According to wordtracker, 1819 searches are made per day for the word debt consolidation while debt settlement or debt relief makes only 300 search counts per day. Do you think that all these people who are searching for this word actually want to do debt consolidation? My experience says that most of them want a debt solution. People feel that debt consolidation is the most commonly accepted debt solution.

Is the word debt consolidation misinterpreted?

If we look at Debt Consolidation Care some new members feel debt consolidation is all about settling debts, some feel it is about getting counseling and some feel it is about managing the whole debt. Some even feel it is about doing everything together to settle debts. Consolidation is “The act of combining into an integral whole”, so debt consolidation should be “The act of combining all fragmented debts into an integral whole”. There are different ways of debt consolidation; however, the most common way of merging all the debts is by taking another loan.

Is debt consolidation different from debt consolidation loan?

Yes, it is. Even Wikipedia confuses between “debt consolidation” and “debt consolidation loan”. Debt consolidation loan is about taking a new loan to repay your entire fragmented loan. This can:-

• Make debts more manageable.
• Sometimes reduce the average interest rate paid on fragmented debts.
• Further reduce the average interest paid on fragmented debts if a bigger secured debt (like home equity loan, which will offer much lower interest rate) is used to pay unsecured debts.

Debt consolidation loan is a kind of debt consolidation. Sometimes taking a huge loan to repay your other loans is not advisable. In the absence of collateral attachments, it is seen that many reliable creditors refuse to offer a huge loan package at lower rates.

From a customer’s point of view, it is basically consolidating many monthly payments to one in a smarter way to save more and pay faster. This can be done even without taking a loan by using debt management program, which is again widely perceived as debt consolidation, as monthly payments are consolidated to one. Next section of the article will explain it further.

Why everything is perceived as debt consolidation?

What customer sees is one big monthly payment, which might be used by a law firm under different schemes to settle debts.

A law firm may use the money for an account basis suited solution, which may include:-

• Debt Settlement: One account may go for debt settlement, so the company may sometimes accumulate the monthly payments to offer a lump sum.
• Debt Consolidation Loan: Another account may be paid off using another loan.

So the perceived debt consolidation includes:-

• Consolidating monthly payments to one.
• Debt settlement.
• Debt negotiation with the creditors.
• Credit counseling.
• Debt consolidation loan.
• Debt management.
• Debt portfolio.
• Asset portfolio.
• Budgeting.

When nothing works out the law firm helps the customer file a suited bankruptcy. Next time when you hear “debt consolidation”, remember it can be a perceived word for a mix of debt solutions.

Janet Williams is a financial writer for www.debtconsolidationcare.com

Nonprofit – Several states require debt management companies to be nonprofit before they’re allowed to operate. Whether they really are nonprofit or not isn’t easy to ascertain. Hence while picking your best debt management companies check with the
Better Business Bureau to verify if your short listed list has received any complaints.

Free Consultations – this is a great deciding factor. Since all companies make elaborate promises, you should check whether they offer consultations that help you take a decision. This is a great way of determining the best debt management companies.

Years of operation- it is advisable that you refrain from dealing with very newly established debt management companies. This is because they could make mistakes that do not qualify them as the best debt management companies.

Correct Procedures – Be cautious about companies that ask you no questions regarding finances or your personal background. If they are only concerned about what you are willing to pay then they are probably bothered in making money of you rather than help you. This obviously does not qualify such companies to be considered amongst the best debt management companies.

You could also judge based upon the various types of debt consolidation they specialize in. the best debt management companies offer home equity loan, line of credit, or second mortgage.

Of late the Consumer Credit Counselling Service has been receiving an increased number of enquiries pertaining to debt consolidation. This obviously is a warning sign and justifies the reason why there are so many debt management companies. This increased number and elaborate advertisement makes it even more difficult to find the best debt management companies.

When determining the best debt management companies you could also consider

Affiliations – Ascertain that a particular debt management company is not associated with any of your existing creditors.

Concern – if the company you are considering listens to your concerns and problems then they surely care.

You could also choose to read reviews or testimonials, especially those that are provided by someone you can trust and who has dealt with a particular company previously or is dealing with them at present. Be aware of whether they are providing you with periodic reports regarding your debt and whether or not they consult you prior to taking any decision regarding your credit.

Most people who need to consolidate debt aren’t really thinking about constructing a plan to pay off their debt completely, they just need a little breathing room from the burden of their monthly payments. Credit card debt consolidation loans are the fastest way to get back on track and get a little extra money back into your wallet at the end of each month.

Here are 4 of the best debt consolidation options that will help you out of your deep credit card debt.

Credit Card Debt Consolidation Balance Transfer: Credit Card balance transfers are the leading form of debt consolidation in the US. If you have a good credit rating you can easily consolidate debt from other cards onto one lower interest rate card.

Because of the steep competition between card issuers to gain your business, you can find very low annual percentage rates offered for debt consolidation. It is even possible to find a 0% interest rate for the first three to six months. This could save you a ton of money by the end of each month. Remember, the introductory rate changes after a certain amount of time, so be sure to read the fine print and make sure you are truly cutting your expenses in the long run.

Another great way to consolidate debt is using a Home Equity Debt Consolidation Loan.
Using a home equity loan or home equity line of credit is a great way to consolidate debt because they offer low interest rates and low monthly payments. There are usually very low closing costs for this type of debt consolidation loan, and the interest rates you pay are tax deductible.

If you don’t qualify for a low interest rate credit card balance transfer, and don’t have a home to borrow against, then a personal debt consolidation loan may be your best bet. This type of debt consolidation loan usually carries a higher interest rate; especially if you have a lot of credit card debt you want to consolidate, because lenders deem you as a high risk client. Still, these types of loans are popular and will work to get you out of a financial jamm, just make certain the interest rates aren’t so high that you end up even deeper into debt.

If none of the above debt consolidation options are viable to you, and you are in so deep that you’re on the brink of bankruptcy, then you need to take a look at Debt Settlement.
Debt settlement is becoming one of the most popular forms of credit card debt consolidation in the country.

Here is how debt settlement works to consolidate debt; you stop paying your regular payments to your creditors, and make payments directly to the debt settlement agency. As your overdue bills accumulate and fall behind the settlement company negotiates a deal to settle your balances, usually for half of what you actually owe. This is an extremely effective method of debt consolidation, although it will tarnish your credit score. But if you are in a serious financial situation, debt settlement is certainly better on your credit score than filing for bankruptcy.

Need more details about Debt Settlement? Read my Special Report: Using Debt Settlement To Save Yourself From Financial Ruin at my website: OutOfDebt4Good.com. While you’re there, get some expert advice about Bad Credit Debt Consolidation.