptcy protection.
The majority of consumers looked for ways to reduce that debt load or to eliminate it entirely. The most popular debt management method that emerged was called the "Snowball Method".
Using a debt Snowball, consumers would pay a fixed rate each month on each ACCOUNT, rather than the falling rates that are charged as the debt is slowly paid off. ACCOUNTS would be listed with the smallest at the top of the list with no regard to interest rates being charged on various CREDIT cards. The Snowball plan is simple and consists of budgeting to allow extra money to be paid monthly on the ACCOUNT at the top of the list. This pays off that ACCOUNThttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png in months rather than years. When the first ACCOUNT is paid in full, the money allocated for that payment is then added to the fixed payment of the second account on the list.
Clearly, as each account is paid, the amount being applied to the next debt is larger - thus the term "Snowball". The plan is simple and brilliantly workable if, and only if, the interest rates on the ACCOUNTS are similar. Proponents of the Snowball Method say it's necessary to pay off smaller debt loads first because that provides rather quick results and motivates people to keep working on that debt reduction plan.
If the interest rates are widely varied on accounts, there is little logic in paying off lower interest rates first. If you have a $2000 balance at 10% annual interest, and a $5000 balance at 21% interest, it simply makes no sense to focus on paying off the lower rate first. A much wiser method would be to provide your own motivation and apply extra funds to the higher interest cards to get rid of the high interest rates.
This is an ongoing argument between consumer credit counselors and financial management specialists and perhaps the only question to ask is which method will work for you over the long term. Using one of the snowball debt calculators available online, you can enter your personal credit information both ways and see how long it will take to become debt free. You can generate a monthly schedule of payments that clearly shows the payoff date of each debt if you follow your payment plan every month. Printing out that payment schedule and posting it on your refrigerator where you see it daily may be all the motivation you need.

The time needed to rid yourself of revolving credit debt will depend on how much extra money you find in your budget to apply to that first account to be paid off. It doesn't need to be a huge amount as $50 a month as an initial extra payment will start your snowball rolling. Printing out that payment schedule and posting it on your refrigerator where you see it daily may be all the motivation you need.

The Snowball Method - The Best Way to Pay Off Your Debts

There are many approaches to erasing debt. Almost as many methods as there are to get into DEBT. One of those methods is called The Snowball Method. Here is an explanation of what it is, how to implement it, and why it may be the best way to erase debts.
The Snowball Method requires you to list out all of your debts. Start by gathering up all of your paperwork and statements and write down every company you have a debt with along with the total balance owed and the interest rate it is at. Next organize the list. There are two ways of doing this:
1. From Smallest Amount to Largest. You list the debts in order starting with the smallest debt and then incrementally up to the largest amount. Then you pay the minimum on all of the debts owed except for the smallest debt. On the smallest debt your throw whatever extra money you can at that debt and continue to do that each month until it is paid off.
Once the lowest debt is paid off, you move on to the next lowest debt. You pay the minimum plus what you were paying on the previous debt and then you pay the minimum on all of the other debts. Repeat and rinse.
2. From Largest Debt to Smallest. This method is exactly the same as the first, except you're attacking the debt in reverse order. The logic behind this is that you knock out the highest debt first and it makes a bigger impact on your overall debt. Sometimes the largest debt is at one of the highest interest rates you have, so the thinking goes that you are saving more MONEY in interest doing it this way.
3. Largest Interest Rate to Smallest. Similar to the second method, this one arranges the order based on INTEREST rate. Here you aim to pay off the highest interest rate first and then the second and so on. The logic being that this way makes the most sense mathematically because you are eliminating high interest rate DEBT that will cost you to keep it around longer than necessary.
However, while mathematically correct, the truth is your aim is to get all DEBT paid off as quick as possible. In a matter of a couple of years. The amount of interest you would incur during that time would be relatively small. If you weren't going to pay it off for 10 years or more, then this way might make more sense.

Ultimately, use whatever method you think will work best for you. From experience the best method would be #1 - pay off the smallest DEBT first and work your way up to the largest. Mentally this gives you a boost when in the beginning you are eliminating lots of small DEBTS. It feels like you are making progress. If you start with the largest one first, it may take more than a year to pay off and you will lose momentum because it won't feel like you are making any progress.

Which ever method you choose, attack it with a vengeance, erase DEBT, and build wealth.

