I must admit that when people ask on what to do with their excess cash flow, besides the obvious
of high interest consumer debt, paying down the mortgage is probably what I suggest most.
Not exact matches
On the other hand, leaving the
interest rate low encourages the kind
of borrowing and spending that has produced record -
high levels
of consumer debt in Canada and pushed housing prices into the stratosphere.
Robert Abboud, a certified financial planner based in Ottawa and author
of No Regrets: A Common Sense Guide to Achieving and Affording Your Life Goals, says
high -
interest - bearing
consumer debt should be tackled first.
«The rule is an important first step and will benefit some
consumers who need relief the most, but a great deal
of work is still needed to ensure that American families are no longer ensnared in the
debt trap
of high interest, abusive loans,» Michael Best, director
of advocacy outreach at
Consumer Federation
of America, said in a statement.
In the near term,
higher interest rates will have an immediate effect on
consumers with credit card
debt, home equity lines
of credit and those carrying adjustable rate mortgages.
The record
high levels
of consumer debt among Canadians has also raised a red flag from Bank
of Canada governor Mark Carney and others who have warned that
interest rates will rise at some point — raising the cost
of borrowing.
Just like a thorough vetting
of cabinet nominees could have foreseen the scandals that later emerged, a thorough vetting and review process for the monster tax cut legislation would have cautioned against such radical moves in the face
of massive maturing supply, a trimming Fed, and a
debt - strapped
consumer that is seeing
higher interest rates on mortgages and credit cards as a result
of the spike in rates.
The quarterly MNP
consumer debt index survey says 43 %
of Canadians say they're feeling the effects
of higher interest rates, up five percentage points from three months ago.
While not as important as paying a mortgage or saving thousands
of dollars from
high interest rate
debt, a vehicle is still a requirement for most
consumers.
Because credit cards charge the
highest interest rates
of any type
of consumer debt — typically about 18 % to 22 % — and allow borrowers to string repayments out for so long that it greatly inflates the cost
of everything they buy.
If you're really committed to this process one thing you can do is roll all
of your
high interest credit card or
consumer debt into a lower
interest loan with a product like Discover Personal Loans.
A lot
of consumers use that to pay off
higher -
interest debts like credit cards.
If you have any kind
of high -
interest consumer debt — namely, credit card
debt — paying it off will give you a great guaranteed return.
In fact, one
of the main reasons why
consumers are forced into bankruptcy is
high -
interest credit card
debt.
It depends on a lot
of factors but I'd consider paying off the
debt right away if its
high interest consumer debt as you'd see an immediate improvement in your monthly cash flows (your monthly
debt payments would be eliminated / decreased).
That's a lot
of debt, especially when you consider that
consumer credit cards often come with
interest rates
of 16 percent or
higher.
Lenders tend to be more wary
of a
consumer who has run into
debt problems in the past, punishing them with a
higher interest rate, even if he or she has made considerable headway in repairing his or her financial situation.
Sorry I mean't to add one other thought, if the card holder is carrying a
high balance and their
interest rates increase like the banks have been raising in recent months, this could backfire on the banks themselves, I mean since the banks give a 45 notification
of the increase and the
consumer is already maxed out and can barely make the payments as it is, the increased
interest rates because
of how the congress requires at least all the monthly
interest and some
of the principle to be paid on the cards, done so that
consumers could reduce the amount
of time to illiminate their
debts, this may spawn many card holders whoms payments will increase much like those adjustable rate mortgages that people walked away from to go wild with their remaining balances on the card and then default, the whole irony is that the
consumer may very well use the card thats damaging them to pay for bankruptcy proceedings lol!
Because you repay only a portion
of your
debts, without
interest, a
consumer proposal can be a cheaper alternative to a
high cost
debt consolidation loan or second mortgage or a viable option if you do not qualify for refinancing with your house equity.
The biggest downside
of consumer credit is its
high interests and penalties, especially for unsecured
debts.
Many
consumers believe using debit cards keeps them out
of debt and avoids
high interest rates.
With so much
debt,
consumers often attempt to spread their important purchases across a number
of creditor accounts to avoid approaching credit limits and
higher interest payments.
Unfortunately, these types
of loans can become a
debt trap in which the
consumer will continually refinance their
debt to the lender at an extremely
high interest rate.
The borrower could be lowering his or her total outgo by hundreds
of dollars by replacing
high -
interest consumer debt with low
interest mortgage
debt.
Carrying
high -
interest debt commonly leads to credit problems, which in turn preclude
consumers from qualifying for many forms
of consolidation.
Some
consumers avoid using credit cards because
of the fear
of getting buried in
high interest credit card
debt.
With credit card companies and student loan servicers charging such
high -
interest rates and fees,
debt relief solutions can rescue
consumers from being taken advantage
of and ripped off by the banks.
I have a lot
of consumer debt and student loans at pretty
high interest rates, so until some
of that is gone I'm only shooting for about $ 1 - 2K in my emergency fund.
A lot
of this
consumer debt is carried in the form
of high interest credit cards.
