Category: All Things Debt

Before taking on a debt of any kind, it’s a good idea to know whether it’s considered good debt or bad debt. Not all debt affects your financial health equally. Certain types are considered good debt while others are bad. 

Do you aspire to a debt-free lifestyle? These debt-free influencers did, but to get there, they had to adopt new habits and tackle their debt for good. In addition to sharing the amount and type they’ve overcome, they gave us their top tips for saving money and paying down student loans, credit card debt, personal loans and more.

Follow their stories and learn from their experiences so you too can conquer your debt and move toward a debt-free lifestyle.

Feeling defeated by 2020? Perhaps you are hoping that 2021 will bring you a brighter financial future. The symbolism of passing from one year to the next invites us to enact changes in our lives and can be a great opportunity to jump-start fresh goals. If ditching debt is something you’d like to address in the new year, consider following this advice.

Calls from your creditors may increase when you begin a debt settlement journey because they take notice when you change your payment habits. In most cases, it’s best to let unknown calls go to voicemail and block calls during debt settlement that may be related to your enrolled debt.

When you enroll your debt with a debt settlement program, you’ll begin saving money into a Dedicated Account every month. These funds are used to pay your creditors and cover your debt settlement program fees. Our fees are based on a percentage of your enrolled debt at the time of starting the program and range from 15%-25%. Including fees, debt settlement could reduce your total amount paid by 60% or more when compared to paying off debt by making minimum payments.

Delaying payment to your creditors is an essential step in your journey toward debt settlement. When you decide to delay payment on your enrolled debts, it is normal for your credit score to drop. This pause in payment gives us the leverage we need to negotiate your settlement and puts you back in control of your debt. 

When you begin a debt settlement journey, you may be surprised to discover that an essential part of the program involves delaying payment to your creditors. Instead of making monthly payments on each of your enrolled debts, you make one monthly deposit into a Dedicated Account that will be used to pay your debt settlements throughout the program. 

Decorating your home, buying gifts and making elaborate holiday meals are just a few of the things that make the holiday season so special year after year. Holiday fun is a great escape from the doldrums of everyday life, but all that fun and diversion can get pricey. Instead of spending on the holidays and worrying about the debt later, we recommend following some planning guidelines. Your holiday season doesn’t have to be totally debt-free, but these tips will help you spend what you can afford to pay back.

Filing for bankruptcy is an important decision that is usually made under stressful circumstances. If you are overwhelmed by your debt, default is a legal process that could relieve you of your financial burdens. In the short term, filing for bankruptcy could stop a foreclosure or car repossession, protect your wages from garnishment, or keep your utilities from being turned off.

As Gen Z-ers enter their twenties there has been a dramatic increase in their credit card use. At 31.4 million strong, credit-eligible Gen Z-ers make up 40% of all consumers in the United States. This influx of new spenders has reinvigorated the credit card industry after the lull it experienced when millennials were coming of age during the 2008 recession. 

Why is this new generation so eager to use credit cards and will they learn from struggles of their parents and millennial counterparts?