Tips to help reduce debt

When you have debt, eventually it starts affecting your life. If you're unable to pay bills, creditors start calling, you're unable to sign up for credit cards or apply for loans because your credit score has dropped - it's time to re-evaluate your finances and see what options are available to you.

If you have a lot of debt, one option you may consider is to take out a bad credit loan or personal loan to help pay off some of the debt and consolidate your payments into one.

If you are interested in pursuing bad credit loans, here are a few tips from CreditLoan.com:

* Check the interest rate before you sign on the dotted line. What's advertised in the ad you saw might not be what you actually are offered.

* Review different options, because lenders might have different bad credit loans available to better match your financial situation. And if you're going through a life change, like divorce, job lay off or relocation, you might qualify for different loans.

* You can choose between secured and unsecured loans. Secured loans are based on a valuable asset you can hold against the loan. As long as you continue your loan payments, you will receive your asset back once it is paid off. Unsecured loans have higher fees and interest rates, which doesn't allow you to pay off the premium as quickly.

Some tips to help you get approved for personal loans include:

* Open a checking and savings account, and keep both accounts balanced. This allows you to demonstrate your money management skills.

* Save money in those accounts and then consider opening a Certificate of Deposit, or CD, which then could be used for a secured loan. CDs also tend to offer higher interest rates, and this can help you to save money to pay off your debt quicker.

* If you are unable to qualify for a personal loan yourself, consider asking a relative or close friend with good credit to act as a cosigner. But they need to know that they take on the responsibility of repaying the loan if you default.

Courtesy of ARAcontent