President Obama delivers his 2012 State of The Union address with additional visuals.

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If you’re thinking about using a debt consolidation or debt settlement service to help you get out of debt faster and save money on your monthly payments, make sure you do your homework before choosing a company. There are definitely shams and scams out there.

First let me say that debt consolidation is *not* the same as debt settlement/negotiation, which most people don’t realize.

Debt settlement companies charge hundreds of dollars as an initial “admin fee” to set up your account, plus a monthly service fee. The fees vary depending on the company and the amount of your debts.

Such companies take your money every month, but don’t make monthly payments to your creditors! Instead, they put it in a trust account, negotiate your debts with your creditors, then make a lump-sum payment when there’s enough in your account to pay a creditor in full.

That can take *years* depending on the amount of debt you have with each creditor. Meanwhile, you can be sued by your creditors and your wages can be garnished! (Or just don’t make payments to your creditors. You’ll end up in the same spot without paying someone to help you get there!)

Settlement companies don’t ask your creditors to stop all interest, late fees and overlimit fees from accruing. That means while the negotiations are ongoing, your bills will continue to grow! So if you’re sued and a judgement is brought against you, you’ll owe more money than before!

And shoddy companies, which there are a lot of, don’t tell you *any* of this up front. I call it “getting permission by omission” because they simply don’t tell you how their program works *before* you sign an agreement with them. Or after, for that matter. But if you ask the right questions, eventually you’ll figure it out. (Or when the crap hits the fan. Whichever comes first.)

Let me give you an example of how debt settlement works.

Let’s say you have $20,000 in unsecured credit card debt. You owe $10,000 to one credit card company, $6,000 to another and $4,000 to a third. You agree to a 5 year plan where you pay $250 a month to the settlement company. (After all, $250 a month for 60 months is only $15,000, so you’re saving $5,000 and you’ll be debt-free in 5 years, right?)

The admin fee will cost you $750. Your first 3 monthly payments go towards that and nothing gets put into your trust account until your 4th month.

The settlement company keeps $50 of your $250 payment each month for the service fee. That means $200 a month is being added to your trust account.

Most debt settlement companies claim to be able to negotiate your debt for about 50% of what you owe. So let’s use the lowest credit card debt as an example.

If you owe $4,000 and your creditor agrees to accept $2,000 as payment in full, it will take 10 months at $200 per month to have enough in your trust account to pay off just that one credit card.

But remember, your first 3 payments to the settlement company only paid the admin fee. That means your first credit card settlement is 14 months *after* you started sending them money.

So what’s the problem? It’s simple. Your creditor won’t agree to accept half of your actual debt unless, or until, it can be paid in full. Otherwise, you’re expected to make your normal monthly payments.

Since you don’t have $2,000 in your trust account, and you won’t have it until more than a year after you stopped paying your creditor directly, they’ll probably take you to court and request that your wages be garnished long before you have that $2,000 built up.

And what about your other creditors? Well, they’ll be waiting even longer to get their money from the settlement company. The $6,000 debt will take 15 *more* months to pay off, assuming your creditor waits that long and agrees to 50%. And that $10,000 bill? You do the math.

On the other hand, if you signed up for a 3 year plan with the settlement company, your debts would be paid off sooner. But, the question is, will your creditors wait that long? Probably not.

The facts are, you can negotiate with your creditors yourself. Most will agree to take a smaller monthly payment from you and stop all interest and fees from accruing. And, of course, you’ll save thousands of dollars in fees to a settlement company.

Before signing up for any service, please be sure you check out the company thoroughly. And don’t let the words “non-profit” fool you either. A lot of debt settlement companies claim to be non-profit.

Going back to the example above, if you pay them $15,000 over a 5 year time frame and they settle your debts at half of what you owed, they’ll make $5,000 from you. I’d call that a profit, especially since they might not have actually helped you in any way.

Most companies will allow you to cancel your account and get a refund of what you’ve paid, less the non-refundable admin fee and the monthly service fees. If you feel you’ve been mislead about their program, don’t hesitate to argue til the cows come home. File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau or hire an attorney if you feel you’re getting nowhere.

