rough idea of the "going rate" for your consolidation loan. You can use this information to guage the quality of every offer you receive.

Tip: The best interest rates are often found on the internet (running costs are lower). But if you choose an online offfer, you won't have as much contact with the company which won't give you a chance to decide about their level of customer service.

c) Customer Service: The only way to test this factor is to make contact with a few of the companies that you find during your search. Phone them up and make an appointment so you can visit them to see what they can offer.

Use this opportunity to form an impression about the level of service offered by the company. How do they answer the phone? How helpful are they? How did you feel about the people and the place when you visited their offices? etc etc. Go with your gut feeling.

Ask as many questions as you need to reassure that they are the right lender for you. Ask for their level of success with previous clients and don't sign anything until you are satisfied you've found the best debt consolidation help.

Searching for a good debt consolidation loan might seem like a lot of work, but in the long run it's well worth it. In fact, your financial freedom depends on When your debts become serious, it's a good idea to let debt consolidation help your financial situation. But how do you find a reputable lender?

After all, finding the right consolidation loan for your circumstances can make the difference between getting out of debt and sinking deeper into trouble.

A good debt consolidation company can help you get out of debt and protect everything that you've ever worked for. On the other hand, the wrong type of debt consolidation help can hurt your credit rating and increase the size of your debt for many years to come.

So it's worth taking the time to make sure you get the right type of debt consolidation help for your situation.

But before you start searching, it's important to make certain preparations.

The first step is to look at your position and decide honestly whether you can deal with the problem yourself through financial discipline and careful budgeting. If you can, it will allow you to avoid the extra bother and expense of dealing with a new lender.

But if you need professional debt help, the next stage is to learn as much about the debt consolidation process as possible.

You'll find plenty of information about debt consolidation on the internet, just make sure that it's accurate. You can do this in one of two ways;

1) Only use sites with high editorial standards that you trust, or

2) Read about the subject on a number of different sites. If you keep reading the same information, the chances are that it's accurate.

Knowledge is power, and the more you know about debt consolidation, the less chance there is for a lender to take advantage of your position.

The final task before you make contact with any potential lender, is to work out roughly what you need. This means the type of loan, the amount and the period of the loan.

So add up all the debts that you want to replace with your new consolidation loan

Once you know how much you want to borrow, it will achieve two things;

a) It will help you to work out an appropriate loan period. The best way to do this is to work out a personal budget and decide how much money you have to repay your debts every month. Once you know this, you can use a loan calculator to work out roughly how long you'll need to repay your consolidation loan. You'll find plenty of free loan calculators on the internet, just tap "loan calculator" or "debt consolidation loan calculator" into one of the search engines.

b) It will help you to avoid borrowing more than you need for longer than you need. This is a common trick used by less than scrupulous debt management companies. They take advantage of people who aren't sure what they need to borrow. Let's say you owe $10000 and currently pay $250 a month on all your debts, the ideal consolidation loan would be for $10000 spread over perhaps five years at a cost of $195 per month.

However, you leave the meeting with your lender having been "persuaded" to borrow $15000 over seven and a half years for $230 per month. In other words, your debt has grown by 50% and you'll be repaying it for two and a half years longer. And all because they showed you how you could borrow another $5000 and save $20 a month on your debt repayments.

Don't do it. Work out how much you need to borrow and stick to it. Don't borrow more than you need.

Once you've know what you want, it's time to start looking.

The first option is to use an experienced credit counselor or credit broker. They will know the debt consolidation market and will know which companies are reputable and affordable. They'll also be able to guide you around some of the pitfalls that can trap the unsuspecting (eg hidden fees, penalties etc). Their advice (and the money that it can help you to save) is usually well worth the cost of their fee.

But if you decide to find your own consolidation loan, the best place to start is the internet. Almost every company that offers debt consolidation loans has a website.

The ideal consolidation lender is one who is reputable, offers competitive loan rates and good customer service.

a) A Reputable Lender: You can obtain information on a debt consolidation lender by contacting the Better Business Bureau. This will also warn you if there are any outstanding complaints against the company or whether they are being investigated for financial fraud. Alternatively, you can contact your local consumer protection agency or the Attorney General in your state. The Attorney General will be able to tell you whether they need a license to offer their services and whether they actually hold such a license.

Watch out for companies that claim they are "not for profit". This doesn't mean that they are reliable or will be able to offer you a competitive rate.

b) Competitive Loan Rates: Use the internet to request loan quotes from a number of lenders. Many websites will give you a quote within minutes. All you have to do is to enter a few of your details. Once you've done this a few times, you can compare the rates you've been quoted to get a rough idea of the "going rate" for your consolidation loan. You can use this information to guage the quality of every offer you receive.

Tip: The best interest rates are often found on the internet (running costs are lower). But if you choose an online offfer, you won't have as much contact with the company which won't give you a chance to decide about their level of customer service.

c) Customer Service: The only way to test this factor is to make contact with a few of the companies that you find during your search. Phone them up and make an appointment so you can visit them to see what they can offer.

