Best Personal Loans for Debt Consolidation [New in 2020]

Options when Considering Debt Consolidation

• Personal Loan
• Balance Transfer
• Personal Line of Credit
• Debt management
• Local Banks
• Online Lenders

If you are in debt, then finding a solution is not always easy, and many people feel as though they have no options from which to choose. Inability to get your debt under control can cause you to miss payments, resulting in damage to your credit report. Although your situation might seem hopeless at first, it's not. You can use several methods to get your budget under control, and obtaining a personal loan could be the right answer for you.

Borrowing additional money won't always make sense, but you will see how it can help after you learn about the benefits. You are going to discover the top reasons for getting a debt consolidation loan. You will then have the information that you need to move forward, and the right path will become clear.

Should You Get a Personal Loan for Debt Consolidation?

A debt consolidation loan is another option for those who would want to improve their financial situation. It is another financial solution that helps those who have several debts from different creditors and would like to just put them all in one place.

You may have heard of it, or people may have actually offered you this option However you probably have many questions you need answers to. Here are some common questions associated with this topic, if you find your question there, read on and see the explanation below:

• Is a personal loan the best option to consolidate all my debt?
• Which is better, getting a personal loan for loan consolidation, or just transfer all the balances from other loans to a new credit card with a lower interest rate?
• If personal loan is the chosen option, what types of personal loans are available for debt consolidation?

It is a common practice to have several loans and debts. More often than not, borrowers feel swamped and are drowning in an ocean of debt while they live pay check to pay check. As if paying interest rates is not bad enough, loans and debts get harder and harder to pay when you get to sign up with ten different creditors and need to pay ten different loans in a month on top of your other responsibilities. There is a lot of time and money wasted on trying to keep afloat without getting swallowed up whole by your debts. As indicated in a recent report by the Federal Reserve, an average American household owes at least $15,700 from credit card companies alone.

Credit cards are convenient to have when hard times hit and you find yourself down to your last penny. A lot of consumers opt to get several credit cards from different companies These credit cards do more harm than good in the long run. According to the report from the Federal Reserve, some credit cards companies charge more than a 20 percent interest rate. The average annual rate is at 15 percent, and if you have a high balance left unattended on your card, you can expect a brutal beating in the future. Imagine making a minimum payment of just the interest and at least 1% of the debt balance of a $15,700 loan; that will set you back almost $500 payment each month, and at this rate, you will take 32 years to completely cover that loan. It that does not sound bad enough, after paying everything, the accumulated payment over the years will amount to $25,557, almost double the amount of the original loan.

What is Debt Consolidation?

Debt consolidation allows qualified customers to get new loans to pay off credit card debt and other bills partially or all of their outstanding debts. This is to consolidate all existing loans and combine all of your balances from different creditors into one convenient location.

You no longer need to write ten different checks and go to ten different creditors each month just to pay your outstanding balance. This option has lower interest rates than what borrower are usually paying and it also shortens the loans from other creditor saving borrowers from paying more interest in the future.

What Options are Available for Debt Consolidation?

There are a lot of things you can do that aim for debt consolidation, but if you really look at it, debt consolidation has three main options:

Get a personal loan from any financial organization

After looking into a new line of credit from another bank or company, getting a personal loan does seem to be a better option. When you weigh the pros and cons of these options, the potential outcome of another line of credit does not seem like a productive choice. When you look into a personal loan, you will experience these benefits:

• Lower interest rates
• Lower monthly payments
• Flexible monthly payments that make budgeting a lot easier
• Shorter time paying debts

With those mentioned above, a personal loan does seem to be a better move to consolidate your debt compared to a credit care, especially if you are experiencing the following:

• You pay several bills every month and would like to have more convenient option
• You have difficulties in making your minimum payments for all your loans
• You are unable to come to an amicable agreement of a lower rate with your credit card companies.

There are a lot of options our there for personal loans when you start to explore your options. Do your research before making any decision. Read up on whatever documentation you can find about the online lenders that have caught your attention, or go and visit the brick and mortar storefront and talk to a representative. Do not be afraid to ask question and to delay signing up if you have questions that are left unanswered, you do not need to rush into applying because there are tons of lenders out there.

You can also check with your current bank regarding their personal loan offers. You can either opt for an unsecured loan where there will be no collateral but will have a higher interest rate, or go for a secured loan that requires a collateral but offers a lower interest rate. You can also check out options with fixed rates or variable rates. Those loans with fixed rates usually have higher interest rate while the variable rates tend to be lower, but you will experience fluctuations overtime.

