Debt Negotiation Advice
Debt settlement on my own - Can I make payments?
I understand there are tons of companies out there who offer debt settlement programs. Some sound alright, others have been extremely annoying - after the only thing I really wanted was a consultation and some help understanding the program to begin with, they would not leave me alone!!! (Must work off commission). Anyway, I thought about negotiating with my credit card companies on my own, and one agreed (almost) to a 50% reduction. Sorry this is getting so long, but anyway!!!... How the heck do I pay that lump sum at once? When negotiating on your own, can you also request that discounted balance to be payable over a certain amount of months? Or should I just go ahead with a debt settlement company so I can make payments over 2 or 3 years? If I had a huge $4000 cash wad (like needed for the debt reduced 50%, which is only 2 of my 5 cards) then I probably wouldn't have such a financial problem. lol But I don't have that kind of money all at once up front..so any suggestions!?
Public Comments
- No one need honor prior contracts. The structure of society is to cause the individual to tire and surrender all potential. It is a moral obligation to ignore debts, and to live free. I suggest you do so, and thus, establish a precedent that will become popular. Millions are on the verge of this, why not you? Is flypaper good for flies? Is debt good for humans? .
- This may help...then again, it may not. But just be honest about what you can pay. That's awesome that the one company reduced the debt by 50%, but it wouldn't hurt to ask if you can make payments on the 50%. The worst they can do is say no. Each credit card company has the right to either negotiate or not, even with a credit counselling service. What I do is pay a little over the minimum payment on all the cards except one. For the one, I pay a huge chunk on it. When it is done, I take that money and put it toward something else. It takes a while but it works.
- Most of those are scams. NEVER trust any that solicit you. They often don't make the payments and keep the $ you send them. "Obtain assistance from a reliable non-profit credit counseling agency, such as Debt Counselors of America (DCA) or Consumer Credit Counseling Services. Many of their services are free, although they may charge a small fee for certain assistance options. A reputable non-profit counseling agency should be very open about their services, fees, and related costs." - copied from source link - notice it is government.
- First, take a deep breath and relax. I have been in your shoes and know how confusing it can get. Any credit counseling is going to contain some fees, even the non-profit ones. I am assuming that these debts are deliquent or worse. So, some amount of damage has already been done to your credit. You can negotiate deals with the creditors yourself, But GET ALL OFFERS IN WRITING, before you send even the first payment. Don't negotiate an offer that you cant afford. If you are employed and bringing in enough to cover the minimum monthly payment, then do as the other writer said; pay the min on all but the highest interest rate one. Pay as much as you can afford every month into the principal of that one until the debt is gone, then do the same with each successive one, etc. The payoffs will go faster as each one drops off. This may take some belt tightening and some time (maybe a few years). But it is better than 7 to 10 years of trashed credit from bankruptcy. One of the main things is to change whatever it is about your lifestyle that got you into this trouble in the first place, otherwise you will end up in a revolving door of debt for life. Good luck.
