What Is Commercial Insurance?

Posted by admin in InsuranceNov 30th, 2009 | No Comments

Are you new in business? Or perhaps have been running it for years? Whether it’s a new one or already existing, you need to make sure you know how to protect it. If accidents happen, are you ready? Are you protected?

Commercial insurance is an important protection from theft, property damage and liability. It is your protection against large out-of-pocket expenses. It also provides coverage for business interruption and employee injuries.

There are a lot of types of insurance yet here are the most popular ones: Property insurance, general liability and worker’s compensation. Get to know more about these common types to ensure that the business you’ve started to grow will be protected.

Property insurance pays for losses or damages to real or personal property. It protects against physical damage or loss in the case of theft or other catastrophes. An example, property insurance would cover fire damage to your office space or business. It would also cover damage as a result from earthquakes floods or demolition.

Although it is not limited to these damages, you can also get additional coverage that would suit your growing business needs. These are additional coverage for your business property: Boiler and machinery insurance, debris removal insurance, builders risk insurance, glass insurance, business interruption coverage, ordinance or law insurance, tenant’s coverage, crime insurance and fidelity bonds.

Boiler and Machinery insurance is also known as equipment breakdown or mechanical breakdown coverage. It provides coverage for the accidental breakdown boilers, machinery and equipment. With this kind of coverage you can get reimbursed for property damage and business interruption losses.

Debris removal insurance is exactly what you think it is. It covers for the cost of removing the debris after a fire, flood, earthquake or windstorm. Your regular property insurance may cover for the costs of the rebuilding, but not for the removal of the debris.

Builders risk insurance will cover buildings while it’s on the construction phase. Glass insurance would cover broken store windows and plate glass windows.

Business interruption coverage covers losses that result from property damage or loss. This insurance would pay for salaries, taxes, rents and net profits that would have been earned during the time it was closed.

Ordinance or Law insurance covers any demolition and rebuilding costs if your business comes into violation of code when your building (about 50%) has been destroyed. Tenant’s coverage would cover negligence on the part of your employees on your property.

Crime insurance on the other hand, would cover theft, burglary and robbery of money, securities, stocks and fixtures from employees and outsiders. Fidelity bonds would cover losses due to an employee’s theft of business property and money.

We also have liability insurance. This covers injuries that you cause to third parties. If somebody sues you for personal injury or property damage, this type of insurance will cover you for the cost of defending and resolving the suit that may arise.

There are 4 specialized kinds of liability insurance. They are as follows: Errors and omissions insurance, malpractice insurance or professional liability insurance, automobile insurance and directors and officers’ liability insurance.

Errors and omissions insurance is covered when the act is an accidental error and not just because of poor judgment or intentional acts. Malpractice insurance is commonly known as professional liability insurance, will pay for losses resulting from injuries to third parties when a professional’s treatment falls below the profession’s standard of care.

Commercial automobile insurance covers the cars, vans, trucks and trailers u [removed][removed] sed in your business. This covers damage, theft or if the driver injures a person or damages a property. Directors and officers liability coverage covers any lawsuit against the directors and officers of a company. 

Lastly, there is the workers’ compensation insurance. This covers you for your employees on the job accidents or even death. Some state laws require businesses with employees to carry some type of workers’ compensation insurance. Most of the time, workers comp prohibit the employee from bring a negligence lawsuit against an employer for work-related injuries.

If you would like to take care of your business, make sure that you are covered. Whether its property, general liability or workers compensation insurance. Business and commercial insurance go hand in hand as this is a necessary investment for you and your company. It is also important to know the insurance agent or broker that you can depend on when these trying times arise. Just like any business transaction, buying commercial insurance should be done with care. Check the insurance company or broker if they’re registered with the Better Business Bureau. If they’re graded A+, the better you can rely on them.

Maximize Your Credit Card Services with Small Business Loans

Posted by admin in BusinessNov 27th, 2009 | No Comments

Since June 15, 2009, the United States Small Business Administration has been processing deferred payment small business loans of as much as $35,000 to be given out to 10,000 small businesses. This is covered by the SBA’s America’s Recovery Capital (ARC) Loan Program.

To qualify, companies should be private enterprises that are for-profit. They should have up to five hundred employees only and should be at least two years old. Furthermore, they should be able to prove financial need with a twenty percent decrease in sales, revenue or working capital. On the other hand, they should be able to prove that one of their two years in business has been profitable, and that with the infusion of cash they will be able to meet their existing and future debt obligations. This means positive cash flow projections. The ARC small business loans are intended to be used to pay outstanding debt such as payables to vendors.

