If you are carrying any high interest debt, or have a significant
amount of consumer debt (not mortgage debt), then you might have a low ability to take risk.
Starting today on Trees Full of Money I'm featuring a series of personal finance case studies to help readers visualize the process my family and I used to pay off a large
amount of consumer debt a few years back.
It wasn't until my wife and I sat down one day and took a hard look at why didn't have any money left over at the end of the month that we truly became motivated to start digging ourselves out of a large
amount of consumer debt.
This is the total
amount of consumer debt you owe, divided by your available credit.
Individuals who face an overwhelming
amount of consumer debt may have some recourse through bankruptcy protections made available through federal law.
This motivation is very important, especially if you're working through a large
amount of consumer debt like we were.
Most people who end up with a significant
amount of consumer debt didn't accumulate that debt overnight.
It's a challenge for Canadians still struggling to cope with the record
amounts of consumer debt they amassed after the 2008 financial crisis because lenders use their prime rate as a benchmark for setting some other short - term rates including variable - rate mortgages and lines of credit.
Why are people going into such large
amounts of consumer debt?
I definitely agree about the travel, but I have a few rules I've instituted to keep myself from sliding back into the crazy
amounts of consumer debt I once had: 1.
Not exact matches
Known as
debt settlement, it's a process by which
consumers stop paying unsecured creditors, wait months or even years until creditors have given up hope
of collecting, then offer to settle outstanding balances for mere fractions
of the
amounts owing.
c) the
amount of money that the
consumer must owe or the percentage
of each
of the
consumer's
debts that must be outstanding before the operator will initiate attempts with the creditors
of the
consumer or their
debt collectors to negotiate, settle or modify the terms
of the
consumer's
debts;
While student loan
debt currently is difficult to discharge in bankruptcy — you must prove undue hardship — most other
consumer debt is fair game for either eliminating or negotiating a lower payback
amount, depending on the specifics
of your case.
A federal appeals court has affirmed four lower court judgments that
debt collector Portfolio Recovery Associates violated federal law by failing to report to credit bureaus when
consumers disputed the
amount of debt they supposedly owed.
«The drop in the participation rate has been centered on younger workers,» said Mr. Shapiro, «many
of whom have given up hope
of finding a decent job and are instead continuing in school and racking up enormous
amounts of student
debt, which has contributed to the recent surge in
consumer credit outstanding.»
«At a time when
consumers are carrying record
amounts of debt, the persistence
of HELOC
debt may add stress to the financial well - being
of Canadian households.
In addition, it can encourage
consumers to add to their
debt load, which could put stress on Canadian households, at a time when they are carrying record
amounts of debt.
For
consumers with a large
amount of debt on revolving lines
of credit, such as credit cards, a loan can also help them pay back that
debt on a set schedule.
According to
Consumer Reports, these companies ask for the fees upfront, and they can be up to 15 %
of the total
amount of the
debt.
Examples
of these risks, uncertainties and other factors include, but are not limited to the impact
of: adverse general economic and related factors, such as fluctuating or increasing levels
of unemployment, underemployment and the volatility
of fuel prices, declines in the securities and real estate markets, and perceptions
of these conditions that decrease the level
of disposable income
of consumers or
consumer confidence; adverse events impacting the security
of travel, such as terrorist acts, armed conflict and threats thereof, acts
of piracy, and other international events; the risks and increased costs associated with operating internationally; our expansion into and investments in new markets; breaches in data security or other disturbances to our information technology and other networks; the spread
of epidemics and viral outbreaks; adverse incidents involving cruise ships; changes in fuel prices and / or other cruise operating costs; any impairment
of our tradenames or goodwill; our hedging strategies; our inability to obtain adequate insurance coverage; our substantial indebtedness, including the ability to raise additional capital to fund our operations, and to generate the necessary
amount of cash to service our existing
debt; restrictions in the agreements governing our indebtedness that limit our flexibility in operating our business; the significant portion
of our assets pledged as collateral under our existing
debt agreements and the ability
of our creditors to accelerate the repayment
of our indebtedness; volatility and disruptions in the global credit and financial markets, which may adversely affect our ability to borrow and could increase our counterparty credit risks, including those under our credit facilities, derivatives, contingent obligations, insurance contracts and new ship progress payment guarantees; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; overcapacity in key markets or globally; our inability to recruit or retain qualified personnel or the loss
of key personnel; future changes relating to how external distribution channels sell and market our cruises; our reliance on third parties to provide hotel management services to certain ships and certain other services; delays in our shipbuilding program and ship repairs, maintenance and refurbishments; future increases in the price
of, or major changes or reduction in, commercial airline services; seasonal variations in passenger fare rates and occupancy levels at different times
of the year; our ability to keep pace with developments in technology; amendments to our collective bargaining agreements for crew members and other employee relation issues; the continued availability
of attractive port destinations; pending or threatened litigation, investigations and enforcement actions; changes involving the tax and environmental regulatory regimes in which we operate; and other factors set forth under «Risk Factors» in our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10 - K and subsequent filings by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Aggressive attempts to invalidate a
debt include massive
amounts of paperwork and documents, filled with line after line
of legal items being requested, many counter responses and follow - ups and it can be an extremely time consuming and complex process, but the results are your
consumer rights being protected and a tremendous
amount of money can be saved by avoiding
debt settlement if possible.
