Whether you have bad debt or good debt, it all needs managed in such a way that it will be eliminated. When financial experts talk about good debt, they are mainly referring to a home mortgage and student loan debt. Your home hopefully will appreciate and your student loan debt gave you the potential to increase your income and that is why these are referred to as good debts. Bad debt is pretty much every other kind of debt, such as; credit cards, personal loans and car loans.
However, when consumers talk about bad debt, they are many times referring to debt that they have that is long past due or debt that has reflected negatively on their credit report. When you are working on a plan to repay your debt, the debts that are bad debts financially speaking, should be what is repaid first. All good debts should be kept current.
If the debt is more than six months past due, debt settlement is a good option because it has already been reported negatively on your credit and may even be written off. You can negotiate with the lender to settle for less than what is owed on the account. Be prepared to make payment on the agreed upon amount at the time the agreement is made. Get all details of the agreement in writing as well as a receipt and a release of debt form and keep this in as safe place forever. Ask the lender to report the debt as “paid in full” to prevent any more damage to your credit.
Any debts that you have that are current can be repaid on your own or through a credit counseling organization. No matter how much money you can save through debt settlement, this is not the option for current debts. If you can pay more than minimum payments, it is a good idea to repay these debts on your own using a plan that is aggressive. If you can only make minimum payments, credit counseling offers a plan that will have you debt free in 3 to 5 years.
Getting out of debt is a process. Delaying dealing with your debts will only prolong the agony and limit your options. Debt management is something that should always be a priority and your goal should be not to have any debts to manage. Get started today. The sooner you can eliminate your consumer debt, the sooner you can concentrate on your dreams for the future.