How To Settle Your Debts in Louisiana

Collect the Details About Your Debts

To prepare for your debt settlement, you will need to gather copies of all of your bills. You will need to review your most recent bills carefully to ensure you know how much you owe and who “owns” each of your debts. Get an idea of how much the monthly payments are on each bill to help you understand which debts are potential candidates for the settlement process. If you don't have your most recent statements, a good place to look for them is by signing into your account online and printing a copy or calling the creditor and requesting a copy. Alternatively, you can pull a free credit report to help you organize your debt information. You should pull a report from each of the three major credit bureaus in case some information is left off of one statement or another. Keep in mind that if you have not paid your debts in a while, more than likely the accounts were sold off to other attorneys or collection firms. This information will be accessible on your credit report.

Collect Details About Your Ability to Settle Your Debts

To make your debt settlement work, you will need to know what you can afford to pay, either in a lump sum or by installments. As a result, you will need to go through your income and expenses. Start by gathering your last 6 paychecks so that you can see what your average income is. If you have a paycheck that shows a lot of overtime, this will throw off your figures so try not to use it. Next, you will want to go through your living expenses. Make a list of all of your monthly expenses. Don’t forget to include bills that only pop up periodically but are likely to come around again soon. You should also always leave money aside for emergencies. If you don’t have the income available to make a settlement offer after evaluating your expenses, then debt settlement is probably not a good fit for you. 

Note: do NOT use money from any of your retirement plans to fund settlement offers. Withdrawing money from your retirement can leave you with nothing later and cause hefty penalties if you withdraw it early. If you are thinking about wiping out your retirement to pay your debt back, it is best you look into another debt relief option first.

Learn About the Costs to Settle Your Debts in Louisiana

If you decide to move forward with a debt settlement program, you will need to be aware of the costs you may be required to pay. First, as your accounts continue to be delinquent and you neglect to pay your creditors, you will accumulate late fees, higher interest rates, and other fees and penalties. If you choose to use a Louisiana debt settlement company to help you, you will also have to pay their fees. Some debt settlement companies will make you open up an escrow account. By doing such, you may incur bank feed associated with this account. Further, you will want to make sure you understand when the debt settlement company is going to post their fees. Some debt settlement companies will charge you based on the total debt while others will charge you a percentage of the amount they save you. Paying a percentage on the amount the debt relief company saves you is always the better route to take because it gives the debt settlement company an incentive to get a better deal for you. 

Decide Whether to Work With a Louisiana Debt Settlement Company

You don't have to hire a Louisiana debt settlement company if you don’t want to. Not hiring a company to help you can save you a lot of money. A DIY approach also allows you to remain in charge of your finances. Negotiating settlements yourself is therefore generally a good idea as long as you stay organized. However, negotiating debts can be very time consuming, if you don’t have the time to devote to this process, you may want to leave it to a debt settlement company to help you. A debt settlement company usually will have inside knowledge to get you the best deals, which is a bonus. 

Research Louisiana Debt Settlement Companies

Before hiring a Louisiana debt settlement company, make sure that you are getting good information about their reputation and services. You should check to see if there are any complaints filed against the company to make sure the company you are considering is not a scam. You can check the company's rating with the Better Business Bureau. Many debt settlement companies are scams and hiring a bad company to work with can make financial matters much worse for you. The office of the Louisiana Attorney General is a good place to see if any complaints have been filed against the company. You can also check out the Consumer Protection Bureau to see if any complaints due to fraud have been filed. If any debt settlement company tries to use forceful tactics to get you to sign up, stay far away! Do your homework before signing up to any company to avoid being taken advantage of. 

How to Make Your Debt Settlement Work

To ensure a smooth process, you will want to make sure you stick to your budget so you don’t end up falling behind on your settlement payments (if you’re making them in installments). Making sure your settlement payments are due on a day that you will have the funds available is essential. Don’t have your car payment, mortgage payment and debt settlement payment due on the same day. Falling behind on your debt settlement payment can cause your entire balance to become due again.

Alternatives to Debt Settlement

For some people, debt settlement is a good debt relief strategy. For most people, however, it is not. Other debt relief options such as debt consolidation, bankruptcy, and debt management programs are better options. Below, you’ll find a brief explanation of each alternative to help you get on the right path for you. Remember, if you are unsure of which path to choose, speaking with a credit counselor can really help you to determine which option will suit your financial situation best.