Sunday, November 30, 2008

Personal Student Loan Consolidation: Why to Choose It

By William Blake

Whether you are in college or have graduate from college you likely have a large financial burden that you are carrying as a result of your student loans. In addition to these expensive loans you likely also have to pay for rent, mortgages, care payments and maybe even support a family. With all this responsibility it is easy to see why many are looking for a way to ease their financial responsibilities. One place where you can start is with personal student loan consolidation.

What is Personal Student Loan Consolidation?

The student loan consolidation process, regardless of whether you are consolidating private or federal loans, involves taking out a new loan. That means that the process of personal student loan consolidation will require you to borrow a new loan whose funds will be used to pay off all of your previously existing debt related to your student loans. Personal student loan consolidation is a great way to simplify your life financially.

The Benefits

Besides making the entire process of paying back your student loans easier, personal student loan consolidation may cause your monthly payments to become lower. This is owing to the fact that your new consolidation loan may very well be charged a lower interest rate than your previous student loans had been charged. That lower interest rate will let you save money that can be invested or used to pay off your consolidation loan faster.

The Downside

As with any financial situation there is always a downside you need to consider. Before you sign up for personal student loan consolidation you also want to consider a few drawbacks to this option. Even if you see a statement saying you will get lower monthly payments don't assume this means that you will be saving money. Rather you may find out it is just the opposite if you sign before considering the fine print.

While you may have a lower monthly payment you may also have a longer loan term such as thirty years instead of ten years. This longer period means the overall cost of the loan will be higher. - 16089

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