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HomeBlog Debt ReliefDo You Have What It Takes For DIY Debt Settlement?
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Do You Have What It Takes For DIY Debt Settlement?

February 26, 2014 by National Debt Relief

woman drowning in debtIf you feel as if you were drowning in a sea of debt and saw a sign advertising “bankruptcies for as little as $500” you might be very tempted to call that attorney and say “sign me up.” However, this could be a very serious mistake. A bankruptcy will stay in your credit report for up to 10 years and in your personal file for the rest of your life. Once you file for bankruptcy it will be at least two to three years before you will be able to get new credit. And when you are able to get credit it will have a very high-interest rate. You may even have to pay more for your auto insurance, your utilities and your rent.

A better option

If you’re five months or more behind on your credit card and loan payments a better option might be to settle those debts yourself. This will cost you less than hiring a professional to do it for you and puts you in control of the settlement process. However, many people won’t try DIY debt settlement because they just don’t want to have to interact with banks, collection agencies and other creditors. DIY debt settlement can seem like it would be a very scary experience and you may have heard that it can be a brutal process. And it definitely isn’t for the faint of heart. DIY debt settlement requires hard work, persistence and the willingness to deal with debt collectors for months or even years.

The goal

Of course, the goal of debt settlement is to settle your debts for less than you actually owe. In fact, if you have the guts, time and negotiating skills you should be able to settle your debts for 50% or even 40% of what you owe.

What you need to know

Debt collector hollering into micBefore you decide to try to settle your debts yourself, there are some things you need to know. First, it will probably be a time-consuming and frustrating process. You will have to be ready to field calls from angry lenders and possibly even debt collection agencies. Debt settlement will damage your credit though not as badly as a bankruptcy. Many financial experts believe that a bankruptcy will drop your credit score by as many as 200 points, while debt settlement might reduce it by only 140 points.

How to determine if debt settlement is for you

The first important question you need to ask yourself is whether debt settlement would be your best option. To answer this question you will need to look at your whole financial picture and alternatives such as a family loan or consumer credit counseling.

How to do debt settlement

As noted above, you will probably have to wait anywhere from three to five months before you initiate negotiations with your lenders. The reason for this is because they are usually unwilling to negotiate until they believe that if they refuse to settle you will file for bankruptcy and they will then get nothing.. Many experts say that the best way to begin is by writing a simple letter stating that you had run into financial problems, that your situation had improved somewhat and that you wanted to settle your debts. You should offer a partial payment of each debt if the lender agrees to remove the delinquent payments and collections from your credit report. Be sure to ask each lender to sign and send back the letter. This way you would have a paper trail in the event you needed to prove that the lender had agreed to settle for the amount you offered.

A small silver lining

While debt settlement will have a negative affect on your credit, there is a small silver lining. If you can take your outstanding balances down to zero, this might help mitigate the damage to your credit because 30% of your FICO score is determined by how much you owe. Also, many lenders will not provide credit to people who have outstanding delinquencies. So if you can settle your debts, this can put you in a position to start rebuilding your credit.

Settling debts like a pro

If you feel you have what it takes to settle your debts yourself, here are some tips that could help.

1. Talk first to an expert.

Get some expert advice from a tax accountant before you plunge into DIY debt settlement. This is because there it could have tax implications.

2. Write out a timeline

You want to settle your debts as fast as possible as this increases your chances of success and cuts the risk that you would end up being sued. The ideal is 12 months or less and you should never go beyond 24 months. Take a hard, realistic look at your finances and assets to determine how quickly you could come up with the money you will need to make the lump sum payments that will be required to settle your debts.

3. Find the money

Your chances of successfully settling your debts will increase if you can find assets or other ways to come up with the money you will need. For example if you have a motorcycle sitting in the garage or a second car that’s not absolutely necessary, think about selling it. You might also have collectibles such as coins, antiques and baseball cards you could sell. Or you might consider refinancing your mortgage, getting a loan from a family member or taking on a second job.