Therefore, we concluded that if you have
consumer debt of over 4 - 6 % (depending on its nature), you should consolidate your existing
high interest debt onto a 0 % card and use available credit as your emergency fund whilst saving to pay down the borrowed amount before the end
of the
debt period.
«But if someone is paying a
high rate
of interest on
consumer debt, that cost will outweigh the RESP benefits.
Approximately 9 Americans out
of 10 depend on their mortgage, student or some other types
of consumer debts with
high -
interest rates.
Do you want to make your
high interest consumer debt part
of your past?
«A rational
consumer should pay off the credit card
debt with the
highest interest rate first,» says the University
of Denver's Professor Ali Besharat, a
debt repayment expert at the Daniels College
of Business.
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.
One
of the first steps many financial experts recommend, even before paying off
high interest rate
consumer credit card
debt, is to establish an easily accessible emergency fund.
Therefore, we concluded that if you have
consumer debt of over 4 - 6 % (depending on its nature), you should try to consolidate your existing
high interest debt onto a 0 % card and use available credit as your emergency fund whilst saving to pay down the borrowed amount before the end
of the
debt period.
Total
Consumer Debt as % of Discretionary Income (Send me email for the chart) The problem with the «consumer debt as percentage of discretionary income» measure (the above chart) is that it ignores the true cost of debt since higher debt levels in a low - interest - rate environment may not result in a high debt service burden (interest and principal payments) on the c
Consumer Debt as % of Discretionary Income (Send me email for the chart) The problem with the «consumer debt as percentage of discretionary income» measure (the above chart) is that it ignores the true cost of debt since higher debt levels in a low - interest - rate environment may not result in a high debt service burden (interest and principal payments) on the consu
Debt as %
of Discretionary Income (Send me email for the chart) The problem with the «
consumer debt as percentage of discretionary income» measure (the above chart) is that it ignores the true cost of debt since higher debt levels in a low - interest - rate environment may not result in a high debt service burden (interest and principal payments) on the c
consumer debt as percentage of discretionary income» measure (the above chart) is that it ignores the true cost of debt since higher debt levels in a low - interest - rate environment may not result in a high debt service burden (interest and principal payments) on the consu
debt as percentage
of discretionary income» measure (the above chart) is that it ignores the true cost
of debt since higher debt levels in a low - interest - rate environment may not result in a high debt service burden (interest and principal payments) on the consu
debt since
higher debt levels in a low - interest - rate environment may not result in a high debt service burden (interest and principal payments) on the consu
debt levels in a low -
interest - rate environment may not result in a
high debt service burden (interest and principal payments) on the consu
debt service burden (
interest and principal payments) on the
consumerconsumer.
Rates have been so low that
consumers have been able to take credit card
debt at 16 or 20 percent
interest or
higher, and move it into a home equity loan or line
of credit anywhere from 4 to 10 percent.
Personal finance experts often warn
consumers with
debt to steer clear
of rewards cards, which generally charge
higher interest and carry
higher annual fees.
The combination
of a negative
consumer savings rate,
high consumer debt, and likely
interest rate hikes could lead to a substantial drop in the U.S. stock market, he said, but the Federal Reserve Board would most likely soften the blow.
«One
of the most effective ways that mortgage professionals can eliminate
high -
interest, unsecured
consumer debt and over-extension is to refinance at today's low
interest rates — often saving the
consumer hundreds
of dollars per month in excessive
interest.
I also feel it is the availability and ease
of obtaining the unsecured
high interest credit cards that is contributing to the
high consumer debt.
Ryan discusses the death
of Osama Bin Laden; Ryan reviews the economic news
of the week; Ryan notices the correlation between increased home sales and
interest rate drops; Louis notes we can't expect the housing market to be supported by further decreases in rates as they are already near historic lows; Ryan explains that
interest rates change once every four hours; Ryan notes the difference between getting a quote and being locked in to an
interest rate; Ryan advises the importance
of keeping in touch with your mortgage lender; Louis notes that
interest rates change a lot faster than home prices; Ryan notes that the
consumer confidence was up, Ryan and Louis discuss the Fed's decision to keep
interest rates where they are and to continue the $ 600 billion QE2 program; Ryan and Louis discuss the Fed's view that inflation is nascent; Louis notes that not only does the Fed not see inflation that exists but disclaims any responsibility for it; Louis asserts that there is a correlation between oil prices and Fed policy; Louis discusses Ben Bernanke's assertion that the Fed can't control oil prices but that they somehow can control the impact
of higher oil prices on the rest
of the economy; Louis also remarks on Bernanke's view
of the dollar - the claim that a strong dollar can be achieved through the Fed's current policy as it is their belief that they are creating a sound economy and therefore a sound dollar; Louis notes the irony
of the Fed chastising Congress» spendthrift ways — if the Fed did not monetize the
debt, Congress could» nt spend; Louis noted that as Bernanke spoke the prices
of gold and silver rose as it seemed that the Fed has no
interest in cutting off the easy money; the current Fed policy will keep
interest rates low; Ryan notes that the Fed knows that they can't let
interest rates rise because
of the housing mess; Louis notes that the Fed has a Hobson's Choice - either keep rates low or let
interest rates rise and cut off the recovery.