For this batch of small business loans, there are no fees or costs involved, except if the borrower defaults on the loan later. In that case the SBA-approved lender can charge costs for securing and liquidating collateral.

The ARC small business loans also do not charge interest. Actually, the SBA pays the interest for the borrowers. Disbursement of the loan can take as much as six months but payment of the principal is also deferred for the next 12 months. After that, the borrower has five years to repay the loan principal.

Each small business can only avail of one ARC loan. SBA-approved lenders will offer the loans until September 30, 2010 or until available funds run out, whichever comes first.

There are, however, an estimated 30 million small businesses in the United States and only 10,000 of them can avail of the government’s small business loans. What if you do not happen to be among the 10,000 lucky recipients? How will your small business survive?

There are even doubts being raised on whether as much as 10,000 businesses can indeed avail of the ARC loans. There are fears that there may not be enough lenders willing or able to participate in the program. Lenders will have to advance the full amount of the loan, will not receive payment on principal for a full year, and will not be able to charge any fees, thereby absorbing all administrative costs. This may be too steep for many lenders. They may not be able to afford to participate at all.

This is where you as a small business owner can and should maximize your credit card services. We are not talking about your personal credit card services here. Instead, we are referring to the merchant services that enable your small business to receive credit card  and debit card payments. Surely, any business these days avails of these types of credit card services. After all, more people pay by credit card or debit card rather than cash.

Most credit card services offer small business cash advances that can be as substantial as small business loans. These small business loans do not require any collateral because they are secured by your company’s future credit card receivables. This is even more convenient for your business because repayment is also built into those receivables. Credit card services automatically deduct a percentage from your income to go toward loan repayment. For as long as you have incoming sales, you can support your loan. Interest rates are often quite affordable considering how the loan can help your business.

Small businesses should therefore look into maximizing these credit card services for small business loans. The survival of your business could hinge on this.

How To Get Your Credit Report Free

Posted by admin in Credit ReportNov 22nd, 2009 | No Comments

Because of a new federal law passed in 2005, you can now get your credit report free from all 3 of the major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion).

Thanks to this legislation, credit reporting agencies are required to provide you with a free copy of your credit report on an annual basis upon your request using the established method. Basically, this boils down to requesting your free reports using from each bureau using the centralized system that was designed for this very purpose. If you contact any of the three bureaus directly they will charge you for the report. This is one great example of where following directions actually pays off!

In previous years one would have to pay as much as $19 or more for just one credit report. Now monitoring your credit is easier thanks to this new federal law. The only problem is that the new law only provides you access to one free credit report per year from each of the three credit bureaus.

Why Credit Monitoring Matters

If you want to keep good track of your credit (as you probably should) you will have to check your credit on a more regular basis. Many financial planners recommend that you check your record on a monthly basis. The easiest way to do this is to sign up for a credit monitoring service that will do the work for you. You can also request your credit report on your own from time to time to check it. You can do this for free by taking advantage of one of the many free credit report promotions available online.

Remember, effectively monitoring your credit is crucial to your financial health because outdated or inaccurate negative information on your credit could potentially cost you a new job, a rental apartment or money in the form of higher interest rates when you borrow from a financial institution — that is assuming you get approved.

If you are not concerned about being a victim of identity theft and only want to check your credit report on a yearly basis, be sure to take full advantage of your rights under the new law and order your free credit report from each agency using the Annual Credit Report centralized system.

This new centralized system offers consumers the opportunity to order credit reports online, via mail, or by phone. Ordering online is of course by far the fastest and easiest way to get a hold of your credit reports from all three agencies. Depending on the information you provide, you may even be able to have instant access to your free credit reports online.

Where to Order your Free Annual Credit Report

Individuals without access to the Internet can request their free credit reports using either the toll-free line or by sending a written request to the the following mailing address:

Annual Credit Report Request Service
P.O. Box 105281
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281

Get Your Credit Report Free Without Delays

When you get ready to request your free reports online, make sure you have all the information you need to request your report handy. Typically they will ask to verify your identity by providing information that only you would have. This is done to protect you and your credit. Having the information you need ready will avoid a delay in receiving your credit report free by mail.

