When you are in conducting a credit card debt negotiation, its important to know that you are negotiating for a position of strength. The Credit card companies don’t want you to default. They make their money by receiving consistent payments from you. Payments that can go on for years and years.
You are the one in control. You have something that they want to get from you, your payment. If your polite, professional and firm, you will get what you want.
This is a serious situation. They do have the ability to instigate legal action. This is unlikely on smaller balances, but is always a possibility. I have seen balances as high as 15,000 dollars end up being charged off without legal action. I have also seen balances as low as $500 go to court after just a few calls. But even court action is a fairly slow process, and you have time to react and negotiate the debt before the court date.
First, you need to make sure that you communicate by mail. Don’t give the collector a “no way out” situation by telling them to never contact you again. You have them backed them into a corner where they have little recourse but legal action. Credit card debt negotiation involves a level of compromise.
Instead, tell them they can contact you only by mail. And that they can never contact you at work. You will need to draft a letter to this effect and send it to them by registered mail, return receipt. In fact, all future communication with the collector will be by registered mail. And you always want to make sure you have a file of the delivery receipts and a copy of the letter available so that they can’t dispute that it was mailed, and that they received it.
The problem with phone calls is that when you are involved in credit card debt negotiation, you need to have verification. If it wasn’t written, it wasn’t done because you have no way to prove it if you end up in court.
Begin your credit card debt negotiation at 20-25% of the original debt amount. The collection agency may have added on fees and charges that you should not include in the settlement amount. These fees just amount to the collection agency trying to make more money, and have nothing to do with the debt to be settled.
Since on the “secondary market” debt is traded at literally a few cents on the dollar, the collection agency is making plenty of money, even if they end up settling at 30 or 40% of the original debt.
Don’t sound to eager to settle. Be calm and collected. Don’t get angry, don’t show hesitation. One thing I really want to add is NEVER let them know that you have some specific reason for settling the debt. Many people make an effort to settle before applying for a home loan for instance. This information is none of the collectors business. If they find out that the reason you want to settle is so that you can buy a house, you will never get a settlement.
So, in review.
1. Never talk to a collector on the phone. Always use registered mail with a return delivery receipt.
2. Start your negotiation at 20 - 25% of the original loan amount.
3. Don’t include the collection agencies add on fees as a part of your credit card debt negotiation.
4. Be calm, educate yourself to the process so that you can speak from a position of knowledge.
Just be patient. And make a good deal. Soon, this will all be behind you. Your credit card debt negotiation means you can get on with your life.
Ted Batron is a financial expert who specializes in debt counseling and custom debt elimination plans. He has developed a short eCourse that’s a great primer for those who are want to learn how to negotiate, eliminate and settle credit card debt at a 30-70% discount and become debt free. If you would like to know more about Ted Batrons “5 Debt Settlement Secrets You Should Know” eCourse, visit http://no-debt.net/debt-info/credit-card-debt-negotiation/
July 23rd, 2008
How much do YOU owe on your credit cards?
The average American family is now over $7000 in debt just on their credit cards. That debt generates an interest charge of over $105 each month if your card charges the average 18%. If you have missed a payment or made a late payment (even by one day!), you may be paying up to 27% interest or over $157 each month.
Most credit card companies require a modest payment towards the card balance. Modest meaning from $10 to $20 a month. To pay off a $7000 debt at $20 a month you will not pay off this debt for 29 years.
And what about those interest charges? Paying off a $7000 credit card debt charging an interest rate of 18% and paying $20 a month towards the debt, you will pay over $18,400, more than TWICE the original debt, just in interest.
What if you have more than one card? What if your debt is over $7000? What can you do? How can you get out of this hole?
There are some techniques that can help you pay off your debt and do not require expensive loans, invasive credit checks, or expensive financial planners and accountants. You can also save on interest charges by paying off your debts in a certain order.