4. Ditch the emotions

If you’re you’re typical, you may feel shame, guilt and fear about debt you can’t manage and collection agencies and banks will try to take advantage of those emotions. Forget all this and treat the settlement as if it were a business transaction. Also, try not to get angry if you are turned down or if a lender makes a ridiculous counteroffer. Remember, it’s not about the emotions. It’s about your money.

5. Create a system

If you’re average, you will have about six accounts that you will need to settle. Multiply this by several calls a day – especially if there is one or more collection agencies involved – and you can see that you will be receiving a lot of calls. You might want to assign those people a silent ring tone on your cell phone to help manage the calls. You might also get collection calls routed to another phone – a second cell phone, a Skype account or a magicJack. Then you can listen to those messages and return the calls on your own schedule.

6. Explain the problem

There’s no way you’re going to be able to settle your debts unless you have a real hardship. This needs to be something such as you lost your job or your spouse or got hit by a tornado. It’s best if you can detail your situation so that your lenders and debt collectors will understand just how underwater you are. For example, if you’re trying to settle a credit card debt you may not need a lot of evidence. But if you’re trying to negotiate on a second mortgage, you may have to provide copies of bills and even tax documents.

7. Get it all in writing

Always get everything in writing before you pay a cent. This is especially important if you reach an agreement with the original creditor or a collection agency over the phone. If you fail to do this, the amount of money you thought would take care of your debt might end up being counted as just a partial payment. Understand that when talking to a debt collector, he will say anything to get you to pay. It’s up to you to not pay anything until you have the entire settlement in writing.

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National Debt Relief is one of the largest and best-rated debt settlement companies in the country. In addition to providing excellent, 5-star services to our clients, we also focus on educating consumers across America on how to best manage their money. Our posts cover topics around personal finance, saving tips, and much more. We’ve served thousands of clients, settled over $1 billion in consumer debt, and our services have been featured on sites like NerdWallet, Mashable, HuffPost, and Glamour.

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Easy National Debt Relief Caller: Austin Transcribed WE 1/17/2021 Austin: Our call may be recorded. What led you to National Debt Relief and why did you choose National Debt Relief over a different company? CARA: Honestly, it was just kind of on a whim. I just saw a commercial, I think, and then looked it up. And we were just tired of living paycheck to paycheck and not feeling like we were getting anywhere with our debt. Austin: What were your thoughts and was wondering as far as like the enrollment process, what process or where are you at this point in the process? CARA: We are almost done. Well, they've paid off almost everything or we've paid off almost everything. We're working on our last credit card. So I think our last payment will be in December, so nearing the end. Austin: Do you remember the name of the negotiator? I'm sure you've probably worked with a couple of people, but what's the name of the negotiator that you worked with? CARA: Well, I didn't really, I guess really work one on one with like one negotiator. I don't think. We just got email saying, "This is where we're at with this. Do you agree?" you know, type situation. Austin: Do you feel that there's anything that maybe the negotiator did well or anything that they could have improved? CARA: No, I don't think so. Nope, I don't think so. We've been happy with everything so far. Austin: Have you seen any positive impacts from working with National Debt Relief, just to kind of notice any changes to your life? CARA: I mean, definitely less stress, and then we've just been able to be better about our spending and our budget and everything. It helped get us on track. Austin: How would you rate your experience with National Debt Relief on a scale of one to five, where five means you would recommend to friends and one means very dissatisfied? CARA: I'd say 5. Austin: Would it be okay if we shared your comments as a review on our public site with a first name and city only, they're for National Debt Relief and to help other consumers make good choices? CARA: Probably not. I live in a smaller area. If anybody were to hop on and say Cara from Beddington, they would probably know. Austin: We can definitely remove that 'cause we very much respect your privacy. So we can either remove the name and just do a ‘C’ or completely remove the city and just do like ‘Cara from the USA’ whatever -- mainly comments than identifying you, I guess would be important. CARA: Yeah, I don't care if you use like my name and just put USA. I just don't -- where I live, it's not a very big area. Austin: I can totally respect that. Not a problem at all. CARA: Yes, we are a little bit of ashamed of having to go this route, but it was what was best for our family at the time. Austin: Would you like us to email you a link to that review whenever it's published? CARA: Yeah, that'd be great. Austin: Our call may have been recorded.

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