Benefits of Non-profit Debt Consolidation Services

Posted by admin in Debt ConsolidationNov 18th, 2009 | No Comments

You can find two kinds of debt consolidation services; profit debt consolidation and non profit debt consolidation. The best place you can go is for a debt consolidation company to get rid of your debt. Non profit debt consolidation is a type of debt management program that exists for restructuring debts with high interest rates into a single loan avoiding the need for going to another loan. Thus, you can avoid many monthly payments and it also helps you have control of your financial state. As profit debt consolidation agencies charge higher rates, the best alternative is to go for Non profit debt consolidation service.

Cash loans, bank loans, IRS, credit card bills, student loans and medical bills are some of the debts that need non-profit debt consolidation solutions. If you are sure to make your regular repayments, debt consolidation mortgage is the alternative among other available options. They are offered against collaterals such as home or any other asset of value and are also tax deductible. Another option for debt consolidation is Consumer debt consolidation. On behalf of borrowers, the consumer debt management companies in this case negotiate with creditors for a consolidated payment at lower interest rates.

The non-profit debt consolidation company receives a share of amount paid by the debtor to the agency and this share is the main supporting source for the non-profit group and on the other hand the profit debt consolidation company does not receive this share. Even otherwise, this share percentage has dropped considerably and there is not much of difference between the two types. Alternatively the debtor is provided with the same monthly payment that are minimum with reduced interest rate whether it is a for-profit or a non-profit debt consolidation company.

You have a better edge over others when you go for a non-profit debt consolidation company. You can find a number of debt consolidation companies today. Therefore you have to plan for an extensive research prior to deciding a debt consolidation company. By all means, the safest way is to choose a non-profit debt consolidation company. A non-profit debt consolidation company guides you with the best possible options for debt consolidation and makes you debt free as soon as possible. Unlike a profit making debt Consolidation company, the motive of a non-profit debt consolidation is not to build personal profit at borrower’s expenses.

A great advantage you get with a non-profit debt consolidation company is free debt counseling. This service helps you to be aware of the debt consolidation techniques and the value of finance and debt management. The main purpose is to avoid such debt situations in future and also for rebuilding your credit rating. Thus, choosing a non-profit debt consolidation company is an excellent move. However ensure that your company is really a non-profit organization.

Internet is one of the best sources of getting information about the debt consolidation companies and you can also choose the best company. You can find many non-profit debt consolidation companies that offer different debt consolidation services. You can check out the websites of the respective companies. Ensure that the chosen debt consolidation company can meet the total financial requirements related with your debts. After short-listing a few companies, you can visit various web forums, blogs and reviews on such companies so that chances of any fraud can be avoided.

Why Do You Need Insurance?

Posted by admin in InsuranceNov 15th, 2009 | No Comments

You’ve worked most of your life to give your family a comfortable house to live in. You want your children to live happily and contented with the business that you’ve built through the years. Yet accidents do happen. When it does happen, the first question will be, are you protected to ensure that what you’ve built through the years won’t easily be blown with the wind? If your answer is yes, then congratulations! Yet then again, what if you’re not protected to ensure everything that you’ve worked for including yourself? You need to think it over. Remember, even the most careful person needs insurance. They can’t prevent accidents from ever happening. Although, having insurance is not a substitute for risk management, yet it’s designed to help you absorb any responsibility that may occur.

Hopefully as you read on, this article will let you realize the importance of having insurance. Not just for your protection, yet for the protection of your loved ones and the dream that you’ve built. If you do have insurance and you’re tempted to put it off, don’t. Insurance helps you pay for everyday expenses and provides you a back-up in case of serious illness.

First, what is insurance? Insurance, according to the dictionary, is a promise of reimbursement in the case of loss or is an amount paid to people or companies after a disaster or accident. In short, insurance is a policy designed to make sure that you are no worse off after an accident or disaster than you were before it happened. Insurance is designed to protect you and your family from unforeseen disasters and financial burdens. Insurance comes in all shapes and sizes. It runs the extent from personal insurance to corporate umbrella liability plans, as well as auto and homeowner’s insurance plans. Knowing what types of insurance you need is also important to make sure that you don’t overspend on things that are unnecessary.

There are different types or kinds of insurance for every type of situation. Here are some important types of insurance: Disability insurance, life, health, long term care insurance, auto, homeowner’s insurance and liability insurance. Consider your needs and what you need to protect. These are the most common types that anyone may need in case something happens to your property, to your loved ones and most specially to you.

