Sunday, August 23, 2009

The Risks of A Government Debt Consolidation Loan

By Dean Byler

There are some people who believe that you should get a government debt consolidation loan to pay off multiple debts. This is a type of loan available through different government programs where you can pay off multiple debts by consolidating them into a single loan instead of paying off each one individually. The downside is, depending on your specific situation, this option might not be available to you.

One huge advantage of a government debt consolidation loan over other types of consolidation loans is the absence of a hefty initiation fee. As small as it sounds, this can sometimes be a surprisingly huge chunk of change. Many times, student loans can qualify for government debt consolidation loans, but personal credit card debt is not usually eligible. More often than not, government debt consolidation loans target small businesses and corporations rather than individuals.

If you have personal credit card debt, you should consider the options that are available to you. Debt consolidation is a great alternative for many people since this reduces the amount that needs to be paid each month and also lowers the overall amount of interest paid over the course of paying off the debt.

If you have student loans, a government debt consolidation loan can usually be found without having to pay an initiation fee. It's important to look over the terms of the loan carefully. Each lender will typically have their own unique terms and requirements.

Consolidation loans are used to group multiple loans with higher interest rates together and to pay them off with a single loan which has a lower interest rate. The new monthly payment is lower which helps to reduce the financial stress. This also saves you a significant amount of money over the course of paying back the debt.

The main risk of a government debt consolidation loan or any other kind of consolidation loan is that people will simply continue to accumulate more debt. Many people use the extra cash they have saved from the lower payments to buy more things. This is not going to help them in the long run.

The intended purpose of consolidation loans is to make it easier to pay off multiple debts. Unless people learn how to manage their money, they often end up in even more debt within a very short period of time. Financial education, not another loan, is the real way to get out of debt.

One of the best options for dealing with personal debt is to talk with a debt counselor. Learning ways to manage your finances better will serve you in the long run and prevent you from falling into the same trap over and over again. While debt consolidation can provide short term relief, it is not a long term answer to your financial problems.

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