Is debt consolidation really necessary? Perhaps. It certainly can seem like the easy way out of the problem of too many payments every month. When credit card and loan payments add up to $900 every month, why not pay all of these debts off and have a nice easy payment of say, $300? There are two reasons why it may be a bad idea.
Debt Consolidation Ignores Causes
Why do you have too much debt? Entirely unforeseeable circumstances? That’s rarely the whole cause. More often, when you have debt problems, it is because you buy too many things on credit. In other words, if you are looking for a consolidation loan it is probably due to bad financial habits.
What happens when you combine all those debts? You don’t owe less. You may get a lower interest rate on average, but you still owe all the money, right? The consolidated debt is just easier to pay. It will be paid with one lower monthly payment stretched out over a longer period. That’s easier, but what else becomes easier now? Having more debt.
Isn’t this exactly what many people do? They get $900 in various payments rolled into a loan with an easier $300 payment, and now...