If you are able to get one based on your present difficulties you will only find yourself paying interest on top of interest by using this method. The same goes for your idea to take a second mortgage on your house to help you consolidate debt and pay it all off at once. Your home should be the most prized thing you own and so the last thing you want to do is encumber it with more debt. Interest rates on second mortgages will be much steeper than what you are paying for your first mortgage.

Some of the services that help to consolidate debt may suggest that instead you try to borrow against your retirement fund. A retirement loan does not need a credit check so it is an easy loan for you to get. It also comes with a low interest rate. These two things certainly make it an easy option in the process to consolidate debt. You will be able to get a fixed interest on a loan that will likely be for five years. That should make it easy for you to pay off.

So, by using your retirement fund to consolidate debt you will pay off what you owe all at once. It is a great idea, right? Not necessarily. This can be a risky practice if you are concerned about being able to pay off the money your have just borrowed. A retirement fund is supposed to be there for your future. Borrowing against it puts that money at risk.

Either of these solutions can be potentially dangerous ways to deal with your need to consolidate debt. You should not risk or home or your retirement fund. Since you also do not want to risk bankruptcy what you really need is to find a way to work on a better payment plan for you to pay off your debts.

Many people will turn to debt consolidation companies to negotiate with creditors and then to manage their monthly payment issues. This can be a good solution but even this plan can have problems. These companies are popping up all over the country and not all of them are honest. Many of these companies have been involved in dishonest activities with their customer's money. Before deciding on one of them investigate them thoroughly. Check with the Better Business Bureau. Make sure that when you consolidate debt you aren't simply finding more trouble.