Disability insurance. Did you know that a person like you is more likely to be disabled for sometime before you die in case of a serious accident? Ask yourself, if you become disabled, how can you cover your expenses? How will you be able to save for your retirement? Since majority of disabilities are health related, can you afford the risk of being without earnings and having increased healthcare expenses? If you are someone whose income is required to maintain your lifestyle, then protect your income by purchasing this type of insurance as this is a vital risk management strategy for all wage earners.

There are 2 types of disability: short-term and long term. Short term coverage will provide income replacement protection, usually after one week of disability, and will pay up to six months. Long term, on the other hand, is the type of disability that starts generally at the six-month mark and continues until age 65. 24.5% of American household no longer have health insurance when they lost or changed their jobs.  The sad part about health insurance is that if you can’t afford to pay the premium, you definitely won’t be able to afford bearing the risk yourself. If you contract an illness while being uninsured, you may not be able to buy insurance later because you will have a pre-existing condition or would likely end up paying more than what you should.Health insurance.

Almost one out of five Americans has no health insurance. Most of these people state that cost is the reason. Life insurance. On most occasions, life insurance protects your surviving family in the event of your death.

This type of insurance offers protection to the family you leave behind and serves as a cash resource to deal with money owed, payment of mortgages, and other living expenses. Also, life insurance can have a savings or pension component that provides for you during your retirement. It also protects your hard earned possessions by providing tax free cash which can be used to pay estate and death duties and to tide over business and personal expenses. In case of bankruptcy, the cash value as well as death benefits of an insurance policy is exempt from creditors, if any.

Auto insurance. Imagine you were to be involved in a car accident with another car and was found out that it was your fault, you need to pay for all the damage done would you be able to pay for repair or replacement of the other car and pay for the medical bills of the other driver and their passengers? Owning a vehicle and letting it out of the garage would definitely mean you should have auto insurance. Depends what state you’re located and the brand and make and model of your vehicle as well as your age, would depend on the amount of premium that you need to pay.

Having insurance is important to good financial planning and security, yet you need to assess your personal risk and long term commitments. Insurance gives a person a heads up throughout life and can be used in cases of emergencies during a life time by requesting a withdrawal or loan. If you are still having second thoughts of getting insurance, you may want to think again. Having insurance is an investment, you’ll say you don’t need it so why pay for something you don’t need? Remember there is always something that you need yet you can’t see – protection and knowing it’s just there when you need it.

Homeowner’s insurance. Having a beautiful home and furnishing it doesn’t stop there. If you have a home and you have a mortgage, you must have homeowner’s insurance protection. First, your mortgage company would require you to have it and second, even if you own you home outright, you still need to have homeowner’s insurance to replace or fix the things that are too expensive or impossible to pay for yourself.

Finding Alternatives to Small Business Loans

Posted by admin in BusinessNov 12th, 2009 | No Comments

In the midst of the global economic crisis, many small businesses are on the brink of closing down if not enough capital infusion is found. It is now even more difficult to get small business loans from banks, though. Ironically, the exact reasons why small businesses need such small business loans – the fact that business has slowed down and profitability has plummeted – are the same reasons why banks turn them down for loans.

Small businesses now have to be more resourceful in finding alternatives to small business loans.

Government Grants and Contracts Instead of Small Business Loans

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed by President Obama in February 2009 caused the pumping of billions of dollars for the revitalization of the economy. Because of it, there are plenty of government grants and contracts available to small businesses. These can be alternatives to small business loans.

But how can small businesses avail of the stimulus program?

The Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (APTAC) has the responsibility for helping small businesses obtain and perform federal, state and local government contracts. It has Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTAC) throughout the country, ready to help small business owners to get registered and find opportunities in the area of government grants and contracts. Counselors assist small businesses in filling out bids, proposals and quotations.

The PTAC holds seminars teaching small business owners all the ins and outs of government legalese, including acronyms and registries. A one-day seminar with PTAC covers what small business owners may take months to learn on their own.

The PTAC then helps small businesses with Central Contractor Registration (CCR), a requirement for doing business with the federal government. This registration can be so complicated that some companies take two days to do it when the PTAC counselor can help them get through it in 15 minutes.

Local PTACs will be of help in acquiring state and municipal contracts.

Other resources that small business owners should consult include the Small Business Administration (SBA) which also coordinates with the APTAC; the General Services Administration (GSA) which acts as the government’s purchasing department and provides information on becoming an approved vendor; the Federal Business Opportunities website (fbo.gov) where federal contract opportunities currently available are posted; and the Small Business Innovation Research website (sbir.gov) where grant and funded research opportunities for small businesses are listed.

