Pleasant Ranch

Is it too late to still do credit history repair? The way people usually play the credit game is that they get credit cards as a young adults, they max them out, they get more cards, they borrow on one to pay the minimum payments on the others and finally they can't make the payments anymore. No matter where you are financially, there are still options. The primary credit history repair options are bankruptcy, [...] Is it too late to still do credit history repair? The way people usually play the credit game is that they get credit cards as a young adults, they max them out, they get more cards, they borrow on one to pay the minimum payments on the others and finally they can't make the payments anymore. No matter where you are financially, there are still options. The primary credit history repair options are bankruptcy, debt settlement, debt consolidation, credit counseling or simply changing your spending habits. There's always the concern regarding how any particular option will affect your credit. While that's a valid concern, a mountain of debt ruins your credit AND your cash flow. If you don't do something... anything about the actual debt, it won't matter how good your credit is. Bankruptcy is a best for people who don't have many assets. That way when you have to liquidate your assets, there won't be much there and most of it will be exempt anyway. That option hurts your credit the most but if you're drowning in debt, that might be your best option. Consult with an attorney for that. Debt settlement is a great option if you just want to get out of debt and don't mind temporary bad credit. Instead of paying your monthly payments, you put all that money in a savings account and once your accounts charge off, you negotiate 20-40% settlements with the creditors. If you do this, be sure to get it in writing that the account is settled. Be sure and know the laws in your state because in some jurisdictions, creditors can garnish wages. Debt consolidation is where you pay off all your loans with one big loan. Usually the only place to get a loan that big when you have too much debt is from your home equity. The danger is that people often spend on their paid off accounts again and end up with twice as much debt. Then their home is in jeopardy because now they have twice the payments to keep up with. I would never recommend credit counseling. They are paid by the creditors they negotiate with. All they do for the monthly fee they take from you is negotiate your interest rates down. You can do that yourself. They'll also put a 3rd party intervention mark on your credit which will make it difficult for you to get any more credit in the future. So while you might have wanted to do this option to preserve your credit, it will work against you in the end. The best option is to manage your money better. Obviously if you're already too far behind, you need to do something more than just pay down your debt. If you can pay down your debt, pay the highest rates first. Negotiate your rates down and make your creditors bid against each other for your business. Once you pay off one, apply that payment to another. Keep that up until you're where you want to be. No matter how bleak your situation might seem, you always have options. Figure out what your long term goals are and choose the options that get you there. Fix bad credit! Do your own credit repair without an agency. Visit www.creditrepairsecrets.org for free credit help.