Chapter 13 bankruptcy, also called a “wage-earners” bankruptcy, is essentially a repayment plan based on what you can afford. It allows you to prioritize your debt and make payments based on your income. This plan is best for those who are experiencing a temporary setback and need some time and space to breathe, in order to get their financial situation under control.

Overview of Debt Settlement Programs

The third blog in our debt consolidation solutions series focuses on debt settlement programs. It functions by halting all payments you are making to creditors and requires you to close your accounts. Instead, you will make monthly payments (usually lower than your current payments) to a trust account. When that account has built up enough to pay off your debt in full, the debt settlement program company will begin negotiations with your creditors. They will also attempt to negotiate a lower debt amount by offering to make a lump sum payment.

Debt consolidation can be a very confusing concept because financial terminology is complicated and contracts can be very convoluted. The term itself, debt consolidation, is confusing because it can be used to describe a group of debt solutions or as an individual option. For simplification purposes we are going to use the term ‘debt consolidation’ to describe the general concept of combining multiple unsecured debts into one.

Credit card companies are in business to make money and we make it very easy for them to be profitable. Credit cards fulfill our need for instant gratification. It is very easy to spend money on a credit card because there is no physical exchange of cash and you are not expected to pay at the time of transaction. This process plays upon humans’ need for instant gratification.