Use this opportunity to form an impression about the level of service offered by the company. How do they answer the phone? How helpful are they? How did you feel about the people and the place when you visited their offices? etc etc. Go with your gut feeling.

Ask as many questions as you need to reassure that they are the right lender for you. Ask for their level of success with previous clients and don't sign anything until you are satisfied you've found the best debt consolidation help.

Searching for a good debt consolidation loan might seem like a lot of work, but in the long run it's well worth it. In fact, your financial freedom depends on iou can do this in one of two ways;

1) Only use sites with high editorial standards that you trust, or

2) Read about the subject on a number of different sites. If you keep reading the same information, the chances are that it's accurate.

Knowledge is power, and the more you know about debt consolidation, the less chance there is for a lender to take advantage of your position.

The final task before you make contact with any potential lender, is to work out roughly what you need. This means the type of loan, the amount and the period of the loan.

So add up all the debts that you want to replace with your new consolidation loan

Once you know how much you want to borrow, it will achieve two things;

a) It will help you to work out an appropriate loan period. The best way to do this is to work out a personal budget and decide how much money you have to repay your debts every month. Once you know this, you can use a loan calculator to work out roughly how long you'll need to repay your consolidation loan. You'll find plenty of free loan calculators on the internet, just tap "loan calculator" or "debt consolidation loan calculator" into one of the search engines.

b) It will help you to avoid borrowing more than you need for longer than you need. This is a common trick used by less than scrupulous debt management companies. They take advantage of people who aren't sure what they need to borrow. Let's say you owe $10000 and currently pay $250 a month on all your debts, the ideal consolidation loan would be for $10000 spread over perhaps five years at a cost of $195 per month.

However, you leave the meeting with your lender having been "persuaded" to borrow $15000 over seven and a half years for $230 per month. In other words, your debt has grown by 50% and you'll be repaying it for two and a half years longer. And all because they showed you how you could borrow another $5000 and save $20 a month on your debt repayments.

Don't do it. Work out how much you need to borrow and stick to it. Don't borrow more than you need.

Once you've know what you want, it's time to start looking.

The first option is to use an experienced credit counselor or credit broker. They will know the debt consolidation market and will know which companies are reputable and affordable. They'll also be able to guide you around some of the pitfalls that can trap the unsuspecting (eg hidden fees, penalties etc). Their advice (and the money that it can help you to save) is usually well worth the cost of their fee.

But if you decide to find your own consolidation loan, the best place to start is the internet. Almost every company that offers debt consolidation loans has a website.

The ideal consolidation lender is one who is reputable, offers competitive loan rates and good customer service.

a) A Reputable Lender: You can obtain information on a debt consolidation lender by contacting the Better Business Bureau. This will also warn you if there are any outstanding complaints against the company or whether they are being investigated for financial fraud. Alternatively, you can contact your local consumer protection agency or the Attorney General in your state. The Attorney General will be able to tell you whether they need a license to offer their services and whether they actually hold such a license.

Watch out for companies that claim they are "not for profit". This doesn't mean that they are reliable or will be able to offer you a competitive rate.

b) Competitive Loan Rates: Use the internet to request loan quotes from a number of lenders. Many websites will give you a quote within minutes. All you have to do is to enter a few of your details. Once you've done this a few times, you can compare the rates you've been quoted to get a rough idea of the "going rate" for your consolidation loan. You can use this information to guage the quality of every offer you receive.

Tip: The best interest rates are often found on the internet (running costs are lower). But if you choose an online offfer, you won't have as much contact with the company which won't give you a chance to decide about their level of customer service.

c) Customer Service: The only way to test this factor is to make contact with a few of the companies that you find during your search. Phone them up and make an appointment so you can visit them to see what they can offer.

Use this opportunity to form an impression about the level of service offered by the company. How do they answer the phone? How helpful are they? How did you feel about the people and the place when you visited their offices? etc etc. Go with your gut feeling.

Ask as many questions as you need to reassure that they are the right lender for you. Ask for their level of success with previous clients and don't sign anything until you are satisfied you've found the best debt consolidation help.

Searching for a good debt consolidation loan might seem like a lot of work, but in the long run it's well worth it. In fact, your financial freedom depends on more than you need for longer than you need. This is a common trick used by less than scrupulous debt management companies. They take advantage of people who aren't sure what they need to borrow. Let's say you owe $10000 and currently pay $250 a month on all your debts, the ideal consolidation loan would be for $10000 spread over perhaps five years at a cost of $195 per month.

However, you leave the meeting with your lender having been "persuaded" to borrow $15000 over seven and a half years for $230 per month. In other words, your debt has grown by 50% and you'll be repaying it for two and a half years longer. And all because they showed you how you could borrow another $5000 and save $20 a month on your debt repayments.

Don't do it. Work out how much you need to borrow and stick to it. Don't borrow more than you need.