You can visit the Better Business Bureau’s website (http://www.bbb.org) and find reports on hundreds of companies. Here’s a small listing of companies that have poor reputations with the BBB:

National Consumer Debt Council LLC – Irvine, CA (A.K.A. NCDC, United Consumer Law Group)

Financial Rescue Services – Burbank, CA

Debt Legal Services – Anaheim, CA

American Debt Relief – Los Angeles, CA (A.K.A. A M Debt, American Debts Relief, Debt Relief)

Please be very cautious when choosing a debt help company and ask lots of questions before agreeing to anything. If you find they’re evading your questions, run fast and run far. There are reputable companies out there, so keep looking until you find one.

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Grete Pasch is an expert in metadata design, academic libraries, computer systems implementation, digitization projects, rich media production, digital library management, e-learning, and higher education. She is currently vice dean of the Central Library at Effat University in Saudi Arabia. Previously, she was director of Academic Information Resources and the Ludwig von Mises Library at Universidad Francisco Marroquín in Guatemala. She also founded and directed UFM’s New Media department. Pasch was director of the Learning Resource Center of The Scholar Ship and information technology consultant at the Texas State Library & Archives (TSLAC). In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

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President Obama speaks about moving forward to create jobs, out-compete in the global economy by investing in innovation and education, and win the future for our children and our country. This enhanced version features charts, graphs and other visual aids that accompany the President’s speech. January 25, 2010.

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The very best way to manage debt is to be debt-free, yet that is easier said than done in today’s economy. However, when it comes to paying for your college education, acquiring debt or student loans to afford the tuition cannot be avoided for many students.

In planning for the successful repayment of your student loan many things must be taken into consideration. To get ahead of the game you should plan to repay the loan before you sign the first promissory note. In a perfect world this might be the case, quite the contrary most student do not consider repayment until after they have graduated from college and land their first job.

Here are some suggested tips to help you make plans to deal with your student loan effectively to ensure repayment success.

Tip #1: You Do the Leg Work

All loans are not equally created. Some loans offer repayment incentives while you are still attending college; this bonus in some cases can be extended even after you have graduated. On the other hand, there are loans that provide no such stipend and the loans are due shortly after you have graduated college. For example, the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) loan charges a 3% loan origination fee; one stimulus is the proposal to pay this fee for students. The student in-turn has more money to off-set the cost for books, school supplies and living expenses.

An example of the incentive after graduation would be the fact that you could qualify for reduced interest rates. Also, should a student want to repay the loan through an automatic withdrawal system, like payroll deduction, for example, the probability of receiving this incentive is even greater? As you can see, there are notable differences in each student loan; that is why it is necessary to ensure that you have a thorough understanding of what each loan offer; and choose the one that provides the best incentives.

Tip #2: Read Your Mail

Typically, student borrowers get tons of information concerning the student loan. The student receives mail, normally, immediately prior to, throughout and following graduation from college. Consequently, it is crucial that you read through the entire stack of mail carefully. Therefore, if you have concerns, or there is information you do not understand; by knowing what is going on now you can get the problem resolved right away. Remember, it is necessary to ask if things are not clear, don’t ignore the mail or you might miss out on a critical deadline or important information you need to act on concerning the loans.

Tip #3: Organize that Mountain of Paperwork

Save all of your student loan paperwork and correspondences, as soon as you get it in the mail in the mail. That way, you are going to know exactly what you agreed to, what is expected from you at loan repayment, and also to remind you how much you have borrowed, which is extremely important. It is interesting how signing the promissory note for your loan is so exciting, repaying the loan seems far away, but only for a while. Four years of college pass by quicker than you think. Before you know it, you are graduating, and the student loan repayment is glaring you in the face.

Organization and having the ability to put your fingertips on the loan paperwork will assist in alleviating a lot of the panic. To make things easy for you, begin by establishing a good, easy to use, record-keeping system in which you are able to keep your student loan paperwork and correspondence. The bookstores and libraries have books and software products on personal finance and organization that will help you get going. No matter what filing system you choose, whether document folders, binders, portfolios, or envelopes, create one file for each loan or account you have, and keep your items categorized appropriately. Additionally, while organizing your record-keeping system, make sure that it is safe. The record-keeping system should be kept free from thieves or fire. A number of professionals also recommend that you need to keep your student loan documents and correspondences until they are all totally paid off. This is what you need to keep a record of.

*Essential paperwork like your college student loan applications, promissory notes, disbursement and disclosure statements, and also loan transfer notices. * Copies of all correspondences concerning your student loan company and/or servicing company, such as your school’s financial aid office. * Contact and phone number of the loan provider.

