What are 3 Worst Debt Consolidation Moves?

You have unbearable debts and the debt consolidation might be your option for you debt problem. There are so many debt consolidation agencies around in the marketing with their "The Best" debt management program which will help you to resolve your debt problem. All the plans seem to very good and it is a hard decision for you to select the best for you.

While considering all the plans offers by debt consolidation agencies, there are at least 3 worst debt consolidation moves which you should avoid them. These 3 worst debt consolidation moves include:

1. The Hard-Money Loan

If you already miss a few months' repayment and your repayment sums are piling up and exceed your monthly financial capability; and you are tired of answering harassing call and mails from various creditors to urge you to make payment. Then, you probably need a loan urgently to eliminate the harassment from creditors and bring down your monthly repayment to affordable level.

The consolidator may entice you with promises of an easy-does-it loan, and end up charging you higher interest rates than you're paying now -- as high as 21% or 22%. "Your monthly payment may be lower" with one of these loans, "but you'll end up paying more". You should get a consolidator who will look for other alternatives besides offering you an easy loan with high interest rate, such as negotiate with your creditors for better repayment options.

2. Debt Consolidators Who Promise to Take Care of Everything

The debt consolidation companies may incur an up front fee of one easy payment to cover for everything, they will negotiate lower interest rates, reduce your monthly payments. etc. These debt consolidation companies will promise you that they will take care everything for you and all you have to do is make "one Easy payment".

In reality, many debt consolidators build in a fee as part of the monthly payment you make to them. It's usually about 10% of the payment (i.e. about $50 on a $500 monthly payment). They pass along your payments to the creditor and get back a 10% to 15% from your creditors; normally this is part of the negotiation outcome with your creditors.

Here's another risk with consolidators you should know about: they have been known, in some cases, to make late payments or even miss payments, thus worsening your plight (and your credit record). Hence, it is good for you to follow up with the debt consolidation company or even your creditors to check you payment status.

3. The Balance Transfer Trap

Low-interest balance-transfer cards are a dime a dozen these days, but remember that those rates only last a few months. Most of the balance transfer plans offer you with a low interest for the first fee month normally 3, 6 or 9 months; after that period, the interest rate will get back to normal, worse still almost all the balance transfer plans will require you to pay for a process fee. After that "low-interest-rate" period, you may have to apply new card to balance transfer these amount again. The danger is that at some point all this activity begins to show up on your credit report, and you start to look like a bad risk.

If you think you can swing from the balance-transfer vines for a few months, just make sure you formally close all your accounts yourself, and then notify the credit-card company to mark the account "closed at customer's request". Otherwise, on your credit report, it will look like the creditor closed your account which will have a bad impact on you credit record.

Summary

A debt consolidation is an option for you to resolve your debt problems and they are many alternatives and plans offers on debt consolidation. Review them carefully and avoid worse debt consolidation moves as mention above if you have a better option.