Credit History Repair: What If It’s Beyond Repair?
Is there a point of no return in doing credit history repair?
The story is usually the same. People get credit cards when they’re young. They max them out. They borrow on one to pay the other. They get more cards until they can’t anymore. Finally the minimum payments overwhelm their income and they’re stuck.
Even if you’ve passed that point, you still have options. The major credit history repair options are bankruptcy, debt settlement, debt consolidation, credit counseling or simply changing your spending habits.
People often worry how making any changes will affect their credit. The more important issue is the mountain of debt that’s eating your financial future. With too much debt, you won’t be able to get any more credit anyway. Plus it’s disrupting your cash flow.
The most dramatic and final option is bankruptcy. This is good for people who have only a few assets and much more debt than they could ever pay back. It does cost something to get going and will impact your credit more than anything else.
A great option for people who have too much debt but a steady income is debt settlement. Instead of making your monthly payments, you save that money and offer your creditors lump sum settlements in the range of 20-40% of the total. Be sure to know the laws in your state and get everything in writing. If you have too many assets, your creditors might attempt to sue you or garnish your wages.
Debt consolidation means you get one big loan and use it to pay off your other loans. You’ll want to make sure to avoid the trap of using those paid accounts again and getting back into debt. Additionally, people often do this with a home equity loan which could put your home in jeopardy if you can’t make the payments later on.
Credit counseling is a complete waste in my opinion. They take a monthly fee from you and negotiate a lower interest rate for you. Then the credit card companies pay them for keeping you making your payments so there’s usually a conflict of interest. You can negotiate your own rates and avoid the mark that would go on your credit with a third party intervention.
A final option is to manage your spending better. Pay down your highest interest accounts first and negotiate for better rates. If you need to transfer balances to lower rate credit cards, do it. Make one account give you better terms than the other. Once you pay off one, use that payment to accelerate payments on the next until you’re happy with your level of debt.
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 history repair without an agency. Visit www.creditrepairsecrets.org for free credit repair secrets.













