Debt Consolidation
Unfortunately, a Debt Consolidation Loan is one of the most common solutions people think of when they fall into financial difficulties. This is a problem because most people who get a debt consolidation loan find themselves in much deeper financial trouble than they were in to begin with.
Debt consolidation loans transfer debt from one place to another. While this may sound good, since many times it can appear to lower your monthly payments, a debt consolidation loan will not reduce the amount you owe. We have yet to find someone who has solved their debt problems by borrowing more money through debt consolidation.
You will still pay back 100% of the debt consolidation loan, plus interest. The interest rate is sometimes lower than before, but this is because debt consolidation loans are usually secured loans that cannot be lowered or negotiated. Once you sign up for a debt consolidation loan, you have just gone from an unsecured debt to a secured debt and have put your personal assets (e.g. your car or home) at risk. At that point if you can't pay your bills your creditors can come and take your personal property - thus creating a bigger problem than you had to begin with.
We think the best solution is to deal with financial problems through debt reduction, not debt consolidation. This way you are dealing directly with the problem, not temporarily avoiding debt problems.
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