Are Debt Consolidation Programs A Better Alternative To Bankruptcy?

Many people made poor financial choices in their youth, because they weren't educated about the best financial choices they should make for the future. When you're in your 20's, sometimes you're just trying to make it to the next day. A 2 week payday loan or a high interest car loan can seem appealing at first. But then you grow and you learn. You realize that there were different solutions to your financial problems, and that you could've lived on less money if you had tried to.

Once people reach this turning point, they start to consider some sort of financial recuperation program. The major programs on this list are debt consolidation and bankruptcy. The next thing they try to determine is, which one is the best for their needs.

In order to determine the best option for you, you must first look at the amount of debt that you have. If you have under $10,000 in debt, then chances are a good debt consolidation program will work for you. In fact, many debt consolidation programs will only accept people within a certain range. If you have $100,000 in debt, for example, bankruptcy might be your best option. $100,000 is more debt than most people accumulate before they are not extended credit again, so this is an extreme example.

Take a look at your debts. Add them all up. Now remove a few hundred dollars from the total. Don't go crazy, be realistic. Up to 20% is fair. Your financial services company might reduce the money you owe up to 50%, but you want to be as safe as possible. Now look at the new total. Now divide the total up over a 1 - 5 year repayment plan. Does this look like an affordable option for you? If this is so, then a consolidation program will work well for you. But, if the money is far more than you can ever realistically afford, then bankruptcy is probably the best alternative.

Both programs can reflect poorly on your credit until you have proven that you are a consistent and reliable investment to creditors again. It will take a couple of years to prove this with both options.