Subscribe Feed (RSS)Wondering which route to take – credit card debt settlement plan or to file for bankruptcy? This choice is far from clear cut for many people with debts but it becomes easier if you take into account a few issues. It may well feel right at the stage you are at to just get rid of all of the stresses and hassles and file for bankruptcy, but is this really the best option for you? Let us look at some facts.
So, you are in the position where you have been unable to pay off your credit card/s for quite a while now and its got to the stage where your card/s company have sold on your debt to a debt collection agency. Of course, the collection agency will contact you very soon as they want to get “their” money back and also profit too. They want immediate payment.
Let us say that you have been unable to pay off your visa credit card for quite some time and the card company have now sold your debt to them to a debt collection agency. The collection agency will shortly be in touch with you, often firstly with a letter and then with a follow up phone call with demands for immediate payment.
Lets look at some figures to make this more clear.
- The original amount you owe is $16,000.
- As a full payment the debt collector is willing to accept $8,000.
- The debt collector gets 60% of this amount = $4,800.
- The card company will thus get 40% = $3,200.
Although the card company is not going to receive anything near the initial amount owed to them this $3,200 is still more than they would attain in Chapter- bankruptcy. If you were to go for Chapter 7 bankruptcy they would receive absolutely nothing!
Furthermore, if you were to take the bankruptcy option this would stay on your credit file for a total of 10 years. If you were to take the debt settlement option then it will remain on your file for 7 years in total before you can start afresh.
But is this any clearer to you now than before? Probably not much. So, ask yourself this:
– how long does bankruptcy stay on your credit file?
Answer: 10 years
– how long does a settlement stay on your file?
Answer: 7 years
Further, if you are to discontinue with the plan at any stage your case will be dismissed and you will be right back at the beginning once again, having paid all those added fees, which you lose anyhow.
Thus, unless your debts are totally insurmountable, its a wise choice to go for the debt settlement plan, don’t you now agree?
Learn more about credit card help and debt consolidation program to suit your needs.
Tags: credit card, Credit Card Help, credit cards, Debt consolidation, Debt Consolidation Program, debt settlement program, finance, money
