Choosing Between Debt Consolidation and Debt Settlement

Are you in debt and looking for a way out? Maybe you’ve heard about debt consolidation and debt settlement and how families, businesses and individuals are using them to help eliminate debt and chart a course towards brighter financial futures.

You want to be one of those lucky individuals, too. But you don’t understand the differences, so it’s difficult to determine which is right for your situation.

If that’s where you’re at, this article is for you. In it you’ll learn the similarities, the differences, and which one has the potential to quickly reduce and eliminate your debt by 50 percent or more.

First the similarities.  Both debt settlement and debt consolidation fall into the category of debt relief programs and services. Besides relieving you of debt, both offer a number of debt management benefits.

Now the differences.  Debt consolidation is the process of consolidating all of your unsecured debt, such as your credit cards and medical bills, into one lower monthly payment. You do this by using the money from your debt consolidation loan to pay off each of your individual creditors. Then each month, you make a single payment towards your lower rate debt consolidation loan and continue making payments until the loan is repaid. You’re not out of debt until you repay the debt consolidation loan. But you are relieved from all those higher interest rates and angry bill collectors.

Debt settlement is the program that can reduce your debt by as much as 50% and sometimes even more. It’s a faster way to eliminate a large amount of debt and shorten the amount of time it takes to become debt-free. People and businesses that choose debt settlement usually work with a debt management firm. Representatives from the firm negotiate on your behalf with each of your creditors with the goal of getting creditors to make concessions on the amount you owe. Oftentimes negotiations result in creditors agreeing to forgive up to 50% or more of the balance due. You will never be required to repay any debt that has been forgiven.

Hope this clarifies the differences. Good luck in your efforts to be debt-free once and for all!