Linda

Americans currently have over $1 trillion in consumer debt. About half of that is owed to credit card companies. And about 5% of all accounts are 30 days or more past due with their payments.  It looks like many of us might be facing a situation similar to Linda's.

Let's begin with the interest charges. Based on the $275 that Linda's paying in interest each month the debt is over $13,800.

The banks that issued the cards to Linda are glad that she's in debt. They charge her 23.9% to borrow the money. They're paying depositors less than 6% on certificates of deposit. So there's nearly an 18% profit on the money that she has borrowed.

Linda is paying a high rate due to her credit history. That high rate is a warning sign for her that we'll explain later.

To further complicate the problem, Linda is trapped in a position where she is just paying the interest on the debt each month. Again, she's not alone. The average American consumer is paying off about 14% of their outstanding balance each month. That leaves 86% to keep accruing interest charges. At this rate Linda will be repaying these debts forever!

What options are available to Linda? She's already tried the most popular one: transferring the balance to a lower rate account. And as Linda points out, with bad credit it's hard to find a credit card that's willing to give a lower rate. That doesn't mean that Linda should quit looking. If she has Internet access she might want to check out Bank Rate Monitor www.bankrate.com/brm/rate/cc_home.asp. They compare credit card rates on a regular basis.

Linda should also try calling the two credit card companies and asking for a lower rate. She'll probably be turned down, but a phone call could pay big dividends.

The next option for Linda would be to consolidate the debt against a fixed asset. A home equity loan would be the most likely candidate. Currently you can borrow money against your home for about 9%. Naturally, there's some risk involved. If Linda doesn't keep up with the payments she could be putting her house in jeopardy.

Another possibility could be their retirement plans. Some 401k plans will allow you to borrow against your account. The rules vary so you'll need to ask your plan administrator. A loan means that you're paying yourself the interest. Sounds like a good deal, but you need to know about the potential pitfalls.

Some plans will not allow you to continue making contributions while you have a loan outstanding. Others can require you to pay back the entire loan if you leave your employer. A layoff could make that pretty hard to do.

If none of those options work it starts getting a bit tougher. Then the challenge is how to pay more than the minimum each month. It's something that none of us wants to think about. Paying for things that have long since been consumed or broken. But remember, when we use our credit cards we make a promise to repay in the future.

In Linda's case it means that for every hundred dollars that she charged last year, she's paying $1.99 each and every month until she finds the money to pay back the money that she owes. Think of it this way. While the item sits in the closet and is worth less each month, the price that you pay for it goes up each month!

There's really only three solutions at this point. The least painful is to pay more than the interest each month. Somewhere Linda needs to find $50 or $100 each month that she can send the credit card company to reduce the outstanding balance. Perhaps it's time to give up the cable TV or cell phone. Maybe she should get a part-time second job. It will require a sacrifice. But the alternative is to continue to spend $275 each month and get nothing in return.

If Linda doesn't start reducing the debt now it's likely that she'll begin to fall behind in her bills. Generally when the credit card companies raise the rates to 20% or more, they've identified the borrower as someone who could start falling behind in their payments. A statistical model is used to help them predict who will have trouble. While it's not foolproof, on average they're right. And that should have Linda scared.

It means that she's starting to skate on thin ice. If she starts to fall behind she'll want to consider contacting a non-profit credit counseling agency. Most work along similar lines. They'll attempt to negotiate a lower rate with the lenders. The borrower will be expected to cut up their credit cards and commit to making the new monthly payments until the debt is repaid. Usually the borrower sends one check to the counseling agency. Then they send checks to the individual lenders.

Failure to continue to successfully make the payments will usually leave the borrower little choice but to file for bankruptcy. And about 1.2 million people have taken that trip this past year. For some people bankruptcy seems like a relief. No more fighting to make payments or cover late charges.

But there is a stiff price. The bankruptcy will show on your credit report for a decade. It will be very difficult to borrow money for a car or home. Some people even have trouble getting a new job since the information is available to potential employers.

Hopefully Linda will find a relatively painless way to repay the debt. One thing for all of us to remember is that it's easier to repay credit card balances when they are small and the interest rate is low. When the balance balloons and the lenders raise the interest rate it becomes increasingly difficult to accomplish the task.

Gary Foreman is a former Certified Financial Planner who edits The Dollar Stretcher website www.stretcher.com and ezines. You'll find hundreds of free articles to help you save time and money. Visit today!