Cash Advances from Credit Card Services Instead of Small Business Loans

Another alternative to small business loans are cash advances from credit card services. This option is much easier than winning government grants and contracts.

Most small businesses are already availing of credit card services that enable them to accept payments by credit cards or debit cards. This is practically a requirement to doing business these days, with people hardly paying cash for goods and services. Many small business owners do not know that they could avail of cash advances from these credit card services, though, and that such advances can actually equal small business loans.

The amount that a small business can borrow is based on its average monthly income from credit card sales. This is so because the cash advance does not require collateral and future sales receivables from credit cards stand as the collateral. Payment will also be done through automatic deductions from those future credit card sales. There will be no set monthly amortizations. Instead, a certain percentage of the sales will be allotted as payment. The small business owner, therefore, need not worry over where to find cash for loan payments.

Cash advances from credit card services are the best bet of small business owners as alternatives to small business loans.

Where to Get Your Free Annual Credit Report

Posted by admin in Credit ReportNov 7th, 2009 | No Comments

All consumers are entitled to a free credit report every 12 months. Some states, including Colorado, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Vermont have state laws that make residents eligible for a free credit report under state law. Additionally, all consumers who have been denied credit have a right to request a copy of their credit report for further review. Credit reports can also be requested with a credit score rating at any time for a fee from the 2 major credit reporting agencies, Equifax and TranUnion. Recently, the third agency, Experian, has stopped providing consumers with access to their reports.

When To Get A Free Report

Consumers are entitled to receive one free credit report for each agency every year. It might be wise to order one, work to improve your credit and then order the subsequent reports a few months later to see what has changed. You can also order all reports at the same time to compare, since neither report will show the exact same information.

How To Get A Free Report

There are many places, including directly from the credit reporting agencies, where you can order your credit report but the central location where you can request your free report is through the website Annual Credit Report. There you can request your report via email, regular mail, or by phone.

Why Get A Free Report?

It is widely suggested that you take advantage of the free credit report each year, if only for monitoring purposes. Reviewing your credit report often will help alert you to incidents of credit fraud and potentially false information that can dramatically reduce your credit rating. Any errors should be reported immediately to the credit reporting agency from where the report was published. If you are denied credit for any reason, you should request a copy of your report to review and see what you can do to improve the score before completing other applications for credit.

Keep in mind that your credit report will not contain a credit score. That type of report can be obtained for a fee by contacting the respective credit reporting agencies. Your credit score, created by Fair Issac complies your credit history information into a mathematical equation which lenders use to assess your creditworthiness.

Fixing Your Credit Report

When you do get and review your credit report and find that it may not be as good as it could or should be, know that you can make the improvements to your credit yourself. You can start by making sure your payments are on time each month and you control your spending on credit. Beware of the companies that claim they can repair your credit for you. Many times these companies are scams or in the very least, they charge you for services you can do on your own for free.

Visit Annual Credit Report website today and request your free credit report today to make sure you know where you stand financially. If you plan to make big purchase in the next few months, such as a house, car, or apply for a personal loan, it is in your best interest to work on improving your credit report before applying in order to get the best rates and have the most options available to you.

Do You Believe Any of These Top 10 Myths About Debt Consolidation?

Posted by admin in Debt ConsolidationNov 3rd, 2009 | No Comments

Most people facing growing debt and limited resources have probably looked around for financial solutions and heard a little bit about debt consolidation. Debt consolidation is a great financial option to overcome overwhelming debt, but it is not right for everyone. But before you can figure out if it is right for you, you have to realize that some of what you may have thought about debt consolidation … is wrong.

Of all the financial plans available for people dealing with overwhelming debt, debt consolidation is probably the most valuable and the least understood. In fact, you may already believe some of these common myths about debt consolidation. Find out the truth!

Myth #1 Debt consolidation is the same or similar to debt management, debt settlement, and bankruptcy.

Truth Debt consolidation is nothing like those other programs. In truth, it is not so much a “program” (you can even do it on your own, if you know enough) but more of a strategic approach.

In debt consolidation, you lump all of your debts together and repackage them. Debt settlement and debt management typically involve dealing with a company or counselor and the object is to reduce the amount you owe. Bankruptcy is a legal proceeding that involves a date with a judge.

Myth #2 Debt consolidation reduces your debt.

