Debt Management Tips for Senior Citizens
Even if you have some savings it is not a good idea to pay off the loan even though you are paying 20% interest on one hand and earning only 4% on the other. The reason is that incase you face any financial burden in the future, you will not find help anywhere. So it is wiser to keep your cash to yourself, and credit to your creditor! Easier said than done, but remember, your money is for your security.
Also, if you really don’t have the money to pay off your credit card debt you can consider letting the creditors sue you! This decision has more psychological barriers than any other. If a creditor sues you they cannot seize your property. The worst they can do is put a lien against it and claim it only after you die.
If you don’t have a property then the debt is written off with your death and your inheritors don’t have to pay it. Creditors are also unable to access your retirement funds so you really don’t have that much to lose, until you lose your life, at which point you have lost everything anyway.
If you have a life insurance policy you can definitely consider taking a cash surrender loan. This loan doesn’t have to be repaid and your policy value is surrendered when you take one. The benefit here is realizing that this policy money is received by your heirs only after you die, and is therefore not helping you in any way.
Rather than draw on a line of credit for your home a better idea would be to go for a reverse mortgage. In a line of equity, you have to repay the sum with interest, in a reverse mortgage you don’t have to repay anything but simply give up ownership rights of the property after you pass away. You will receive a fixed sum monthly until you die, where after the property will be taken by your creditor. This means you are simply forgoing leaving the asset to your loved ones, but are able to secure an additional monthly income to improve your life while you live.
Even if you have some savings it is not a good idea to pay off the loan even though you are paying 20% interest on one hand and earning only 4% on the other. The reason is that incase you face any financial burden in the future, you will not find help anywhere. So it is wiser to keep your cash to yourself, and credit to your creditor! Easier said than done, but remember, your money is for your security.
Also, if you really don’t have the money to pay off your credit card debt you can consider letting the creditors sue you! This decision has more psychological barriers than any other. If a creditor sues you they cannot seize your property. The worst they can do is put a lien against it and claim it only after you die.
If you don’t have a property then the debt is written off with your death and your inheritors don’t have to pay it. Creditors are also unable to access your retirement funds so you really don’t have that much to lose, until you lose your life, at which point you have lost everything anyway.
If you have a life insurance policy you can definitely consider taking a cash surrender loan. This loan doesn’t have to be repaid and your policy value is surrendered when you take one. The benefit here is realizing that this policy money is received by your heirs only after you die, and is therefore not helping you in any way.
Rather than draw on a line of credit for your home a better idea would be to go for a reverse mortgage. In a line of equity, you have to repay the sum with interest, in a reverse mortgage you don’t have to repay anything but simply give up ownership rights of the property after you pass away. You will receive a fixed sum monthly until you die, where after the property will be taken by your creditor. This means you are simply forgoing leaving the asset to your loved ones, but are able to secure an additional monthly income to improve your life while you live.
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