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Debt Consolidation Solutions Ways to consolidate your debts yourself

There are many options for a debtor to consolidate his debts in this day and age. The most common ones you have heard or seen so far are probably those commercials on late night television from debt consolidation companies that promise to help you fight and win over your debts.

There are also many government aid programs that seek to help debtors get out of debts. But these services usually require that you fulfill certain requirements and a minimum amount of debts before you are applicable to join their programs.

You can choose to consolidate your debts yourself if you know the options available for you.

Home Owners
The best option for home owners would be to take up a home equity loan to borrow against the value of your home. This can usually be done without any other mortgages. A home equity loan is usually a fixed amount of money repayable within a fixed period of time. These loans often offer the lowest interest rates and payment method.

Note that home equity loan interest can be variable and you also run the risk of losing your home if you fail to pay your loan.

People with Good Credit Rating
If you still enjoy a good credit rating, you can choose to consolidate your debt with credit cards. With a good credit rating, credit card companies are willing to grant you a lower interest rate if you transfer all other card balances to them. You can call all your card issuers to get a quote from them and compare them before you sign up the best offer available.

Remember to request for a fixed rate and to waive any transfer fees to transfer your card balances.

Life Insurance Policy Holder
You can have the option to borrow from your life insurance policy at a premium interest rate to solve your debt problems. The advantages is that you are not stressed up to repay this loan and that your life insurance benefits will be reduce by any amount that you borrow.

Different life insurance policies have different guidelines for borrowing. It is best to consult your insurance agent before you proceed to borrow against your insurance policy.

Do check out the above options if they are available to you. With good planning and actions, you will be able to clear your debts in 3 to 5 years.

Replacing several high interest loans or credit cards with one consolidation loan can not only lower your monthly payments, but also save you money due to the lower interest rate on the new loan.

Look at the rates you are paying on your unsecured debts, i.e. credit cards with a rate of between about 13% and over 35%. These are obvious replacement loan candidates. Auto loans and store credit cards are other loans that should be paid off.

If you can get a second mortgage or refinance your current first mortgage, use these funds to pay off these unsecured loans. You should be able to currently save several thousand dollars in interest payments alone. I am assuming a total loan amount above the home debt to be about $20,000.

The other advantage to this plan is to reduce your monthly payments by a substantial amount. This also should allow you to gain a payment schedule that you can easily meet and even reduce quicker over time. Make sure you can pay off this new loan with extra payments with no penalty. It is a good place to put some of that extra money you have each month.

This idea also takes some solid research on your part. All banks and mortgage companies do not operate the same way. Also you want to find the best rate you can get for your debt structure.

Look to these sources for your consolidation loan: Local banks, local mortgage brokers, and the newest provider for these loans, the internet loan providers. There are many companies fighting each other to make these loans to folks like you. Take advantage of your popularity.

Sometimes, debt consolidation companies can discount the amount of the loan. The debt consolidator will buy the loan at a discount, usually when in danger of bankruptcy. The wise debtor can easily shop around for consolidators who will pass along some of the savings. Consolidation usually affects the ability of the debtor to discharge debts in bankruptcy. Its prudent to weigh this decision rationally.

Take your future in your own hands and make this happen for your financial health. Saving money and paying off your debts faster will open your life to a freedom you have not enjoyed for a long time. A family with minimum debts has eliminated a potential family problem and replaced it with freedom. Do your self a favor and become debt free.