Differences Between Debt Consolidation and Credit Counseling

Debt consolidation is something that you will need to do with a company that will be acting like a third party in your debt situation with your lenders. The debt consolidation company will do all the contacting of your lenders and credit card companies to get all your debts piled into one debt.

The debt consolidation company will charge you a fee for this service but in the long run you may better off to deal with your debt this way since they will usually be able to negotiate a better deal for you causing you to pay less on your overall debt. The company will usually be able to work with your creditors to lower your overall payout therefore saving you money.

On the other hand, credit counseling is something a company that specializes in that field can help you with but all they are doing is counseling you on the situation. The credit counseling is not part of making telephone calls to your creditors and lenders and bargaining with them for a lower payout amount like the debt consolidation is. Credit counseling is a good idea if you need some help with getting a plan together for yourself or your family. When you visit them you will need to take all your bills so they are able to analyze everything and give you some advise on what you should be doing in the future with you credit situation.

The best thing to do before you decide, is to sit down with all of your bills and see where you stand with them with their monthly payouts and payoff amounts and then decide which is the best option for you to choose.

Credit Card Debt Consolidation Loans - Is a Debt Consolidation Loan For You?

Credit card debt consolidation loans have been a long time solution to debt. For years, if you had debt you went to the bank and got a loan and you made loan payments instead of credit card payments, but are debt consolidation loans still a viable option for debt relief?

With the current economy and lending institutions not being willing to freely lend money, consolidating your debt with a HELOC is not your best option for debt consolidation. A HELOC uses your home as collateral to secure the loan. These loans do normally have very reasonable interest rates, but the problem lies with possibility of default. If you don't pay your credit cards, about the worst thing the lender can do is sue you. But if you don't make payments on a HELOC, you could be facing foreclosure. Another problem with debt consolidation loans is that most people usually have credit card debt again within a year.

Credit counseling is also a form of credit card debt consolidation, but it does not use a loan, require a credit check or home ownership. This makes it so that nearly anyone that has debt can use this option. Your unsecured debts are consolidated so that you will only have to make one payment each month, regardless of the number of accounts that have been placed with the debt counseling company. Your interest rates will be reduced and your fees eliminated.

You will make a payment that is approximately 2% of the debt that has been placed with the debt counseling organization. Because your payment remains consistent regardless of your balance, you will have your debts paid off in about five years. Five years may seem like a long time when there are organizations offering debt relief in three years. But you have to realize that those programs will ruin your credit.

What is Consumer Credit Counseling Service?

Word's been getting around that there's the service that helps people in tight financial situations free themselves from debt and give them great advice as well. Have you heard about it? It's called consumer credit counseling service also known as CCCS. If this has got you curious, then don't stop reading.

CCCS is a great debt elimination method that has saved thousands of people from falling into bankruptcy. They help individuals who have money management problems and those who are in debt survive their tight financial situations and offer counseling and financial education as well. Their main purpose is to aid individuals and families with financial rehabilitation and mastering the art of money management.

If you find that you're at loss with your money, your bills are piling up, you have got so much issues going on and you just don't know where to start, well CCCS is where you go. They offer immediate help that can avoid any individual from declaring bankruptcy. Be it debt reduction, financial advice, money counseling sessions; they will always have their doors open. CCCS will help you set up a savings plan if you're looking into buying a house or taking a personal loan and they will also help you with previous unpaid loans as well.

CCCS agents are all certified and have gone through specific training to ensure that they help you in the best ways they can. They can negotiate interest rates with your creditors and help you get out of close deadlines as well. They will also asses your monthly income and draw up a plan so that each month you get to pay off a small sum of your debts until it all clears. In addition to that, they would also discourage you from using your credit card to ensure no more bills appear until you're back on your feet and know how to spend wisely.

This service comes with a small fee, but they offer a wide range of counselings and are reachable at headquarters, over the phone and through the internet as well. CCCS can be found anywhere and everywhere. If you do invest in their services, keep in touch with your agent and make sure that each month they get your payments done so as to avoid bad scores and late penalties.