Casey wrote to me through the GetOutOfDebt.org site and asked the following question. If you have a credit or debt question you’d like to ask just use the online form. I’m happy to help you totally for free.
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“Dear Steve,
I have $42,000 in unsecured credit card debt. Initially taken as low-interest ‘balance transfers’, interest has escalated to ~25% and minimum payments have become unmanageable.
What is my best course of action? Debt settlement? What do you think of companies like Debt Freedom Relief?
Casey”
The Answer:
Dear Casey,
I took a quick look online and could not find a company called Debt Freedom Relief so I can’t say anything specifically about what they may be offering you.
It sure sound like you got caught by the balance transfer trap and got stuck on some cards that have jacked the rates way up. Unless you pay your balances off in full by the end of the introductory period the balance transfer process is an inducement for you to move your balances to a new card and then they’ve got you.
On $42,000 worth of debt your minimum monthly payment is probably around $850 a month. Unless you can afford this you might have to look at more extreme solutions like bankruptcy.
I am not very satisfied with the process and results obtained with monthly payment debt settlements, but I am a fan of lump-sum debt settlements when you have all the cash to settle the debt in-hand before you start the process. That does not sound like your situation.
To make sure you have investigated your options before you decide what to do you should contact a debt management company and also schedule a free bankruptcy consultation with a local bankruptcy attorney. With the information from both of those sources you should be able to make a better and more informed decision about which solution path is best for you.