Tip #4: Be Present at all Required Entrance and Exit Sessions

When you take out a student loan, you will have to complete the student loan counseling sessions. Some schools give this on-line and the sessions will not require a considerable amount of your time. They will give you a significant amount of information concerning your rights as well as your obligations as a student borrower.

Tip #5: Budget Finances Like a Pro

The adage when you live to impress when you are in school, you might live like a pauper when you have completed your degree. Quite simply, it is essential that you learn the best way to manage your hard earned money when you are going to school. Frugality can help you reduce the amount of the loan you apply for; as well as reduce the total amount you are going to be responsible for paying back. Here are a few sensible techniques worth taking into consideration:

* Prepare realistic budgets while you are going to school and even after you graduate. This will probably enable you to borrow only what you need, providing you an excellent opportunity to pay back the loans. * Learn how to live as inexpensively as possible. Bear in mind you are only a college student. You can enjoy a much more trouble-free life if you graduate with little to no financial debt. Many excellent tips on how to be cash conscious include finding a roommate, renting a video rather than going to the theater, and taking your lunch from home rather than going out to restaurants.

Thriftiness is the name of the game, so be as thrifty as you possibly can. * For virtually any credit card debts you receive, try to pay off the total amount due. * Set up a financial budget for yourself and stick to it. As long as you are in college, it will be beneficial to see how you can avoid the desire of using credit cards or your student loan money to purchase items that are not contained in your spending budget. Never simply purchase unneeded items. * If at all possible, check out work-study or other part-time job. Finding a part-time job will give you the chance to gain useful specialized experience, as well as providing additional income to cover expenses.

Tip #6: Retain at least Half-Time Enrollment

If you are thinking about half-time enrollment, it is essential to ensure that you are eligible for an in-school deferment. The part-time enrollment usually takes six credit hours. Check with you educational institution requirements concerning the prerequisites for half-time standing.

Tip #7: Make the most of Tax Cost savings

A number of college students who take out student education loans qualify for tax breaks. To determine your status, seek advice from your tax consultant. The breaks are now determined by your qualified college tuition repayments, and in addition, they will help decrease how much Federal tax you have to pay. If you are paying interest on a student loan, it is possible to receive a deduction on your individual Federal tax return for all interest payments. When, you get the advantage of the tax credit as well as the deductions, use the extra tax reimbursement to pay down your student loan, or to take care of the educational expenses.

Tip # 8: Show Me the Money

College graduations is now behind you and your new careers looms just ahead, but guess what; it is now time to repay those student loans. Some loans come due soon after college graduation while other loans allow a bit of time before repayment is due. The bottom line is the loan will have to be paid. Here are some recommendations when you enter the repayment period:

* Submit the loan payment as soon as it is due each month for the full payment amount or even more. This should be done no matter whether you receive a monthly bill or not. *Understand the pay off alternatives offered by your student loan lenders. One option allow you to decrease the loan by making larger monthly payments, and other option allow you reduce your initial monthly bills by making it easier to repay the loan early in your career.

*Contact your lender and inform them immediately of any change in your name or address; if you have questions about your college bill; making payments on time is a problem; loan deferment or forbearance might be needed to help you through a financial crisis. *Make sure you clearly comprehend all mail you receive from your student loan lender and respond immediately when notified. For Further Information concerning your student loans, always remember that the financial-aid office at your school should be your first point of contact. Additionally, there are a number of publications from the Federal and state governments, lenders and college admissions office, libraries and your local bookstore.

Here’s to your success!

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College Conspiracy is the most comprehensive documentary ever produced about higher education in the US The film exposes the facts and truth about America’s college education system. ‘College Conspiracy’ was produced over a six-month period by NIA’s team of expert Austrian economists with the help of thousands of NIA members who contributed their ideas and personal stories for the film. NIA believes the US college education system is a scam that turns vulnerable young Americans into debt slaves for life. NIA tracks price inflation in all US industries and there is no industry that has seen more consistent price inflation this decade than college education. After the burst of the Real Estate bubble, student loans are now the easiest loan to receive in the US, and total student loan debts now exceed credit card debts. The government gives out easy student loans to anybody, regardless of grades, credit history, what they are majoring in, and what their job prospects are. NIA believes it is illegal for the US government to be in the student loan business because the US constitution doesn’t authorize it. Just like how the US government created Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to make housing affordable, but instead drove housing prices through the roof; the US government, by trying to make college more affordable, is accomplishing the exact opposite and driving tuition prices to astronomical levels that provide a negative return on investment. The US has been experiencing 5.15 …

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