Is consolidating loans right for you?
Consolidating loans makes sense but only if you can pay a lower interest rate than what you're paying now. This is especially true if you are consolidating mortgage loans. Be aware of your total overall costs to avoid getting deeper in debt than when you started.
Have you ever asked yourself why should I consolidate my bills? The simple answer is to reduce your monthly payments and save thousands in interest costs. Here are a couple of things to consider if you want to see if consolidating loans will benefit you.
No matter what kind of loan you shop for get the very lowest interest rate possible. You always want to pay off a consolidating loan in the shortest amount of time to avoid getting deeper in debt. Plan to pay off all of your debts in three to five years starting with the highest interest rate debt first.
Here are some of the best ways for consolidating loans.
Credit Cards
Many low rate credit cards offer you a lower rate than a standard debt consolidation loan. Just be sure to get a no fee card for transferring new balances. By transferring a higher interest credit card debt to a lower rate card, you can pay more towards the principal of your debt and pay it off quicker. Consolidating loans always makes sense if you can lower your interest on your debt.
Debt Consolidation Loan
A debt consolidation loan is another good option for consolidating loans. Just shop for an interest rate that is reasonable. The repayment terms should only be three to five years not ten or fifteen years so you don't pay thousands of dollars in interest. Calculate the total cost of the loan from start to finish to see if this kind of loan makes sense for you.
Home Equity Loan or Line Of Credit
A home equity loan offers you a fixed interest rate for a fixed period of time. A home equity line of credit is a pre-approved credit limit where you can have money available as you need it. An equity line has variable interest rates that usually start lower than the equity loan fixed rates.
Many lenders offer no or low closing costs for home equity loans and credit lines. Closing costs or loan costs are an important consideration to keep in mind if you use this for consolidating loans. The interest on these loans is usually tax-deductible if you itemize but you should get a tax accountants advice for your situation.
Make sure you understand the total cost of refinancing when consolidating mortgage loans. You want to end up with a lower monthly payment than you have now but calculate the cost of the interest to see if this is a good option for consolidating loans in your case.
Whatever method you choose, don't just lower your monthly payments and get deeper in debt. Many lenders make their money by moving the loan costs to the end of the loan making you pay interest for years on the costs. Make it your goal to pay off your debt in three to five years or as soon as you can.
So if you're still asking yourself why should I consolidate my bills? You can easily answer that by looking to see if you can save money by any of these methods. Consolidating loans allows you to eliminate the high interest costs of your debts and pay them off much quicker.
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