One of the solutions that is often advertised to help people get out of debt is the use of a debt consolidation loan. The idea behind a debt consolidation loan is that most people who are in financial trouble have several small debts that require monthly payments. These payments combined become large enough that people generally end up paying just the minimums, and never are able to chip away at their borrowed balance. A debt consolidation loan offers some advantages to other debt reduction alternatives, but also has some negative factors to be aware of. Some of the pros and cons include:
Pros of Debt Consolidation
- Payment Advantages and Simplicity: Instead of having several loans outstanding, the debtor has only one loan. This means only one payment, and the minimum payment is generally lower than if you combine the minimum payments on several outstanding debts. This significantly simplifies the borrower's financial life. Having only one creditor expecting a monthly payment instead of several also simplifies things for the borrower.
- Lower Interest Rates: A Home Equity Loan is generally what is used to consolidate debts - proceeds from a Home Equity Loan are used to pay off all outstanding debts and then a single payment is made monthly to pay down the Home Equity loan. These loans are generally at interest rates tied to either Prime or LIBOR, and are usually much lower than most revolving lines of credit, such as credit cards.
- Tax Advantages: Payments toward home equity loans are usually tax deductible.
Cons of Debt Consolidation
- Temptation: Once your credit cards are paid off through debt consolidation, it's tempting for many people to start using them again to add to their overall debt balance. Additionally, with a lower overall monthly payment, a borrower might feel like they have more money to spend. Paying off debt requires discipline, and a debt consolidation loan won't help if the borrower lacks the self control to stop spending.
- Your Home is at risk: If you default on a credit card payment, you'll pay a late fee and you may hear from a collector. If you default on a home equity loan, you could lose your home, which secures the credit you used to pay off your debt.
- Your debt will last longer: Unless you make more than the minimum payment, home equity loans are often based on a 30 year time frame. You'll be paying down your debts longer if you only pay the minimum, and in the long run you'll end up paying more interest overall.
If you do not own a home or you own a home with no equity, there are companies who offer debt consolidation loans. The rates maybe higher than on a typical home equity loan and will vary based on your credit history, but could still make debt problems manageable. While debt consolidation can be effective, it's not a magic pill. The borrower will need to focus on changing the behavior that created the debt problem in the first place. Overall, however, debt consolidation is a viable option for many indebted people.
Pros Cons Of Capital Punishment
Pros & Cons of Secured and Unsecured Loans.
A secured loan is one in which the money borrowed is guaranteed to be repaid or some asset will be forfeited by the borrower. A common example is a home or property loan, the borrower agrees to repay on the contract terms, and if theory default, the lender can legally claim the home or property as compensation. In theory, this means that if you miss a payment on the home or property loan, the lender has the legal right to foreclose and sell the property or home. In practice, this rarely happens, as among other reasons, lenders know that reclaiming a house or property is a long and unpleasant practice and they would be left with the necessity to sell the home or property to recoup their money.
The majority of lenders are not going to do that for such a small misstep, as missing a single payment, even when the borrower lags by several months and payments, normally at most the lender will typically send a series of firm letters of demand, demanding payment before taking any further action. Even in an active and robust seller's market lenders have many more important actions and projects to do and don not want to undertake the effort of removing a homeowner and selling a house.
However, it is smart to realize that the lender has this legal right, how important or not that right is can be judged by recognizing that even with an unsecured loan, creditors have the legal right to seize assets like salaries, wages, stocks, bonds and other property. This action requires only undertaking a relatively easy and inexpensive legal procedure to declare the borrower in default, but, legal procedures are only relatively simple and inexpensive and lenders will almost always try to negotiate a repayment option before taking that final step.
There are many other differences between secured and unsecured loans that borrowers should be aware of, since the money in an unsecured loan is not, in theory, backed by the right to seize the asset in case of default, the interest rates on unsecured loans are normally much higher as the lender is taking a larger risk, and they are compensated by charging higher interest rates on unsecured loans, which covers their losses from defaults, which are normally higher on unsecured loans and is one way to change borrowers incentives not to default. Most people will try much harder to meet a debt that is tied to their home or other asset than for an unsecured loan.
So, there are many pros and cons for both the borrower and lender when obtaining or providing one type of loan versus the other, as the borrower, you may find it necessary to incur a higher rate of interest if you don't have a home, bonds or other assets to offer as collateral, or you may simply not want to put those assets at risk. Importantly only you can decide in your particular circumstances whether the advantages outweigh the risks and additional costs and interest.
Both William Blake & Ian Wilkie are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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