The pitfalls of consolidating loans.
When you’re carrying a lot of debt in multiple loans and credit card balances, the idea of consolidating loans sounds pretty appealing.
The goal of loan consolidation is both to reduce your monthly payments by taking out a new loan with a lower interest rate and more favorable terms than your original loans. In theory, consolidating loans should make it possible to save money and pay down your debt more quickly.
But there are pitfalls to consolidating loans. Depending on your credit rating and how much debt you’re carrying, you may not qualify for the lower interest rates that make consolidating loans worthwhile. And if you haven’t addressed the underlying issues that got you into debt in the first place, consolidating loans may only prolong your difficult financial situation.
When you want help sorting through the pros and cons of consolidating loans, you’ll find free credit counseling professionals who can answer your questions at American Consumer Credit Counseling (ACCC).
Consolidating loans with help from ACCC.
ACCC is a nonprofit organization on a mission to help individuals and families find their way out of debt.
Available six days each week via phone, and in person, our highly trained credit counselors provide free credit counseling and can help you identify all of the options you have for eliminating your debts.
When you’re thinking about consolidating loans, our counselors will take stock of your financial situation and your financial goals, and help you understand the advantages and disadvantages of various consolidation loans. We’ll also walk you through the options to consolidate loans and direct you to the many educational resources available through ACCC, such as a debt consolidation calculator and information on how to create a budget to gain control of your finances and start your journey towards a debt-free future.
Debt management: an alternative to consolidating loans.
Depending on your financial situation, our credit counselors may recommend a debt management plan as an alternative to consolidating loans. Under a debt management plan, you’ll consolidate payments rather than consolidating loans, enabling you to avoid the additional cost of taking on new debt. Each month you’ll make one payment to ACCC, and we in turn will make payments to all of your creditors. This simplifies your finances with one convenient monthly payment, enabling you to keep up with payments more easily. This also allows our credit professionals to seek possible reductions and finance charges, late fees, over-limit charges, and monthly payments, enabling you to save money and pay off debt faster.
Learn more about options for consolidating loans and, and about the pros and cons of debt consolidation for credit card balances with credit card consolidation loans.
