Do You Have Too Many Debts?

Many Americans look to bankruptcy as a debt reduction solution along with other measures because as a country, we have one of the highest debt to income ratios, as high as up to 50 percent per household. Having a high DTI as this can prevent people receiving any kind of financing or establishing credit. You can calculate this amount by taking the percentage of the debt you have versus the income you receive.

Before you can get a loan approved, your debt to income ratio must be calculated. If you DTI is too high, you are a risky borrower and may possibly have issues paying your creditors back.

How do you calculate the DTI?

How is the DTI determined?

Your monthly income is the first thing that needs to be determined to start this equation. Your monthly income can include child support, alimony, benefits, annuities, and your monthly wages; this will include all income that comes into the household on a monthly basis. If your income is different on a monthly basis then the lender will calculate the last six months of standard and averaged income.

Your Monthly Income = $4,000
Fixed Monthly Expenses = $800

Finally, go ahead and divide your monthly expenses by the your monthly income. This will give you the debt to income ratio.

Example:

Another Example:

Fixed Monthly Expenses = $1700

DTI = 62%

This debt to income ratio is very poor and shows that expenses are so high that it would be very difficult to gain any additional credit or financing.

Taking a look at where you stand in reference to your debt an income is the first step in being able to do any type of debt reduction method.

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Credit card companies have learned that most students earn very little income and thus market lots of credit cards specifically to them, trying to get them to rack up credit card debt. Students should do all they can to avoid getting into credit card debt.

Alternatives To Student Credit Card Debt

Despite the ploys that the credit card companies use in an attempt to snag students, there are ways for students to effectively prevent themselves from getting into credit card debt while still being able to care for all their necessary expenses related to their college education.

If you, as a student, find yourself in need of some extra funds to pay for necessities, you may be able to appeal to some of your family members for help. Explain to them that by loaning you some money you will be able to avoid getting into credit card debt. Speaking with your parents about reworking your budget could also be beneficial. Your parents will probably be willing to loan you money at a reasonable rate in order to keep you out of debt with a credit card company.

Students can also use student loans to pay for expenses if their family is not able to support them financially. University financial aid offices are sure to provide you with some potential alternatives to racking up credit card debt.

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Since most student loans have a lower interest rate than credit cards do, it might be in your best interests to borrow more money than you need for tuition and books. You might also be eligible for certain tax deductions when you pay back student loans. If you want to know more about how student loans work, talk with a licensed tax preparer.

Another way to avoid incurring student credit card debt is to increase your income while you are a student by getting a part-time job. Again, take advantage of the resources at your college or university. Many colleges post part-time job opportunities that will not interfere with your academic schedule. Who knows ??” one of these opportunities may lead to a full-time job when you finish school.

It would be wise on your part to consider all possible alternatives before taking on student credit card debt.

Debt consolidation is a method that is used to reduce the severity of the debts that you may have incurred over a period of time. Under this method, you can take a single loan to clear all the debts that you owe to different creditors.

Debt consolidation wipes out your many different credit accounts which stops any calls regarding late or missed payments. You no longer have to be concerned with accounts that are in default or mounting interest. You now only have to be concerned with keeping one account current.

Debt consolidation may sound like a great idea but you need to be careful when making the decision. Some debt consolidation programs can come at a pretty high price, so high that they may cost you money rather than help you save it. So you need to look at a consolidation offer carefully before making a decision.

This negotiation comes at a price, and you need to do some research before engaging such a firm. This is because some firms charge very high amounts as service fees, a fact which a debt-pressed individual often fails to take into account. You must remember that if the firm saves you more money than it charges you, then it is a good deal.

You can consolidate your debt without taking out a consolidation loan. You can do this by doing balance transfers of your many credit balances into one account. Your goal is to wipe out the balances on any accounts charging a high rate of interest. Also having one interest payment instead of several will always result in a savings.

A consolidation loan that will take care of all the outstanding debt you have will most likely have to be a secured loan. Because the lender is taking a lower risk your interest rate will be better. However, the assets your use to secure the loan will be at risk, so this is something to consider seriously. You want to be sure that you can make the payments on this loan and that there is no danger that you may default on the loan.

To a debt-ridden person all debt-consolidation options appear attractive because they all promise the same thing: freedom. However, before diving headlong into the process, you must weigh the pros and cons of any deal that is being offered. You must compare the consultancy fees and the interest rates being offered by different vendors. Also, check out the tenure period, and your ability to repay the monthly amount.

Consolidating your debt is an important part of managing your debt. Of equal importance is making the payments that result from your consolidation.