credit card debt Archives - Faithful with a Few

Should I Cosign For a Loan?

A friend or family member needs a loan, but their credit score is not high enough (due to terrible or no credit history, or massive credit card debt), or they don’t have a large enough down payment or some other reason. So they come to you and ask you to be a cosigner on their loan.

What Does It Mean To Be A Cosigner?

To be a “cosigner”, simply means that you agree to assume the responsibility of another person’s debt if they are unable to pay it. For example, if you are a cosigner on your brother’s $20k car loan, you have now agreed to pay the bank back that $20k (or whatever is left at the time of default) if your brother is not able to pay it back.

Many people will face this dilemma at one point in their lives. In fact, many people will actually cosign for loans even when they do not feel comfortable doing it. It is usually due to not wanting to be the bad guy, or is sometimes a genuine attempt to help someone. This is often viewed as a way to help out someone in need – such as a responsible, young person who just needs a chance to display or prove their credit worthiness; or a way to assist your child at the beginning of their “independent life”. But is this a wise thing to do?

What Does The Bible Say About Being A Cosigner?

Proverbs 17:18 tells us that,

A man lacking in sense pledges and becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor.

Right away we see that the bible describes one who becomes a cosigner on a loan as “senseless“! We can see that it is not a wise thing to make a pledge based on someone else’s ability to pay back a loan.

We also see such council in Proverbs 22:26,

Do not be among those who give pledges, among those who become guarantors for debts.

Not only are we instructed not to cosign for a loan, but we are also shown some of the dangers of doing so… Proverbs 11:15 tells us that:

He who is a guarantor for a stranger will surely suffer for it, but he who hates being a guarantor is secure.

So, we are actually told that we will “surely suffer” if we decide to pledge ourselves for another person’s debt; and that one way to stay secure is to “hate being a guarantor“! Those are very strong words to describe what has become such a common practice today.

Also in Proverbs 20:16 we find these words,

Take his garment when he becomes surety for a stranger; and for foreigners, hold him in pledge.

It was common to pledge a garment as security for a loan, but – according to Exodus 22:26-27 and Deuteronomy 24:10-13 – that garment had to be returned by sundown.

The idea here is that one who is foolish enough to pledge himself for the debt of a stranger will most likely never be paid back; so the one making the loan should demand the cosigner’s garment as security for the loan.

This shows the senseless and unpredictable nature of pledging your possessions or your life based on another person’s ability or willingness to pay their debts.

Also, one question that must be asked is, “Why does this person need a cosigner?”. The most basic reason is that their bank does not believe that they will pay back the loan.

They use their own experience, a few calculations and the potential borrower’s history with loans (usually expressed on their credit report) to make their decision regarding the loan.

When they request a cosigner they are basically saying, “We don’t trust this person to be able to pay us back, but if YOU are willing to take all the risk then we will give him the money!

What Should You Do If You Have Already Become A Cosigner?

Proverbs 6:1-5 gives us additional instruction. This time however, the instruction is given to one who has already pledged himself on behalf of someone else:

My son, if you have become surety for your neighbor, have given a pledge for a stranger

If you have been snared with the words of your mouth, have been caught with the words of your mouth

Do this then, my son, and deliver yourself; Since you have come into the hand of your neighbor; go, humble yourself, and importune your neighbor.

Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids;

Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hunter’s hand and like a bird from the hand of the fowler.

As we can see from the strong language in this passage, it is a serious matter to pledge yourself on behalf of another. This is because you have essentially given up control of something that God has given to you as a stewardship, and have become “snared” by your pledge.

This situation is so serious that you must do everything that you can to free yourself from this arrangement and gain back control of your God-given resources. Look at how strong the language is here; you are told to “deliver yourself” and not to sleep until you have freed yourself (see Proverbs 22:7)! You are to act as a gazelle or bird that is about to lose their life to the hunter!

So, if you are in this situation, it should be your highest priority to free yourself from this before you “surely suffer” (Proverbs 11:15; cf. Genesis 43:9, Genesis 44:32-33).

What can you do instead if you want to help?

If you still want to help while obeying God’s word regarding cosigning, there are a few things that you still can do.

