The downside of debt consolidation services.
Debt consolidation services offers consumers a way to manage debt more effectively and potentially pay it off faster. By taking out a new loan at a low interest rate and using the money to pay off a variety of other loans, bills, and credit card balances, debt consolidation services are designed to make your financial life easier by lowering your monthly debt payments and/or saving money on interest.
While debt consolidation services are helpful for some, they are not the right choice for every individual. If your credit rating is low, you may find it hard to qualify for a low interest loan. If you don’t take steps to address the choices or the situation that brought you into debt originally, debt consolidation services may not be successful in the long-term. And if you’re consolidating credit card debt by transferring balances to a new card with an introductory rate that expires soon, you’ll likely find yourself just as far in debt this time next year.
Before engaging with a debt consolidation services agency, it’s a smart idea to consult objective consumer debt counselors who can help you determine the best way to manage your debt. At American Consumer Credit Counseling (ACCC), we offer free credit counseling on a variety of financial matters such as debt management, debt consolidation and credit repair.
Debt consolidation services can be risky – but there are other options.
Advice on debt consolidation services from ACCC.
At ACCC, our mission is to help consumers take back control of their financial lives and make a plan to get out of debt. As one of the nation’s leading nonprofit credit counseling companies, we offer a variety of services including credit card counseling, bankruptcy counseling, credit repair counseling, and more.
Our certified and highly trained counselors can help you determine whether debt consolidation services are the best option for you, or whether other alternative strategies will help you meet your financial goals more easily.
For many consumers, we recommend a debt management program instead of debt consolidation services. With debt management, you won’t take out any risky new loans or pay high fees for debt consolidation services. Instead, you’ll consolidate your payments to your creditors by writing one check to ACCC each month. Our team will take care of paying your bills on time while working with your creditors to potentially reduce interest rates, fees and charges, and the amount of your monthly payment. Our fees for debt management services are among the lowest in the industry and can be waived in cases of financial hardship.
Benefits of debt management over debt consolidation services.
When you choose a debt management program over debt consolidation services, you can:
- Save money by avoiding origination fees on new loans and balance transfers.
- Reduce your stress by making just one monthly payment to ACCC.
- Begin to rebuild your credit.
- Develop the habits and discipline that will help you live debt-free in the future.
- Pay your debt off more quickly – usually within 60 months.
