Getting Out of Debt and Staying Out [Paperback]

Living with debt is an inevitable part of modern life. Just about everyone has debt in one form or another - a mortgage, an outstanding credit card balance, a car financing deal, a student loan - and many other types. So if we can't get rid of debt we need at least to learn how to handle it so that we can control it, before it controls us. In this book we look at a series of case studies and how people got into trouble with debt. They weren't stupid or irresponsible. Their problems arose because circumstances changed. Some changes could have been foreseen, others not - but they were things that could happen to anybody at any time - to you or me. This book will show you: How, if you take the right action at the right time, you can get matters straight. How to borrow in a way that will minimise the risk of getting into difficulties, and how to do it at the lowest cost. How, if the worst happens and you get into a complete financial mess, you can get out of it with the least long term damage.

This book is aimed at anyone thinking of taking on credit or who is in financial difficultes.( If things are so bad that you can't afford to buy it ask for it at your local library!).I wrote it as the sort of book I would like to have had to give to my kids when they went off to university and had to manage their own money for the first time.Although primarily a self help book, I hope it will be useful to teachers, student welfare officers, community groups and all who sometimes have to give basic financial advice to people who need it. I came to write this book as I became aware of the enormous difficulties that serious debt problems create in people's lives.Many of the cases I came across arose not from the direct fault of the people concerned, but through circumstances: rising interest rates,marital or health problems and many others. In some cases, it was inexperience of the tough financial world out there. In others it was ruthless exploitation by banks and other institutions of people's lack of understanding of money matters. I have written this book in a way which first helps people who need credit to get it in the way least likely to land them in trouble. Then I point out the warning signs of problems ahead and how, by taking action quickly, the problems can be solved. Finally, I explain how to cope when people find themselves in real trouble, with Court proceedings, bailiffs, electricity and gas disconnections and all the unpleasant things that happen when debt spirals out of control.

Tony Palmer graduated in economics at Bristol University. He has held a number of senior posts in industry and the public sector and has an extensive knowledge and experience of the financial sector. His work in the community has brought him into contact with people with debt problems and their solution. He passionately believes that there is a need for more and better advice on credit and debt, and guidance on where help is necessary and available.