Give Them An Interest-Free Loan:

If you know the person is in need, this is one way to help them that will honor God. Proverbs 28:8 assures us that,

He who increases his wealth by interest and usury gathers it for him who is gracious to the poor.

According to Deuteronomy 23:19-20, it was against the law for an Israelite to charge interest to fellow Jews (of course, loans were only to be requested in times of extreme need and poverty – not to fund frivolous, sinful spending like we see today), but many violated this command. As we see here, giving someone in need a loan and not charging interest is a way that you can assist the one in need and please God.

Give them the money that they need.

Proverbs 19:17 tells us that,

One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his good deed.

If you are able, giving your money to one in need – and only expecting repayment from the Lord – is another way to assist a brother in need and honor God with your finances.

Final Thoughts:

As mentioned earlier, since the bible teaches that debt is slavery (Proverbs 22:7), borrowing should only be done when one has a basic need that cannot be met by their income. It was usually a short-term loan, and the Israelites were commanded to forgive all debt every seven years (see Deuteronomy 15:1-15).

Much of the borrowing that we see today represents a person’s desire to live above their means, and I do not believe that type of borrowing (or giving) is what God is speaking of. Hopefully, I will have a chance to address this in much detail in a future article.

So overall we see that God is completely against the idea of one becoming a cosigner for the debt of another, even if we are really seeking to be a blessing to someone in need. However, the bible does teach us other ways in which we can assist others.

I mentioned stewardship earlier. I realize that this may not be a term or concept that is familiar to many modern readers, but this is a concept that God expects us all to understand. A steward is one who manages another person’s property, finances or other affairs. Here are several articles that do a good job of describing the concept of stewardship:

http://onemoneydesign.com/blog/2010/01/10/what-the-bible-says-about-money-financial-stewardship/
http://www.biblemoneymatters.com/2010/04/financial-stewardship-the-forgotten-component.html

I would love to hear your thoughts on cosigning – even better would be your experiences with it. If you have any questions on this or other concepts, please leave your comment below.

photo credit: 4PIZON

7 Ways to Become a Saver – Even if You’ve Never Been One Before

By // by Kevin M

If you’ve never been much of a saver in your life, you’re probably finding that your biggest problem is just getting out of the starting gate. That’s likely the reason why the majority of Americans don’t save money.

You get into lifestyle patterns – and not such good ones – that don’t include saving. The only way to get out of that trap is create new patterns that include saving. Once you do, you may find the process is easier to maintain than it is to start.

[Join the 52-week savings challenge to jump-start your savings!]

Here are seven ways to become a saver, even if you never been one before.

Learn To Live At Least A Little Below Your Means

Becoming a saver starts with the ability to live at least a little below your means. The basic idea is to earn say $1,000, live on $900, and have $100 available to put into the bank. Once you establish this pattern, saving becomes easy.

Getting to that point though, may not be so easy. You have to either increase your income (more on that later), lower your living expenses, or some combination of the two. It may be a struggle to get started, but it’s really the only way forward.

Ignore Your Credit Card Debt – For Now

Probably the second biggest reason people never become savers is because their financial attention is fixated on their credit card debt. They assume that there is no point in saving money as long as they have credit card bills. Though there’s some logic to this thinking, it’s hard for people to become savers when they’re focused on paying off credit card bills.

The key to the entire conundrum is the word “revolving” – which is the essence of what credit card debt is (the saying in the lending universe is once a visa, always a visa). You borrow money, you pay it back in increments, but as you do you might continue to borrow. That’s the revolving loan Catch-22. While you are trying to pay off your credit cards, you continue to tap them for emergencies primarily because you have no savings to fall back on.

Though it can sound counter-intuitive, if you want to become a saver, forget about your credit card debt at least for a little while. Get some savings put away first, and then worry about paying off your credit cards.

Stop Using Fresh Credit

When I suggest ignoring your credit card debt, I mean ignoring it completely. That means avoiding using it to incur fresh debt. If you’re not going to concentrate on paying off your credit cards, you absolutely must stop using them completely.

