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Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Consolidating Student Loans Why it Makes Sense

By Bruce D Hunter

Does consolidating student loans make sense for your life? Is it the right option for your current financial situation? Is it true that consolidating student loans can simplify your life, raise your credit score, and give you extra money each month?

If you have more than $10,000 in student loan debt, then the option of consolidating student loans is definitely an option you would be wise to consider to help you lower your debt. When consolidating student loans, the lender you choose pays off your current loans and combines them into a new consolidated loan. The federal government has already put a cap on the interest rate on student loan consolidations at 8.25%, so there's no need to worry about paying the exorbitantly high interest rates that are bankrupting credit card consumers who are already in deep cycles of debt.

Your college degree is an extremely valuable asset that no one can ever take away from you. You've strived hard to get that degree - studying long hours, probably even holding part-time or full-time jobs to support yourself while you went to school. But the money you earned was not enough. Your rising college tuition fees and the cost of books were still too high for you to afford with what you earned. You still had to take out a student loan - or maybe two or three - just to get by.

Now you have finally graduated. You're out of school. Maybe you've been out of school for several years. And you thought it would finally be time to focus on your career path ahead. To find a job, finally earn some decent money, learn new skills and meet new people, build up your resume, start enjoying life and maybe plan for a family. But you're finding yourself sliding deeper and deeper into debt because of your student loans. Does this sound like you?

You'll be relieved to know that lenders who specialize in consolidating student loans have years of experience in making the process very easy for you. There's not even a need for them to do a credit check on you. There are no application fees. And your credit score will probably take a jump too! Yes, you heard me right. When the lender pays off your old student loans, your credit report will show them as PAID IN FULL. And your credit report will only show your new consolidation loan as OPEN. Since creditors prefer to see that you've paid off your bills, this will have a positive reflection on you as a credit-worthy consumer. So when the time comes for you to buy a car, open a new credit card, or even buy a home or condo, your credit score will be higher than it would have otherwise been if you had not consolidated your student loans.

Is there any downside to consolidating student loans? There may be, depending on how you look at it. Your lender will probably give you a loan term that is longer than the current terms of the loans you have today. That means that you will repay more over the life of the consolidated loan than you would if you just kept your separate loans and continued on the repayment path you are on. But if you are falling behind in payments and your credit score is taking a dive because of it, it is far better to consolidate, have a lower monthly payment and improve your credit score in the process. Then if you want to repay more than the minimum due each month or pay off your loan early, there is no prepayment penalty.

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