An individual's value to his creditors at time
of filing a
consumer proposal comprises his assets valued at liquidation (auction) pricing (that may be a garage sale for your furniture and household goods, the wholesale cash buyer for your car, or the pawnbroker for your jewellery) after deducting exemption in prescribed, legislated
amount (s) for car, household goods, clothing, tools
of the trade, medical aids, home, life insurance, pensions, RRSP, etc., which
amounts to little or nothing for the large majority
of us, less than our
debt in any case.
According to the survey
of 1,100 Canadian
consumers, 88 % indicated that they more often pay a greater
amount than their minimum due on revolving
debts each month.
Yet they try to collect the full
amount from
consumers or will be «generous» as they «want to help you», and will offer a 50 % discount off
of the old delinquent
debt they bought for 5 % on the dollar.
The average
amount of credit card
debt consumers need to deal with can also be indicative
of their overall credit health.
Debt settlement or debt negotiation is the preferred financial debt solution by many consumers due to it being the fastest way to pay off their debt, while saving the most amount of mo
Debt settlement or
debt negotiation is the preferred financial debt solution by many consumers due to it being the fastest way to pay off their debt, while saving the most amount of mo
debt negotiation is the preferred financial
debt solution by many consumers due to it being the fastest way to pay off their debt, while saving the most amount of mo
debt solution by many
consumers due to it being the fastest way to pay off their
debt, while saving the most amount of mo
debt, while saving the most
amount of money.
The
Consumer Protection Division
of the Attorney General's office also charged that the firm misrepresented the experience
of its staff and the
amount consumers would save through
debt settlement.
Many
debt consumers choose to make an agreement with their creditors when the last ones reduce the
amount of debt, so that you avoid the bankruptcy and the lender receives at least a part
of the borrowed money sum.
The
consumer pays the
debt (either the full
amount or a lesser
amount that the creditor agrees to), and the collection agency agrees to erase the record
of the account from the
consumer's credit report.
Benefits
of the
consumer debt relief program often include what could end up resulting in a substanial savings on the current
amount of debt owe and the ability to become
debt free within two years or less.
The average
amount of consumer household
debt has reached more than $ 16,000.
To the bank, an individual carrying an above - average
amount of debt is more likely than other
consumers to default on at least one
of their credit accounts.
A
consumer proposal is for people who are unable to repay the full
amount of their
debts, but don't want to file personal bankruptcy.
Student loan
debt is now the second highest ranked
consumer loan
debt, next to mortgages, according to the New York Federal Reserve, with the
amount of outstanding student loan
debt exceeding $ 1 trillion in March
of 2012.
Debt - to - credit ratio: Also often referred to as a «credit utilization ratio,» this is the total amount of debt a consumer has accrued versus their total credit allotm
Debt - to - credit ratio: Also often referred to as a «credit utilization ratio,» this is the total
amount of debt a consumer has accrued versus their total credit allotm
debt a
consumer has accrued versus their total credit allotment.
Those who file bankruptcy or a
consumer proposal with the highest
amount of student
debt are between 30 and 39 years
of age and have been out
of school for more than seven years.
That explains why, according to a report on
consumer credit by the Federal Reserve, the total
amount of revolving
debt owed by U.S.
consumers stood at a staggering $ 953.3 billion as
of May
of 2016.
Part
of this change stems from the fact that a large
amount of medical
debt is paid late by insurers — sometimes the result
of slow or faulty administrative processes — but it's the
consumer who unfairly shoulders the blame on their credit report.
In the majority
of cases, a
Consumer Proposal will require you to pay less than the full
amount you owe and still get discharged from your
debts.
Debt relief services may have a negative impact on the consumer's creditworthiness and his overall debt amount may increase due to the accumulation of extra f
Debt relief services may have a negative impact on the
consumer's creditworthiness and his overall
debt amount may increase due to the accumulation of extra f
debt amount may increase due to the accumulation
of extra fees.
Lenders assign the highest scores to
consumers who pose the lowest risks — that is,
consumers who consistently pay their bills on time and carry small
amounts of debt compared to their overall borrowing capacities.
The
amount which the
consumer saves with the use
of debt relief services can be regarded as taxable income.
A
consumer proposal, for example, can help you combine all
of your
debts into one easy monthly payment, stop interest from accumulating, and often reduce the total
amount of debt that you owe.
They point to data from Magnify Money, showing that 125 million
consumers have some kind
of credit card
debt they are dealing with, with the total
amount hitting $ 527 billion in the United States.
The type
of services covered under the new rules are companies that promise to 1) work with a creditor to settle the
debt for a lesser
amount than is owed, (
debt settlement companies) 2) work with all
of a
consumer's unsecured creditors to promulgate a
debt management plan to vary the terms
of all such
debts, under a
debt management plan (
debt management companies) and 3) negotiate with a creditor to lower the interest rate
of the outstanding
debt and / or waiver
of certain
debt fees, such as late fees or over the limit fees (
debt negotiation companies).
In New York, Robins has found, «The court expects the lawyers to do the same
amount of legal work whether the case involves a $ 5,000
consumer credit card
debt or a $ 1,000,000 Chapter 11 [business bankruptcy] turnover action.»
The biggest advantages
of a
Consumer Proposal are that the payments are designed to be affordable, interest is eliminated, and the
amount of debt you owe is reduced.
Most
Debt Settlement companies will charge a fee that is based on the amount of overall consumer debt you have that you would like to set
Debt Settlement companies will charge a fee that is based on the
amount of overall
consumer debt you have that you would like to set
debt you have that you would like to settle.
You still owe about the same
amount of total
debt, but the
consumer with the six cards at 20 percent or under will have a better credit score.
Don't become the
consumer that is drowned in
debt paying them an outrageous
amount of interest like they want you to be.