Debt Reduction

Debt reduction under the sea. "Sea" how Sponge Bob defeated debt with debt reduction.

Debt Reduction

Sponge Bill's Journey into Debt--and Subsequently, Debt Reduction

The first time Sponge Bill laid eyes on Sandy Chica, he was in love. He knew she was a bit of a daredevil, so he took a lot of lessons in extreme sports like shark dodging, clam jumping and coral climbing (which is even more dangerous for a sponge than anyone else). He also decided it might be wise to upgrade his wardrobe. Then he started thinking that his pineapple house was too small--after all, it didn't have a bathroom. So he went to a realtor to get pre-approved for a loan, but he was denied because he had recently racked up too much credit card debt. Ever the optimist, Sponge Bill swam on, determined to beat his debt problems through debt reduction.

Sponge Bill's Debt Reduction Options

Sponge Bill knew he needed to pay off his debts if he wanted a new house. He also knew he needed a raise to help him do that. So he asked his boss, Mr. Krebs, for a raise. But Mr. Krebs denied his request. He wouldn't give him a promotion either. Sponge Bill loved his job so much that he didn't want to quit, so he decided to find another way to pay off his debts. He surfed the Internet on the term debt reduction and found a lot of companies who were willing to help. Then he found a site called Sea of Debt. He read the pages of that site and learned that he shouldn't just choose the first debt reduction company that pops up in the list of search results. So he went fishing for the right debt reduction company to help him find the perfect debt reduction company. When he found one, he learned that there were a lot of options when it came to debt reduction. Here's what he found out:

• Debt Consolidation - A program that involves negotiation to get your unsecured debt balances and interest rates lowered. Then the new, lower balances are combined and you make one monthly payment to the debt consolidation company, which they distribute among your creditors. Because of the reductions, you can become debt free in about five years.
• Debt Consolidation Mortgage - A program that allows you to borrow from the equity in your house to pay off your unsecured debts. Your payment is combined with your mortgage, and you get the same interest rate as your mortgage. In some cases, the interest is even tax-deductible!
• Student Loan Debt Consolidation - Combines all of your outstanding student loans into one and locks in a much lower, fixed interest rate for you. Your monthly student loan payments are cut in half, too, because you are given more time to pay them off.
• Debt Consolidation Loan - A loan that's given to you to pay off your unsecured debts. You pay off your unsecured debts immediately, but you still have the loan to pay back. The benefit is that the interest rate on the loan is so much lower (generally half of what you're paying now) and you can have it paid off in five years or less.

Sponge Bill chose a debt consolidation mortgage as his preferred debt reduction tool. He even borrowed enough to add a bathroom to his pineapple house. Then he lived happily ever after!