The total consumer debt in the United States has ballooned to over two trillion dollars a full 100% greater than it was just a decade ago. As a result more people than are in need of debt relief services. But like with all burgeoning industries, there are a number of scams and ineffectiveness in many debt relief services. As a result, it is important that consumers considering debt relief know their options.

Debt Consolidation

The most well-known form of debt relief is debt consolidation. The principle behind debt consolidation is that by combining the many small debts, many of which are very high interest such as credit cards, under a single lower interest loan, you can get control of your debt. Under the single lower interest loan, the overall cost of servicing the debt, that is your total monthly payment, is lower than the combined total of the many smaller debts. That at least is the theory behind all debt consolidation programs.

Many programs go further, however, by limiting your discretionary spending. The theory goes, that because you have accumulated so much debt through your own uncontrolled spending, the debt consolidation lender will in effect act as your accountant too. The limitations placed on you by debt relief programs range from prohibiting major purchases like as a new car or home, all the way to those organizations which take your paycheck before you get it, and then dole out to you the remainder. While the latter version sounds intrusive, and certainly it is, it may prove for some individuals the best option as it will force a rationing of discretionary spending. But one thing you can count on with almost every debt consolidation program is the requirement that you cut up all of your credit cards. As credit is the number one contributor to consumer debt today, that isn’t all that bad of an idea.

Creditor Negotiations

But debt consolidation isn’t the only option available to those in debt crisis. Another option is to hire a creditor negotiator. These services, usually under the name debt management or debt managers, mediate negotiations between you and your creditors in the hope of lowering your total debt. In effect, these individuals bargain with your creditors, threatening them with the possibility of you seeking bankruptcy (in which case they get almost nothing) to try to get them to lower the interest rate, or the principle of your debt. This can be a very effective method for those unable or hesitant to secure a new larger debt through a debt consolidation loan.

The problem with both of these options is that they do not come for free. While many organizations present themselves as non-profit or even public servants, the reality is that almost every agency is in business because of the profits they can make off of you. For example, many individuals in need of debt consolidation are so thankful to find a willing lender that promises to lower their monthly payment, that they fail to examine closely the loan contract they are offered.

The Negatives and Scams of Debt Relief Programs

A common scam is to hide huge “service fees” or “debt consolidation fees” in the principle of the loan. So, if for example you have $50,000 in outstanding debt, your debt consolidation lender may provide you with a loan as high as $80,000, where the extra $30,000 is comprised almost entirely of fees. The lender then extends the loan out for years and years, so that your monthly payment is actually lower and as a result you do not ask any questions. Another, even more devious scam is to vary the interest rate over the life of the debt consolidation loan. For example, the lender might offer you a loan in which for the first two years the interest rate is an extremely low percentage, say 4%. But very quickly, the interest rate balloons to something like 15% at which point you will no longer be able to make payments and must go back to the lender and “consolidate your debt” once again.

But debt consolidation lenders are not the only one’s trying to scam you. Creditor negotiators seem to offer a problem-free solution to your debt troubles. They offer to negotiate with your creditors, making the process seem infinitely more complex than it actually is. In truth, many individuals can simply negotiate with creditors themselves. The threat of bankruptcy is very real for many lenders, and as a result many are willing to offer you alternatives to the current high interest rates they are charging you. By cutting out the middle man credit negotiator, you can save much by way of charges, for the rather minimal hassle of calling the creditors yourself.

Both debt consolidation and debt management services fill important niches in a world where consumer debt is increasingly prevalent. It is important to remember, however, that these companies make money off of you. And because the industry is in a stage of rapid growth there are a great number of companies working on the edges of the law if not engaging in outright predatory lending. By entering the world of debt relief you are entering the world of scam artists and sub-prime lenders. Educating yourself before you enter the arena is the only way to ensure that you attain the best debt relief for you.

Debt relief can be any financial product or process that provides liberation from debt or aid in the process of eliminating it. Let’s see which alternatives in the financial industry provide debt relief:

As explained, there is no unique financial product or process that provides debt relief. There are many alternative solutions to debt problems that are more or less efficient according to the nature of the debts involved. Some of the solutions available are: Credit Counseling, Consolidation Loans, Debt Settlement, Money Management and last but not means least: Bankruptcy.

Credit Counseling

Credit Counseling is probably the first option that you should consider when seeking debt relief. Credit counseling is advice provided by professionals with expertise in the financial field given to inform consumers about how to responsibly use credit and financial products so as to keep debt at bay and get out of serious debt problems when your repayment capacity is reduced. There are non-profit organizations that will provide this advice for free, but there are others that will charge a small fee.