Bonus: If you don’t use your credit cards, you will eventually pay them off simply by making the minimum monthly payment, or something just a little bit higher. This is another reason why it’s more important to establish savings before concentrating on paying off your credit cards. Your credit card balances will fall – simply from not using them – while your savings increase. That’s killing two birds with one stone.

[Here are 20 money saving tips for low income earners!]

Use Payroll Deductions

If it’s difficult for you to take money out of your budget and put into savings, you’ll need a strategy that takes you out of the process. By setting up payroll deductions, and directing the money into a savings account, you remove the decision-making process from the flow. The money automatically goes from your paycheck to your savings account, with no further action on your part.

There’s a saying, “out of sight, out of mind”, and that’s what you establish when you use payroll deductions to fund savings. The whole process takes place without your even being aware of it.

You can do this with a relatively small amount of money too. For example, if you get paid biweekly, and you direct $100 out of each paycheck, after one year you will have $2,600 saved – without your ever much knowing it happened.

A lot of non-savers accumulate a lot of money this way. In fact, it’s the standard way that retirement funding works.

Bank Cash Windfalls

Banking cash windfalls is a way to fast forward the savings process, especially when this is done in combination with payroll deductions. While payroll deductions are building up your savings slowly, adding periodic windfalls moves you ahead much faster.

Plan to bank your next income tax refund check, any bonus checks you receive, or any other windfalls that come your way. This will require a shift in thinking. Many people see windfalls as an opportunity to spend money on a needed or desired purchase. Change that thinking to wanting to see your bank account get bigger. And it will – fast.

Create Extra Income Sources And Bank The Cash

Another way to fast-forward your savings efforts is to create extra income sources specifically for the purpose of saving money. This can be a part-time job, a casual situation (like tutoring or helping a friend with computer problems), taking on overtime work, or even starting your own side business.

This can also be at least part of the solution to developing the all-important ability to live beneath your means. If you find it difficult to cover your living expenses, increasing your income can provide extra cash that you need to fill your savings account.

Make Saving A Lifestyle

Once you have adopted some or all of the steps above, it will be important that you begin to make saving a lifestyle. Everyone is subject to the occasional spending binge, but that’s should never be the normal course in your life. That means that you will have to make saving money your default behavior.

By doing that, you will stack the long-term in your favor. You will first accumulate enough money to cover immediate needs, then enough to begin paying off your debt, and finally plenty of extra for long-term investing.

That’s a blueprint for financial independence! Are you ready to make that a lifestyle?

Seven Dangerous Signs that Show your Debts are Out of Control

By // by guest

[The following is a guest post by Elaine McPartland showing common signs of out of control debt.]

Its 2013, yet Americans are having a hard time saving enough for unforeseen emergencies and even their retirement. Factors like increasing fuel prices, food costs, and other expenses do come into play, but a lot of this has to do with rising credit card debt. As the expenses of the average American household increase over time, people are finding it hard to keep track of their debts.

Here are 7 things that signal that your debts are getting out of control.

1. High Mortgage or Debt Payments

Experts state there is a certain percentage (usually 30%) of your income that determines whether your debts pose a serious threat. If your mortgage or debt payments comprise of 30% or less of your income, you don’t need to worry that much. But once this limit is crossed, you will eventually have to face a financial crisis.

When it comes to credit card payments, they should not even exceed 15% of your gross income. In this way you can still manage other expenses quite well, but once your credit card payments begin to exceed 15% of your gross monthly income, it is a surefire warning sign.

2. You Don’t Know How Much You Owe

A common, guaranteed way of driving anyone towards financial disaster is losing track of how much you owe. If you are in a tight situation, do not avoid your problem and go for consolidated credit counseling. Helpful services from Consolidated Credit include free debt consolidation.

If you are trying to run from your debts, that means you realize that they have exceeded your repayment capacity. Such an attitude can take your situation from bad to worse in no time.

3. You Are Constantly Anxious

In line with the previous point, a clear indicator of uncontrolled debt is your inability to get a good night’s sleep. However, this is only one aspect of the problem, for debt-related stress, for it causes people to become anxious and even paranoid. When you start worrying about how to pay your bills, get help immediately. Otherwise along with your finances, you will lose out on your health as well.

Some people under the yoke of credit card debt resort to using many things to in order to escape from the pressure, but such habits only makes matters worse in the long run.

