Debt consolidation is generally a loan that allows you to put all your debt into one easy monthly payment. You can usually always use this type of loan for unsecured debt, but you can often also use this kind of consolidation loan to roll in your secured debt as well.
Debt consolidation loans can be beneficial for obvious reasons. When you debt payments are rolled into one easy monthly payment, there is less to keep track of and less to worry about. Often you can obtain a better interest rate with a debt consolidation loan and this will allow more of your payments to go towards paying off the principal amount owed and less going towards interest payments.
And a debt consolidation can help you to salvage your credit rating. When you take out a debt consolidation loan you are in effect agreeing to pay off your loans instead of defaulting or filing for bankruptcy protection, which can negatively impact your credit rating for a long time. And while you will suffer a lower credit rating in the short term, using a debt consolidation loan will help you to get back on track with good credit.
Before rolling all your debt into one consolidated payment, you...