Once you've know what you want, it's time to start looking.

The first option is to use an experienced credit counselor or credit broker. They will know the debt consolidation market and will know which companies are reputable and affordable. They'll also be able to guide you around some of the pitfalls that can trap the unsuspecting (eg hidden fees, penalties etc). Their advice (and the money that it can help you to save) is usually well worth the cost of their fee.

But if you decide to find your own consolidation loan, the best place to start is the internet. Almost every company that offers debt consolidation loans has a website.

The ideal consolidation lender is one who is reputable, offers competitive loan rates and good customer service.

a) A Reputable Lender: You can obtain information on a debt consolidation lender by contacting the Better Business Bureau. This will also warn you if there are any outstanding complaints against the company or whether they are being investigated for financial fraud. Alternatively, you can contact your local consumer protection agency or the Attorney General in your state. The Attorney General will be able to tell you whether they need a license to offer their services and whether they actually hold such a license.

Watch out for companies that claim they are "not for profit". This doesn't mean that they are reliable or will be able to offer you a competitive rate.

b) Competitive Loan Rates: Use the internet to request loan quotes from a number of lenders. Many websites will give you a quote within minutes. All you have to do is to enter a few of your details. Once you've done this a few times, you can compare the rates you've been quoted to get a rough idea of the "going rate" for your consolidation loan. You can use this information to guage the quality of every offer you receive.

Tip: The best interest rates are often found on the internet (running costs are lower). But if you choose an online offfer, you won't have as much contact with the company which won't give you a chance to decide about their level of customer service.

c) Customer Service: The only way to test this factor is to make contact with a few of the companies that you find during your search. Phone them up and make an appointment so you can visit them to see what they can offer.

Use this opportunity to form an impression about the level of service offered by the company. How do they answer the phone? How helpful are they? How did you feel about the people and the place when you visited their offices? etc etc. Go with your gut feeling.

Ask as many questions as you need to reassure that they are the right lender for you. Ask for their level of success with previous clients and don't sign anything until you are satisfied you've found the best debt consolidation help.

Searching for a good debt consolidation loan might seem like a lot of work, but in the long run it's well worth it. In fact, your financial freedom depends on cost of their fee.

But if you decide to find your own consolidation loan, the best place to start is the internet. Almost every company that offers debt consolidation loans has a website.

The ideal consolidation lender is one who is reputable, offers competitive loan rates and good customer service.

a) A Reputable Lender: You can obtain information on a debt consolidation lender by contacting the Better Business Bureau. This will also warn you if there are any outstanding complaints against the company or whether they are being investigated for financial fraud. Alternatively, you can contact your local consumer protection agency or the Attorney General in your state. The Attorney General will be able to tell you whether they need a license to offer their services and whether they actually hold such a license.

Watch out for companies that claim they are "not for profit". This doesn't mean that they are reliable or will be able to offer you a competitive rate.

b) Competitive Loan Rates: Use the internet to request loan quotes from a number of lenders. Many websites will give you a quote within minutes. All you have to do is to enter a few of your details. Once you've done this a few times, you can compare the rates you've been quoted to get a rough idea of the "going rate" for your consolidation loan. You can use this information to guage the quality of every offer you receive.

Tip: The best interest rates are often found on the internet (running costs are lower). But if you choose an online offfer, you won't have as much contact with the company which won't give you a chance to decide about their level of customer service.

c) Customer Service: The only way to test this factor is to make contact with a few of the companies that you find during your search. Phone them up and make an appointment so you can visit them to see what they can offer.

Use this opportunity to form an impression about the level of service offered by the company. How do they answer the phone? How helpful are they? How did you feel about the people and the place when you visited their offices? etc etc. Go with your gut feeling.

Ask as many questions as you need to reassure that they are the right lender for you. Ask for their level of success with previous clients and don't sign anything until you are satisfied you've found the best debt consolidation help.

Searching for a good debt consolidation loan might seem like a lot of work, but in the long run it's well worth it. In fact, your financial freedom depends on rough idea of the "going rate" for your consolidation loan. You can use this information to guage the quality of every offer you receive.

Tip: The best interest rates are often found on the internet (running costs are lower). But if you choose an online offfer, you won't have as much contact with the company which won't give you a chance to decide about their level of customer service.

c) Customer Service: The only way to test this factor is to make contact with a few of the companies that you find during your search. Phone them up and make an appointment so you can visit them to see what they can offer.

Use this opportunity to form an impression about the level of service offered by the company. How do they answer the phone? How helpful are they? How did you feel about the people and the place when you visited their offices? etc etc. Go with your gut feeling.

Ask as many questions as you need to reassure that they are the right lender for you. Ask for their level of success with previous clients and don't sign anything until you are satisfied you've found the best debt consolidation help.

Searching for a good debt consolidation loan might seem like a lot of work, but in the long run it's well worth it. In fact, your financial freedom depends on it.