http://www.debt-information.com/debt/debt-free.html Debt free - Know your rights. It's not as difficult as you'd think. Discover industry tools that will make your goal of becoming debt free that much easier. en-us Sat, 26 Jul 2008 15:00:00 EDT Sat, 26 Jul 2008 15:00:00 EDT Weblog Editor 2.0 Do your debt free homework Bernard M. Baruch once said, "In the last analysis, our only freedom is the freedom to discipline ourselves." And you, have you developed the skills that will bring you closer to total self-discipline in the face of your debt? You can become debt free with a little research and a whole lot of persistence and plotting. And of course, brush off those rusty math skills. There are many ways you can go about achieving a debt free status. You can research the Internet for debt free pages and begin to compare and contrast the different ways in which the debt help companies work. By doing this, you'll be able to make a more well-informed decision on the debt solution that will work best for you. You have choices. Debt free, for instance You can, for instance, consolidate debt. When you use this method, you're essentially uniting all your accounts into one balance. This balance is often reduced by your consolidation expert after s/he has negotiated with your creditors to bring the numbers down. A major contributer to the success of achieving the best reductions in both interest and balance is reputation of the company. Your creditors will be more conducive to working out a debt settlement if they trust the debt consolidation company. Hence, it's a good idea to research the credibility of the debt relief company offering said debt free programs. Or, you could do it on your own. Are you confident in your ability to negotiate? Just think of it as haggling with the Farmers' market vendor, but on a much larger scale. Because most of us can't afford a big pay-out, it is advised you exercise a few precautionary tactics in your preliminary plotting to become debt free. Remember, you have leverage. Debt collectors want your money. They're going to ask you for the entire balance, but, of course, they'll settle for what you give them. Why? Because, they don't get paid unless you pay them. Things to remember when attempting to live debt free Know your rights. Don't give in to intimidation or pressure. The Fair Debt Collections Practices Award was passed in 1977 to protect consumers from abusive debt collectors. Make yourself familiar with the list of third-party debt collector rules outlined within. Ascertain fact and fiction. It could be what prevents you from agreeing to a settlement that you realistically can't afford. For more information on debt collection laws in your state, contact the Consumer Protection Division of your state's Attorney General office. Start offering amounts well below what you can afford. In many cases, they'll take anything you agree to in a lump sum, so they can move on to the next client. Start small, no matter how ridiculous is sounds coming out of your mouth. What have you got to loose at this point? Sit tight. Don't budge until the negotiation starts turning in your favor. Always get the agreed-upon amount in writing. This ensures the deal's legitimacy and prevents the collector from changing the terms on you after your verbal agreement. Verbal agreements mean nothing, unless they're taped, but that's a whole other story. Further safeguard yourself here by offering to draft up the agreement and have them sign it. This is really covering your bases. Methods for becoming debt free Other methods of avoiding paying a heavy price in the face of your debt can be found, if you know where to look. Check out Internet pages for free offers. If you come across, say, an offer for free debt consolidation, make the call. At the very least, you can get some free advice or debt counseling. Many of the 'free' offers are valid. Because the debt reduction industry is so competitive, many companies have no choice but to run promotional incentives in order to stand out among their rivals. Just be sure to read the fine print and have your debt free specialist explain any contractual obligations to you before signing anything. Use discretion. Just coming into contact with a debt consolidation specialist can be the bridge you need to insight and industry tools you may not otherwise have had access to. Check it out, but, commit to nothing until you're absolutely certain to agree with the debt elimination company's code of ethics. Otherwise, being debt free may not be as wonderful as you once thought it would be. Play your cards right and soon you'll be living debt free. We all should take it upon ourselves to put up our best fight against in escalation into debt. You know, it was only a few years ago that credit reporting agencies (CRAs) were forced to publicly reveal the formula they use to rank a credit score. Now that we have that information, there is an entire industry devoted to helping you out of your credit card debt and into the best lines of credit and low APRs. It's possible. Keep an open mind and you will soon get out of debt. You too can get to the point where your life is chock full of debt free living, but you have to do your homework. Sat, 26 Jul 2008 15:00:00 EDT http://www.debt-information.com/debt/living-debt-free.html Living debt free is your desired destiny. Find out how easy it can be to be living debt free. en-us Sat, 26 Jul 2008 15:00:00 EDT Sat, 26 Jul 2008 15:00:00 EDT Weblog Editor 2.0 http://www.debt-information.com/debt/debt-free-programs.html Are you looking for debt free programs? If so, have we got some news for you. Take a look at the many advantages that come with debt free programs. en-us Sat, 26 Jul 2008 15:00:00 EDT Sat, 26 Jul 2008 15:00:00 EDT Weblog Editor 2.0 http://www.debt-information.com/debt/debt-free-living.html Debt free living is what we all want, so why are so few of us chasing the debt free living dream? en-us Sat, 26 Jul 2008 15:00:00 EDT Sat, 26 Jul 2008 15:00:00 EDT Weblog Editor 2.0