dcsimg
DebtHelp.com, One site, one solution
September 16th, 2010

Company benefits can help your debt reduction plan

Comments

No Comments »

Adjust text size
smallmediumbig
Article Tools

Print This Post Print This Post

add bookmark

digg this

reddit

save to del.icio.us

Are you maximizing the benefits on your job as part of your debt reduction plan? If you haven’t paid much attention to the types of employee benefits offered by your company, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Find out if your employer has any of the following programs that can help you avoid debt.

Debt counseling and financial classes

Knowing that many workers are struggling in this economy, some employers are setting up special workshops or classes aimed at improving budgeting skills, paying off credit card debt, or getting on track with saving for retirement. Find out if there are free workshops or referrals to debt counseling or other financial professionals who can help you.

Health savings accounts

Pretax contributions to a health savings account (HSA) can allow you to reduce the amoung of take-home pay that’s taxed. Money stashed in HSAs can be used for medical expenses as needed and avoid running up high health care bills. Medical debt is one of the most common contributors to people filing for bankruptcy.

Flexible spending plans

A flexible spending plan (FSA) can help you pay for child care expenses and some health expenses. FSAs allow you to use pretax dollars, which can decrease your overall tax bill, boosting your take-home pay. Many workers are missing out on this benefit. A Business Insurance article states that an average of 20 percent of eligible employees made FSA contributions in 2010.

Tuition reimbursement plans

If you need to take some classes to gain new skills or move up on your job, find out if there is a employee tuition reimbursement plan available. Tuition reimbursement can help you avoid wracking up student loan debt. There may be restrictions on the type of programs that qualify, so check with your benefits department to get all the details.

These are just a few of the types of employee benefit programs that might help you improve your financial situation. Don’t just ignore the employee benefits manual at your company. Take time to read it carefully to find the programs that can help you.

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (No Ratings Yet)
Loading ... Loading ...
September 14th, 2010

Credit card debt and credit scores decreasing: What’s up?

Comments

No Comments »

Adjust text size
smallmediumbig
Article Tools

Print This Post Print This Post

add bookmark

digg this

reddit

save to del.icio.us

U.S. consumers appear to be working hard to reduce credit card debt, which has fallen nearly 3 percent between January and August 2010, but their credit scores are also decreasing. What’s going on? Credit Karma CEO, Kenneth Lin, cites prolonged unemployment and depressed housing markets as primary causes. Consumers accustomed to drawing against home equity may now have to rely on using credit cards after their home equity diminished or disappeared; consumers facing long term unemployment may be forced to use credit cards to meet essential expenses.

Consumers relying on credit cards: As balances increase, your credit scores decrease

Credit scoring partially relies on your “credit utilization ratio,” which is the amount of your credit card debt divided by your total assigned credit lines. Let’s use Suzie Q Shopper as an example. Susie has 3 major credit cards with a total credit line of $20,000. She owes $6500, $3700, and $1200 on her three cards for a total of $11,400. Susie’s credit utilization ratio is 57 percent of her total available credit; experts recommend not exceeding a total credit utilization ratio of one third of your total available credit.

Getting debt help: Low cost debt consolidation programs

Consumers carrying high credit card debt also struggle with high finance charges. The annual percentage rate (APR) is the total finance charges associated with a credit card expressed as an annual percentage of your debt. Using Susie’s credit card balance of $6500 as an example, let’s say that her APR for this credit card is 23 percent. This means that Susie is paying approximately $1495 annually if her balance and APR remain the same for one year. You could probably do a lot with that amount; paying off credit card debt can help stabilize your finances and provide the flexibility you need for saving and enjoying life.

I can’t qualify for a debt consolidation loan. What should I do?

Unfortunately, debt consolidation loans often require good to excellent credit, and as unsecured loans, they may not be available for an amount sufficient for credit card debt consolidation. If you owe thousands of dollars in credit card debt, you may qualify for debt consolidation and credit counseling help. These services typically work on a non-profit basis and provide services including:

  • Reviewing your finances and developing a cash budget based on your income and obligations
  • Negotiating with creditors to reduce APR and payment amounts needed to repay debt within your new budget
  • Acting as debt consolidators by charging you one monthly amount that is distributed among your creditors after deduction of the credit counseling agency fee

Time is money when your credit card debt is accruing finance charges. Get debt consolidation help today.

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (No Ratings Yet)
Loading ... Loading ...
Welcome to the DebtHelp Blog
  • This blog covers a wide variety of debt consolidation and loan topics.

    We rely on a large network of financial experts and leading authors to write the content for the DebtHelp.com Blog.
Recent Posts
Like our Blog?
Get the widget!

Archives
Our Authors

  • Chris Rocks is the Regional Director of the National Credit Federation (NCF). NCF is a nationwide membership-based organization that assists consumers recovering from a financial difficulty and those who need a significant increase in their credit score. Chris began his financial services career as a Financial Advisor helping young families with risk management and asset accumulation strategies. It was during that time that Chris realized that many of these young families also needed someone to guide their choices with regards to debt management. He made the transition into the mortgage industry where he first worked as a loan originator and later the Vice President of a small mortgage company. As Chris came across clients who had suffered through financial challenges and saw the difficulty they had in re-entering our credit driven economy, he discovered there was a real opportunity to leverage his unique background and help others. He can be contacted by visiting his personal site, GoodCreditLiving.com.

  • Francine L. Huff is the Publisher and Editorial Director of Super Savvy Publishing, LLC, which provides editorial and publishing services. She is a gifted author, freelance journalist, and motivational speaker who has entertained and motivated a variety of audiences through workshops, panels and keynote addresses. Francine is the author of The 25-Day Money Makeover for Women, which has inspired and motivated many readers to rein in poor financial habits, become good stewards over their money and work toward a debt-free life. She has appeared on a variety of TV and radio shows. Francine previously worked for the Wall Street Journal, where she was the spot news bureau chief, a news editor and a copy editor. She has interviewed a variety of financial professionals about financial issues and strives to present information about managing money in an easy-to-understand format that is accessible to people of all backgrounds and income levels.

  • Karen Lawson is a freelance writer with more than 15 years of experience working in mortgage banking and loan servicing. She holds BA and MA degrees in English from the University of Nevada, Reno. She enjoys writing informative articles about debt management and personal finance.

Category