The Credit Card Debt Elimination Process

Do you want to know how the credit card debt elimination process works? No sweat. A lot of people are victims of stressful, emotionally brutal DEBT that controls their lives and might even physically impact their well being. If you are sick and tired of your CREDIT card DEBT and want relief once and for all, you might want to look into CREDIT card DEBT elimination so you can get your life back and get back on the path to financial freedom. No one deserves to live a life full of stress and headache, regardless of how much debt they have. Rid yourself of the debt and get your life back, read on to learn how.
There are serious ways to eliminate your debt which we'll cover in just a few seconds, but some of the more minor changes you can start making today can also help you eliminate your debt and make dealing with the bills a lot easier. Let's run over some of the simple elimination methods you can utilize before jumping into the more major options that can wipe out your debt entirely.
Stop using your credit cards: If you haven't already you need to destroy your cards or minimize the frequency by which you purchase things with them. If you're in massive debt and still piling on more things you need to control your spending. If you feel you may have a compulsion disorder that causes you to shop or spend money impulsively, seeing a therapist would be a wise choice and necessary for permanent recovery (i.e., after you settle or eliminate your debt.)
Live frugally: It stinks to do but it works. Cut costs wherever possible and don't spend so lavishly. Many people rack up debt on things they don't need and can do just fine without, so try eliminating impulsive purchases that are EXPENSIVE or needless. For instance, don't purchase a television you don't need or a coat you don't need if you already have perfectly good old ones. Eat at your home more often and dine out less, spend less MONEY all around and this will take a huge chunk out of your debt (and give you more money to put towards bills).
Pay more than the minimum amount on our bills: When you get a bill don't just pay the minimum amount. Try to pay as much as possible just over the minimum. Over time this will add up quickly and you can watch your DEBT drop pretty quickly.

If all else fails and you are left with huge chunks of DEBT, the best method might be BANKRUPTCY or DEBT settlement. Credit card debt elimination firms can help you through these processes for a fee and get you the results you need. Many of these firms operate on a fixed or percentage based fee so keep this in mind when looking into your available options. Finding a good credit card DEBT elimination firm is a critical part of eliminating your debt once and for all.

Debt Elimination 2

The First Step To DEBThttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png Elimination
Regardless of your personal and financial circumstances, your education and your background, the chances are the first step you need to take in DEBThttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png elimination has to take place in your mind. The Western mindset, especially in the US and UK, is firmly fixed on consumer DEBThttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png. It is the way you have been reared in a DEBThttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png ridden society.
To be realistic, let us assume that total debt elimination is not practical, nor necessarily desirable, from a financial point of view. The one major exception is in buying a house. When you buy a house, very few people are likely to be in a POSITIONhttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png to do so with cash. Unless they have inheritance, are very wealthy, are moving down the house market, or moving from an expensive to a cheap area, people buying a house will require a mortgage.
There can be considerable financial gains in the long run from taking on mortgage debt. Firstly, you have to live somewhere, so living in your own home is more desirable than renting for the rest of your life. Secondly, if you are lucky the CAPITALhttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png growth on the house over the years will increase your underlying wealth, in a way that cannot happen with rented accommodation, which has the opposite affect. So, let us assume, for the purpose of this article, that by debt elimination we mean the elimination of all your consumer debt, except your home mortgage.
You may well find that, if you can change your mindset to be against borrowing to feed your consumer desires, that MORTGAGEhttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png will be paid off much sooner than your average contemporaries. When you reach that stage, then there is every possibility that your DEBThttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png elimination will become total, and your mindset will be so changed that there is never a need to take on any new DEBThttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png.
Changing The Mindset To Support DEBThttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png Elimination
You are unlikely to find it easy to alter your attitude towards consumer debt. After all, it is the way you have probably been brought up, surrounded by easy credit. However, changing that mindset is both possible and financially desirable; debt elimination is achievable if you can successfully get through this first stage in the process.
So, how do you change the way you think about debt? Now, I am talking purely about consumer debt, not borrowing money to start or expand a business; about using debt to satisfy your material desires earlier than you can really afford them. Business finance can, and often does, justify itself through increasing your wealth at a faster rate than the interest charges decrease your wealth.
Consumer debt, on the other hand, is guaranteed to reduce your financial well being. When you borrow money to spend on consumable items, such as holidays, and diminishing ASSETShttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png, such as cars, then your wealth building is undermined; your assets are reduced over time. That, really, is the key to altering your mindset to favour the elimination of debt from your life. You need to:
1. Be aware that consumer debt is not good for your financial well being. You are increasing the bank's assets, and decreasing your own, by spending on credit.
2. You need to resent the fact that the banks make money out of you, when it should be the other way round. It's your hard EARNED MONEYhttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png we're talking about here.
By giving constant focus to those two things you may develop a mindset that is shifting towards debt elimination. You can then give yourself greater strength in your determination by convincing yourself that, not only is debt elimination possible in the long term, but it will bring with it many rewards:
1. You will feel financially comfortable and in control; it really is a great feeling as those around you drown themselves in debt.
2. Over the years you will accumulate significant wealth compared to those earning the same amount but whose debt has always been out of control.
3. You will be able to walk in to a travel agent and pay cash, or debit card, for each vacation, while the person behind you in the queue will probably pay by credit card and then struggle the whole year to pay it off before the next vacation.
4. You will be able to walk into a car dealer and negotiate the best possible price for a new car as a cash buyer, knowing that the cash is your own and not the bank's.
5. You will be saving regularly for all your needs, while paying off your mortgage within the term.
All the while, your wealth will be accumulating, not being stripped bare by interest charges.
Imagine, in 10, or even 5, years' time, a comfortable financial life with no pressures. You may not be a millionaire, but beside your peer group you will be a beacon of financial stability and growing wealth. It's a long term process, but once you have the mindset, the journey can become a smooth one, with good planning and determination. Debt elimination really can be the final goal.