Consolidation Loans

Consolidation loans are a form of debt relief because the money obtained from a consolidation loan is used to repay outstanding debt. What consolidation loans help you obtain is a reduction of your debt exposure by postponing the repayment of your debt and by reducing the amount of money you spend on interests and principal every month. With a consolidation loan you replace expensive debt with a single loan that features lower and affordable monthly payments.

Debt Settlement

Debt settlement is a process with which the debtor obtains aid from an agent or professional negotiator that agrees with his creditors new repayment programs, cuts on the particular debts and better terms so as to make debt more affordable and easier to pay off. The process puts the debtor’s financial life in order but restricts the ability to obtain finance even with credit cards or personal loan products for a short period of time. Once debt is settled the debtor’s credit score will start recovering slowly but uninterruptedly.

Money Management

Money management are a series of techniques that are thought to the debtor so as to aid him in effectively manage his income and expenses. These techniques tend to reduce the client’s debt exposure and income to debt ratio so as to make payments more affordable but also help him to budget all spending and manage money more efficiently so as to avoid late or missed payments.

Bankruptcy

Last (and we should say “least”), bankruptcy is also an option to bring debt relief to your finances. There are two separate processes but the main idea is to resort to a legal debt elimination system where the debtor’s assets are sold and the creditors collect their money up to the available limit and almost all debts are then cancelled. If at all possible, a repayment alternative with debt reductions is agreed so creditors can collect a higher amount by offering a longer and affordable repayment plan. Otherwise, they have to agree to receive whatever is available and lose the rest of their credit balance.

As time goes by, businesses’ financial needs change and some business owners find themselves in positions where their expenses have begun to overcome their income and achieving small business debt relief seems an impossible task.

In 2006, around 1.9 million American businesses filed for bankruptcy. Many of these businesses did not have the resources needed to avoid bankruptcy. Bankruptcy not only ruins your business credit, it makes it next to impossible to get a loan. In some cases, you may find it difficult to regain credibility as a serious company and sometimes you will never be able to recover from this, because clients and even employees will loose any trust in you.

- Bankruptcy is not the way to achieve small business debt relief -

There are lots of resources. Before you jump into the hands of despair and file bankruptcy or just call it quits in life, take time to learn your options and see if there is anything to be done and still hope in order to achieve small business debt relief and remember to always learn from these situations.

In cases where debt overwhelms owners and managers, many will consider dealing with the concerns that come with collection agencies and enroll in programs such as small business debt relief consolidation. This type of programs, oriented towards small businesses that are barely starting to gain strength within the market, help them regain financial stability and taught them how to avoid possible similar situations.

Small business Debt relief consolidation can take unsecured loans such as credit card debt, student loans, and vendor bills and lump them together in one place where the interest rates are lower, the monthly payments are not as high, and that are much easier to manage than ten bills all at once. Due to the fact that this has become such an important part of small business debt relief in the modern age, there are many different options to consider when it comes to credit consolidation and debt negotiation.

- Methods for small business debt relief -

It sounds strange to get a loan in order to achieve small business debt relief, but the faster you can deal with those high interest rates the better for your current situation. Visit our web site and receive information about this process, let our professional counselors advice on how to manage your situation. There are two types of loans, secured and unsecured, the secured loans will obviously have lower interest rates because of the collateral that secures them, due to that the lender company does not take as much risk as with an unsecured loan. A property is the best asset to ask for a secure loan as long as you have the financial capacity to recover the asset. All this will help you reach small business debt relief.

- What options to consider in order to achieve small business debt relief -

One of the options to consider is a small business debt relief consolidation program. This is a good option for those who find themselves paying off several loans as well as large credit card debts. All of these debts are put in one spot, which often has a longer period to pay off than the previous bills entailed. Based on the fact there will be less money needed to pay off the bills that you are immediately concerned with, you will find that there is actually money left over once the monthly payment has been made. Note that small business debt relief consolidation is not a cure-all and will not eliminate the debt that has been accumulated; it is merely a way to make the payment situation more manageable while also freeing up some extra money each month in order to get closer to small business debt relief.

We have different articles on interesting topics and experiences from current and former clients with our programs. Take a look at related topics of different situations on Small Business Debt Relief that people can fall into and how to keep yourself a debt free person.

Check these links to learn more:

http://www.curadebt.com/settlement/business-debt-negotiation/business-debt-settlement-negotiation.asp

http://www.curadebt.com/about.asp