Written on June 28th, 2010 by adminno shouts
If you have a variety of debts, then you may find it hard to keep up with when and where you should pay money, and you may also be paying more than you need to. If this is the case, then you should think about getting a debt consolidation loan. This means you can take all your debts and put them into once place, which will make it easier to budget each month and also reduce your monthly payments.
Why get a debt consolidation loan?
The main reason to get a debt consolidation loan is to get out of immediate debt the fastest way possible. By borrowing a large lump sum of money, you can pay off your existing debts and then pay back one monthly repayment. Although this payment may be lower than your current repayments, it is likely to take longer to pay off. Despite this, it gives you a fresh start and allows you to begin to move out of debt.
How can I consolidate debt?
Although the simplest way to consolidate your debt is to get one large loan, there are many other ways that you can consolidate your current debts and so reduce your monthly payments:
Credit card transfers
One way to reduce your monthly payments is to transfer credit card balances to new cards with a 0% fee. This can be useful if you can pay the debt off within the special offer timeframe, although it can be time consuming to keep switching between cards.
Home equity loans
One of the best ways to consolidate your debts is youre a home equity loan. By securing a loan against your home equity, you will get the best interest rates and also be eligible for tax deduction against some of the interest. The only problem is that if you cannot make the repayments, you will lose your home equity or even your entire property.
Another problem is that home equity loans are usually over a longer period, meaning that even if you save money in interest, the additional length means you might end up paying more back than your current debts.
Retirement funds
You can often access your retirement funds as a loan from your employers, although this should only be used in an emergency of if you have nowhere else to turn. Using your retirement fund can speed up the debt repayment, but may leave you with less money in the future, and if you quit your job then the loan will be recalled in full with immediate effect.
Renegotiate with your current lender
If your debt problems relate to your mortgage, then the only way to consolidate your debts or improve your situation might be to negotiate your current terms. Most mortgage lenders would rather renegotiate than repossess your home, as they will lose out if you default. Stretching out payments may help you to better manage your debt when you need to the most.
Tags:
Best Interest,
Cards,
Consolidate Debt,
Credit Card Balances,
Debt Consolidation Loan,
Debts,
Fresh Start,
Home Equity Loan,
Home Equity Loans,
Interest Rates,
Loan Consolidation,
Lump Sum,
Reason,
Repayments,
Retirement Funds,
Special Offer,
Sum Of Money,
Tax Deduction,
Timeframe,
Variety
Related posts
Written on March 5th, 2010 by adminno shouts
Concerned about the high cost of healthcare? Worried that your insurance doesnt cover all your costs? Fortunately, a partial solution may be just around the corner. Since January 2004, taxpayers have had a tax savings tool called Health Savings Accounts, or HSAs. These HSAs may solve many of your healthcare cost problems.
How an HSA Works
In a nutshell, HSAs work like this. You buy a specific type of major medical, or catastrophic coverage, insurance called a High Deductible Health Plan. (This special HSA-compatible insurance is also known by the acronym HDHP.) Then, you annually contribute up to roughly $5,100 for a family and up to $2,600 for an individual–to a special health savings account. (Note that slightly higher deductions are available to taxpayers over the age of 55. Also, annual deductions are indexed for inflation.)
How You Save Taxes with HSAs
HSAs work because you get a tax deduction for the money you contribute to the health savings account. However, as long you spend the money in the account for eligible healthcare expensespretty much anything reasonableyou aren’t taxed when you withdraw the money. Note that HSAs deductions are not limited by taxpayer incomes.
In effect, the HSA makes all or most of your uncovered healthcare expenses fully deductible. This is a big deal because for most people, healthcare expenses are not deductible.
Just to put the value of an HSA into perspective, a family can save from $500 to as much as $1750 annually in income taxes by using one of these accounts. The final savings, predictably, depend on family income and the state where the family lives.
One other thing. Dont confuse HSAs with the old style Flexible Spending Accounts, or FSAs. With FSAs, you lost the money you didnt spend by the end of the year. With HSAs, you dont lose the money. The unused balance just carries forward to the next year.
Arent Medical Expenses a Tax Deduction Anyway?
No, not really. For most people medical expenses are not a tax deduction. Heres why. Healthcare expenses do count as an itemized deduction for people who dont use the standard deduction. However, only the portions of ones healthcare costs that exceed 7.5% of adjusted gross income get deducted. That means that most people never get to use their healthcare costs as tax deductions because their healthcare costs dont cross the 7.5% threshold.
Another Benefit: HSAs May Also Save Premiums
HSAs sometimes produce another economic benefit. The HDHP insurance itself may save people money because they buy less insurance. This is especially true for people who arent already using major medical insurance.
How to Set Up a Health Savings Account
HSA accounts aren’t difficult to set up. Essentially, you do just two things. (1) Get medical insurance that qualifies as an HDHP, and (2) Open an HSA account with a bank that offers HSAs. Your current medical insurance provider is a good place to start your search for HDHP insurance. You can also check with your states Blue Cross or Blue Shield insurer.
Three Warnings about HSAs
For what it’s worth, I am now using an HSA myself. (I got my HDHP from Premera Blue Cross and use an HSA account from HSA Bank.) But let me also share three caveats: First, obviously, you never want to cancel one insurance policy until you’re sure you have a replacement policy. Second, you do need to be careful about the fees associated with the HSA “bank account,” so shop around. Third, if you withdraw money from an HSA for something other than a valid medical expense, the withdrawal is taxable and subject to a 10% penalty.
Tags:
Catastrophic Coverage,
Cost Of Healthcare,
Coverage Insurance,
Flexible Spending Accounts,
Fsas,
Health Savings Accounts,
Healthcare Expenses,
High Deductible Health,
High Deductible Health Plan,
Hsa,
Income Taxes,
Incomes,
Medical Expenses,
Money Note,
Nutshell,
Partial Solution,
Savings Tool,
Special Health,
Tax Deduction,
Unused Balance
Related posts