The most effective technique is sometimes called the “snowball” method. The snowball method suggests that when you pay off one debt you apply that payment amount to the next debt. Thus the amount you pay on a debt grows like a snowball rolling down a hill.
For example, you have three credit cards with debts of $5000, $4000, and $3000 which are charging you 18%, 27%, and 12%, respectively, and you are paying $150, $125 and $100 each month. By paying these required monthly amounts you will pay off your $3000 credit card first.
Now that the $3000 card is paid off you have an extra $100 a month. Put that extra $100 toward paying off your next credit card debt. Now you are paying $225 a month on the $4000 card and the $150 on the $5000 card. With this accelerated payment on the $4000 card you will pay off the card earlier and save some money on interest charges.
Then apply the $225 payment to the $5000 card for a monthly payment total of $375. Soon this card will be paid off and you will have $375 extra each month to pay off other debts or better yet, INVEST!
So, which debts should get paid off first?
Generally, you want to pay off the debts that are charging you the highest interest rates first. In the above example you could have added the $100 payment to the $5000 credit card rather than the $4000 credit card. But the $4000 credit card is charging you 27% where the $5000 credit card is charging 18%. By paying off the card charging the higher interest rate first, you will save some money on interest charges.
If this sounds too confusing, you can enlist your computer. You can search the Internet for the keywords “debt reduction calculator” or you can visit http://www.simplejoe.com/debteraser/index2.htm and review a product named Simple Joe’s Debt Eraser.
Simple Joe’s Debt Eraser helps you create a Rapid Debt Reduction Plan that is customized to your debts and your situation. Just enter your debts and the amount you can afford to pay each month. The software will create a plan telling you how much to pay towards each debt each month until they are all paid off.
You CAN pay off your debts. The trick is to stop charging purchases to your credit cards and develop a debt reduction plan. Your plan should include “snowballing” your payments and prioritizing the debts by high interest rate.
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© Simple Joe, Inc.
David Berky is president of Simple Joe, Inc. which sells the Simple Joe’s Debt Eraser PC software. Debt Eraser can help anyone get out of debt quickly and inexpensively by creating a Rapid Debt Reduction Plan. This article may be freely distributed as long as the copyright, author’s information and an active link (where possible) are included.
David Berky
David Berky is president of Simple Joe, Inc. a marketing company that sells simple software under the brand name of Simple Joe. One of Simple Joe’s best selling products is Simple Joe’s Money Tools - a collection of 14 personal finance and investment calculators.
July 21st, 2008
Getting into debt is so easy but getting out of it, well… that’s another story. Credit card debt reduction can and, more importantly, will happen with planning and discipline in the way you spend money.
Credit card debt reduction starts with reducing the amount your spend and add to your card balance. So, the very first step you need to take is to go shopping without your card and use cash only. This reduction technique does not require you to stop shopping, but instead requires you to seriously evaluate the need of any item you want to purchase and not just purchase it on the spur of the moment. If you find that the item is something which you do really need and you do not have the cash available, you can always go home and get your credit card. By doing this, you will be more inclined to avoid costly impulse purchases. This can be a very effective technique to reduce your credit card balances by preventing you from accumulating bigger balances and causing you to get further into debt.
Another effective way to reduce your credit card debt is to consolidate your balances. You can combine your balances from high APR credit cards to one low APR one. This measure works by reducing the rate at which your debt increases. Choosing this method will generally give you a break on interest when the short initial or introductory period has an APR of 0%. If you choose to combine all of your credit cards onto one, you may also receive some extra benefits such as reward points. If you choose not to use this particular method, you could also ask your current card providers to lower you annual percentage rate. Sometimes card issuers are willing to grant this request for their customers.
There are many other methods you have to choose from besides the two methods mentioned above. Another option is to use debt reduction software to help you make a plan and a budget. Some programs may also come additional features such as financial calculators. These types of software programs are well worth looking into if you are serious about credit card debt reduction.
July 20th, 2008