Thursday, April 19, 2007

Consolidating Student Loans-Things To Consider When Choosing Student Loan Consolidation Services

After I graduated college I had a mountain of debt. I had 4 different student loans all due at different times during the month. I was barely able to make all the payments, never mind remember when each one was due. When I first graduated it was also hard to find a good paying job right away. This made my stress level quite high as I didn't know how I would ever be able to pay off these loans. Fortunately I found a good student loan consolidation service which made my life a lot easier.

A good student loan consolidation service can reduce your monthly debt by as much as 60%. The interest rate and repayment times are all dependant on your credit rating and monthly income. I cut my monthly debt by around $400 when I consolidated, and it really helped me to start saving money.

One of the reasons you can save so much money is because you can choose to lengthen your repayment time by as much as 30 years. Even without an interest rate reduction, you should be able to save at least 40% on your monthly payments this way. The other thing I liked was that I didn’t need to think about 4 different bills every month with 4 different due dates. All I had was one easy payment a month. What a great way to start fresh after college. Once I got a good job I was able to make larger monthly payments and pay my loan off early!

When I consolidated my student loans my income to debt ratio also went down. If you don’t know your income to debt ratio is very important to banks when deciding if you qualify for a loan or not. Let’s say that you make $4000 a month and you have $2000 a month in bills. Your income to debt ratio would be at 50%. Most banks like to see your income to debt below 50% when deciding if you qualify for a loan and at what interest rate. Student loan consolidation services can reduce your income to debt ratio.

Consolidating my student loans was one of the best decisions I made in my early adult life. It allowed me to take my time in finding the right job and gave me peace of mind. If you are buried in student loan debt, then I highly recommend a good student loan consolidation service.

I am currently hosting a free website with loads of information on student loan consolidation services Please stop by at http://studentloanconsolidationservices.org for reviews and info on some of the best programs. We will also be adding a forum, so check back often !

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christopher_Whitcomb
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