Debt Management Plans - Tips For Avoiding DMP Pitfalls

Most people are involved in some type of financial transaction or decision every day. Sometimes they can get way behind in their debts and financial obligations with no clear way to pay them off. Some resort to debt management plans, which can help if you are careful in setting up the plan. Do you know how to avoid the pitfalls?


Credit and debt issues are critical life altering realities for almost everyone. The daily decisions we make in handling the balance between the two determines our credit worthiness in the eyes of financial institutions. As we all know, if you have a bad credit rating, then borrowing funds or purchasing many items will become difficult or impossible. But what happens when you get so far in debt that you have no clear way to pay it all off? Many people resort to a debt management plan (DMP). These are payment plans structured in a way so that the borrower is better able to pay off their debts, and is agreed to by the borrower and creditors. The benefits can include lower interest rates and fee waivers.


Once you and the creditors have accepted the DMP, it is important to:


• make regular and timely payments


• always read your monthly statements to make sure your creditors are getting paid according to your plan


• contact the organization responsible for your DMP if you will be unable to make a scheduled payment, or if you discover that creditors are not being paid


If the payments are not made to your DMP and creditors on time, you could lose the progress you've made on paying down your debt, or the benefits of being in a DMP, including lower interest rates and fee waivers. The creditors may not forgive any more late payments and you will incur more 'late' marks on your credit report as well as more late fees, increased debt and a longer pay off period. So, once you are on a debt management plan, make sure that you are never late on any payments.
DMPs are not for everyone. You should agree on a DMP only after a certified credit counselor has spent time thoroughly reviewing your financial situation, and has offered you specific advice on managing your money. You may be able to work out a payment plan directly with your creditors. But if you decide that you need to work with a credit counselor and get additional advice and assistance, ask questions like these to help you find the best counselor for your situation and make sure you get full and complete anwsers.


Some Important Questions to Ask When Choosing a Credit Counselor to Handle your DMP:


1. What services do you offer?
 Look for an organization that offers a range of services, including budget counseling, savings and debt management classes, and counselors who are trained and certified in consumer credit, money and debt management, and budgeting. Counselors should discuss your entire financial situation with you, and help you develop a personalized plan to solve your money problems now and avoid others in the future.


2. Are you licensed to offer your services in my state?
 Many states require that an organization register or obtain a license before offering credit counseling and debt management plans.


3. Do you offer free information?


4. Will I have a formal written agreement or contract with you?


5. What are the qualifications of your counselors?
 Are they accredited or certified by an outside organization? If so, which one? If not, how are they trained? Try to use an organization whose counselors are trained by an outside organization that is not affiliated with creditors.


6. Have other consumers been satisfied with the service that they received?
 Once you've identified credit counseling organizations that suit your needs, check them out with your local consumer protection agency, and Better Business Bureau.


7. What are your fees? Are there set-up and/or monthly fees?
 Get a detailed price quote in writing, and specifically ask whether all the fees are covered in the quote.


8. How are your employees paid? 
Ask them to disclose what compensation it receives from creditors, and how they are compensated.


9. What do you do to keep my personal information confidential and secure?
 They should have safeguards in place to protect your privacy.


Get the information you need to make an informed decision.

Business Credit Cards Versus Business Lines of Credit

Nothing quite matches the convenience of business credit cards. When you are looking for a good alternative to cash, checks, and personal credit cards, it is probably a business credit card you want. With credit-when-you-need-it convenience, savings and discounts on purchases, and extremely helpful reporting facilities, business credit cards can be a good tool in your financial management tool kit.


You will find it easier to get a business credit card than to open a business line of credit. For this reason, business credit cards can do a lot to help you ease your cash requirements even as you are still gearing up with office supplies and equipment. It can never be repeated too often: use business credit cards with caution and afford it the same respect you would afford any other business line of credit!


The ability to borrow money, whether from a business line of credit or from business credit cards, is something that you need for your business. Like business credit cards, the line of credit is a revolving credit, and both charge interest only on the balances that are left outstanding. The credit limit on business credit cards may be lower than on lines of credit, but both do have a predetermined ceiling. There are however a few differences between these two forms of business credit:


Cost
Business credit cards generally have higher annual percentage rates and lower credit limits, than lines of credit. When it comes to cost-effectiveness therefore, the commercial lines of credit will beat business credit cards anytime.


However, if you manage business credit cards wisely, you can maximize the 21 to 25 days grace period or float on purchases. When the statement comes and you pay off the entire balance, you will actually avoid paying any interest. The crux of the matter is that you get a 25-day interest free loan! Not bad…and only from business credit cards.


Convenience
Business credit cards may lose on cost, but they are miles ahead when it comes to convenience. If your checking account is running low and you need to buy some supplies, you no longer have to call the bank to transfer funds from your credit line. You could easily charge the whole transaction to your business credit card, get out of the store and back to running your business. Business credit cards also offer you the convenience of easy bookkeeping and quick cost analysis.


What’s more, business credit cards are heavily loaded with perks like frequent flyer miles, purchase protection and warranty extensions, discounts and cash backs on hotel stays, car rentals, gas purchases, and more. These business credit card incentives can be valuable to a business, not only for the sake of convenience but also for the cost savings that you get.


Business credit cards and lines of credit are two financial tools that you can use together. Business credit cards are perfect for very short-term borrowings – we’re talking 30 days at the most. You should pay off the bulk of the balance when it falls due, to save on interest. You may want to carry 20% of the balance forward to the next month to make your business credit card issuer happy, otherwise they’re never going to earn any interest income from your business credit card account.


Lines of credit are perfect for larger purchases, particularly those that would exceed your business credit card limit, as well as for reserve funds when cash flow becomes irregular over a period. Lines of credit help you to shore up your working capital, such as payroll, paying off merchant credit and payables, or settling the quarterly taxes.

Become a Financial Planner

To become a financial planner, you first must know what their job profile is. Financial planners help in determining the financial resources required to meet the company’s operating program.  They also help in forecasting the extent to which these requirements will be met by the internal generation of funds, and the extent to which they will be met from external sources. It’s the job of financial planners to develop the best plans to obtain the required external funds. They also help in establishing and maintaining a system of financial control governing the allocation and use of funds. Financial planners formulate programs to provide the most effective cost-volume-profit relationship. It’s the job of financial planners to analyze the financial results of operations, report the facts to the top management and make recommendations on future operations of the firm.


To do all these functions efficiently, financial planners first need to establish the financial objectives of the enterprise. Both long-term and short-term objectives should be established for the effective utilization of the financial resources. Then comes the next step of formulating policies. Policies are broad guidelines. Financial policies relate to procurement, administration and distribution of business funds. The next step financial planners have to do is to formulate procedures. Procedures are the specific order of doing things. They are formed for ensuring consistency of actions. In financial procedures, the financial executives decide about the control system, develop standards of performance and evaluate the performance. Lastly, they have to forecast the future. In order to take proper action to achieve the objectives established, it is necessary to know the future positions. This is facilitated by forecasting the future.


While doing these activities, financial planners must take into perspective the cost of finance and nature of business. In any assessment of the financial needs of the firm, the cost of finance is the basic criterion. This is so because only projects with net positive cash flow can be selected.