Transfer all your balance from one card to another

Credit card advertisements and offers are very tempting especially when they get to flaunt the low interest rate you need to pay in the introductory period which saves you money. The computation and the marking does add up to show you will save money, but it will only do so, short term.

Those who have a high amount of outstanding balance may not qualify for this option and they may not be able to take advantage of the low interest rate introductory offer. The credit limit is another concern that should be looked at since all new customers are given an entry level credit limit that may or may not cover the entirety of your outstanding balance.

If this is the option that is more appealing to you, you might want to take a little more time thinking it over and do the math again. If you do get to qualify for the introductory offer and it does cover the rest of your debt, you also need to look into the length of the introductory offer and the amount you need to pay once the period is over. You have to foresee if you are able to pay off your remaining balance before the lower rate increases, and you also have to see how high it jumps once the new rate takes effect. At this point, you have to check if you are at a better position before you started or much worse.

You also have to gauge yourself control and how well you are able to resist temptation in getting more credit cards and burying yourself under more debt and credit. Do not sign up and stay away if you have sliver of doubt.

Get a personal line of credit

This is very similar to a personal loan, but instead of getting the lump sum as you do with loans, you will just have easy access to funds and use them only when you need them. This is also great option since you only pay for what you use and the rates are very flexible with very low annual fees.

It does not matter which of these options you take, what matters is that you take the one that makes the most sense to you. There are also many lenders out there that offer Debt Management Plan that are designed for the customers to regain control of their finances while paying unsecured debts. Do not lose hope when you do not see the results you are looking for. You need to carefully read the terms and conditions as presented to you by your lender before signing on the dotted line.

Working with the best debt consolidation companies does sound like a great solution that will allow a little bit of relief from your monthly responsibilities, but this may not always be the case. Before engaging in another contract, you have to be sure of what you are signing up for, if you need a secured loan and do not have a home that you own, getting a personal loan or line of credit might not be a viable option. You can also look into debt settlements and negotiate with debtors for a lower balance after a lump sum payment. This may hurt your credit score a little bit, but it is still better than bankruptcy and there are no upfront fees.

Debt Management

Those who are forced to make several loan payments each month often find that keeping track of their budget is a challenge. Without taking steps to correct the problem, you risk forgetting to make a payment, and monitoring your spending will be that much more time-consuming.

A debt consolidation loan will empower you to reduce your bills into a single payment, and you will not need to worry about those problems anymore. Before you get started, find out how much it will cost to repay your existing loans.

Lower Your Monthly Payments

If you are like other consumers, then you are searching for ways to reduce the interest on your loans, and doing so is not as hard as you might think. With a debt consolidation loan, you can extend the duration of your current loans, and your monthly payments will become much smaller.

Also, if your credit score is better than it was when you first borrowed the money, your new score will work wonders to reduce your interest rate. After they decide to see what debt consolidation loans can do for them, people are often impressed by the results.

Local Banks

After you determine that getting a debt consolidation loan is the right choice, you might be wondering where to apply. If you have a good relationship with your local bank, then you can speak with a loan officer to see the type of deals with which they can provide you. If you go to your local bank, keep in mind that you won't always get the best available deal. Because each bank has its own terms and interest rates, you will need to apply to several of them to weigh your options effectively.

Online Finance Companies

If you want to save time and energy, you can always opt to get a debt consolidation loan from an online finance company. When you do so, getting a good deal will be easier than you once thought possible. Applying for several online banks is a quick process, and you can even go through a company that allows multiple lenders to pitch their loans to you. When banks compete for your business, they will be forced to offer the best deals that they can provide, and you will be able to choose a finance company that stands out from the rest in a positive way.

Final Thoughts

Although it can provide people with many noteworthy benefits, a debt consolidation loan is not for everyone. Taking the time to review your situation and budget will go a long way in helping you decide where to turn. If you can get a loan that has a reasonable interest rate, the reduced monthly payments will eliminate stress and give you peace of mind.

FAQ

Debt consolidation is a process of taking out a new loan to pay off multiple existing debts. By rolling these debts into one, you can re-negotiate a lower monthly payment and longer repayment term. Taking out personal loans to consolidate debt is one option available for borrowers. You can learn about the common questions that you might encounter during this process below.

Debt Consolidation Process

In this section, you can get a more detailed look into the process of consolidating your debts. You will get more information that will prepare you for the process ahead.

Debt Consolidation Benefits

This section will provide a glimpse on how you can benefit from obtaining personal loans for debt consolidation. You will learn more about how to use this type of loan to wipe off your debt.

Debt Consolidation and Credit

In this section, you will discover how you can impact your credit score by consolidating your debts. If you have any questions about your credit score, you might find the answer here.