Truth No, it doesn’t. If you owe a total of $80,000 on several credit cards and loans and you consolidate that debt, you still owe $80,000.

Debt consolidation does not re-negotiate, settle, write off, or reduce any of your debt. What possible advantage is re-organizing your debt like that?

If you have a lot of loans at high interest rates, repackaging those higher-interest debts into one larger loan at a lower rate reduces your interest and the amount you have to pay. This means you can either pay less a month or (even better) pay the same amount but get the debt paid off sooner.

Myth #3 Debt consolidation will hurt my credit score.

Truth Done properly, debt consolidation will not impact your credit score or credit report negatively. In fact, debt consolidation may even improve your credit score! That’s because you’ll be paying off a bunch of smaller loans and any time a loan is paid in full, that helps your credit score.

Myth #4 Debt consolidation requires getting help from an outside agency or a lawyer.

Truth While there are companies that specialize in debt consolidation programs, you do not have to use them to consolidate your debt.

Of course, if you want to consolidate your debt on your own, you have to know a bit about how to do it and what the options are. But it can definitely be a do-it-yourself project for people good with money (or who are willing to learn enough to get good with money).

Debt consolidation is also not necessarily visible to outsiders. Your bank, the credit bureau, and other parties may not even be aware that you have consolidated debt.

Myth #5 Debt consolidation is something for financial losers and lightweights, not for people who know how to manage money.

Truth This is the most far-out myth about debt consolidation. Debt consolidation is a principle that is used in business and by the super-wealthy all of the time. It is a way of organizing and structuring your debts in a way that is most advantageous to you.

Myth #6 Debt consolidation is just robbing Peter to pay Paul; you’re just getting more debt!

Truth Debt consolidation is indeed a way for you to pay off one debt by getting another debt. But not all debts are equal.

As an example, let’s say that you owe $10,000 and the loan is set up so that you have to pay 22% interest. For example, let’s suppose that I go to my credit union and work out a deal to borrow $10,000 at 12% interest. While both debts are still in the amount of $10,000, the debt at 12% interest is a better deal for me. I won’t have to pay as much per month or, if I make the biggest payments I can, I can pay it off sooner.

Myth #7 Debt consolidation requires you to be a homeowner.

Truth There is a grain of truth to this, in that owning a home definitely offers an advantage to anyone who wants to consolidate debt. (It doesn’t matter if your home is paid for or not, but you do need some home equity.) However, you can consolidate debt without owning a home, too.

Myth #8 Debt consolidation will make it harder for me to get future loans.

Truth In most cases, it is unlikely that anyone but a forensic accountant could figure out that you consolidated your debt (unless you go through a debt consolidation companythat might leave a paper trail).

If you borrow money in one loan and then take out another, more advantageous loan to pay off the first one, you’re more likely to leave a paper trail of somebody who pays off debt responsibly. It is more likely to make you a desirable creditor.

Myth #9 People who consolidate debt just wind up digging themselves in deeper in debt!

Truth It is absolutely possible to consolidate your debt and then keep spending and get yourself in a big mess. That’s why you need good information and a plan to pay off your existing debt, manage your finances now, and start planning for your financial future.

There is no reason that debt consolidation cannot work to get you out of debt for good, but you have to have a plan.

Myth #10 Debt consolidation will allow me to write off some of my debts and it will stop bill collectors from calling.

Truth Let’s take these one at a time.

Unlike bankruptcy, debt consolidation will not allow you to write off any of your debtnot a penny of it. Whatever you owed as a debt before debt consolidation is the amount you’ll owe after debt consolidation.

The advantage is just that you structure it in a more favorable loan. You do not get existing debts cancelled or decreased! Now it’s true you can work that out in other debt management solutions (debt settlement lets you reduce debt, bankruptcy will let you write some debt off) but they come at a very high price. Both of these approaches will have a negative impact on your credit score, will make it hard for you to get future loans, and stay on your record for quite a while. Bankruptcy, in particular, is an extreme solution that involves an actual court proceeding and a judge who has the authority to make certain decisions about your financial situation (including forcing you to sell some items to pay off debts).

Debt consolidation can only stop bill collectors indirectly. Here’s how: let’s say you have six debts and you’re getting calls all of the time. If you consolidate your six debts into one large debt consolidation loan at more favorable terms, you’ll pay off all of those debts. Bye-bye, bill collectors!

However, if you don’t pay off your new debt consolidaiton loan on time, the bill collectors will start calling again.