4. You Can’t Get Credit

Since 2010, the credit CARD Act prohibited banks from increasing your interest rate just because you defaulted on another creditor who is not related to the bank in any way.

However, banks can reduce the credit they offer you even if you make payments on time. The serious problem lies beneath, and as your credit card balances rise, you will soon cross your optimum credit utilization ratio. Your credit score will drop drastically and eventually you will end up with maxed out cards and 0 credit.

5. You Are Out of Savings

As mentioned at the opening, credit card debts have drained up most people’s savings whether it is for emergency or retirements. If you find yourself drawing more from your savings accounts, become alert and find the root of the problem. If you let this go on, you will find yourself without any funds in case of a serious illness or accident.

And even if you are able to repay your debts, you may never be able to retire comfortably.

6. You Are Trying to Avoid Creditors

When creditors or collection agencies start to call you, you should come to terms with the fact that your debts are no longer affordable. Most people start avoiding calls, much to their own peril.

Creditors do not go away, and they can even take serious measures like harassment and litigation if you try to avoid them.

7. You Are Constantly Taking Payday Loans

Payday loans are a practical option for customers to take care of their short term expenses in times of emergency. However, if you are constantly taking out such loans to meet your monthly bills, then you have already jumped in quicksand. Get out before you sink in all the way!

So, if you find one or more of these signs in your life, it is time to get serious about your credit card debt. The longer you delay the worse the situation will become.

About the Author

This article is composed by Elaine McPartland who is associated with “Consolidated Credit” as their community writer. In the above article, She has mentioned worst dangerous signs that shows your debts are out of control. You can add her at her google+ profile.

photo credit: Freedigitalphotos.net

Why A Consolidation Loan May Be Worth Considering

By // by Khaleef Crumbley

I know that many of you may think I’ve gone crazy with the title of this article – especially since I am trying to pay off debt myself – but I can assure you that I have not.

With interests rates being as low as they are right now, this may be a perfect opportunity to take out a loan in order to refinance debt or start up a business.

Don’t get me wrong, I still despise being in debt bondage, and I would still advise all of my clients, family, and friends to avoid debt whenever possible; but I also understand that taking out a loan isn’t always the worst option.

Here are a couple of situations for which getting consolidation loans might be the answer.

High Interest Credit Card Debt

Some people get into credit card debt because they decided to live above their means. For others, it may have been due to a few acts of desperation. Some may have even tried to take advantage of credit card benefits, and for some reason, were not able to pay off their debt.

No matter what the reason, if you are stuck with high-interest credit cards, it’s time to take action. First, call your bank(s) and try to negotiate a lower rate. If that doesn’t work, see if you have a card with a zero balance and a balance transfer offer. If your savings are higher than the transfer fee, do it!

If none of these options work, it may be best to take out a loan – be sure to take advantage of a personal loans comparison first from sites like http://www.comparethemarket.com/loans/ – and consolidate your credit card debt.

Student Loans

There are a growing number of people who are financing their higher education with the help of student loans. Unfortunately, many of those former students are then put into a difficult financial situation because of their high monthly student loan repayments.

Depending on whether you took out subsidized versus unsubsidized Stafford Loans (or some other instrument), you may end up owing a lot more than you realize once you’re out of the grace period.

Sometimes, the only option in these cases is to secure another loan, which will help you to lower your interest rate and/or extend the amount of time that you are given to pay back the loan – lowering your payments in the process.

Of course, your goal should always be to pay back any debt as quickly as possible, so don’t use your lower payments and a license to go wild with your spending!

Consolidation Loans For Your Car Note

Most people only think about refinancing their mortgage when overall interest rates in the economy drop. However, you can still save yourself thousands of dollars if you can get a new loan for your vehicle.

Don’t forget to compare any fees that you might have to pay with the amount of money you stand to save by refinancing.

The same exact things can be said about refinancing your mortgage – besides, people write about that so often that it gets boring! 😉

photo by Omar Omar

Reader Questions

Have you ever had to take out consolidation loans for one or more of the reasons listed above?
Do you think it’s a bad idea to try to fix a debt problem with more debt?